从 cóng from
How to remember 从: 人 person + 人 person = from. One person follows another off the crowded evening train, both coming home from the same office.
Component breakdown
从 = 人 person + 人 person
- 人 person
- 人 person
One person follows another off the crowded evening train, both coming home from the same office.
How it came to be
One person walking behind another, in step: to follow. Following on from somewhere is how the word came to mean from.
How it is used
- "From" a starting point - 从这儿 (cóng zhèr) from here, 从早到晚 (cóng zǎo dào wǎn) from morning to night. Habitually pairs with 到 (dào).
- Trap: 从 marks a moving origin; 离 (lí) marks a static gap/distance. Use 从北京出发 (leave from Beijing), but 离北京很远 (far from Beijing).
- Also "ever/never" in 从来 - 从来不 (cónglái bù) never, 从没 (cóng méi) have never.
Characters built with 从
Words with 从
- 从小cóngxiǎofrom childhoodHSK 2
- 从来cóngláihave always (from the beginning)HSK 4
- 从中cóngzhōngfrom withinHSK 4
- 从此cóngcǐfrom now onHSK 4
- 从不cóngbùneverHSK 5
- 从事cóngshìto go forHSK 5
- 从前cóngqiánpreviouslyHSK 5
- 从而cóng’érthusHSK 5
- 自从zìcóngsince (a time)HSK 5
- 从业cóngyèto practice (a trade)HSK 6
- 从未cóngwèineverHSK 6
- 服从fúcóngto obey (an order)HSK 6
- 从头cóngtóuanewHSK 7
- 从容cóngróngto go easyHSK 7
- 力不从心lìbùcóngxīnto lack the ability to do what one would wishHSK 7
- 听从tīngcóngto listen and obeyHSK 7
- 无从wúcóngnot to have accessHSK 7
- 顺从shùncóngobedientHSK 7
- 从容不迫cóngróng-búpòcalmHSK 8
Example sentences
- 我能从一数到十。 Wǒ néng cóng yī shǔ dào shí.I can count from one to ten.
- 我从美国来。 Wǒ cóng Měiguó lái.I'm from America.
- 她从梦中醒过来。 Tā cóng mèng zhōng xǐng guòlái.She woke up from her dream.
- 我们从基础开始学习。 Wǒmen cóng jīchǔ kāishǐ xuéxí.We'll begin our studies with the basics.