Languages 1001

title: Prepositions in Chinese – "从 (cóng) / from" description: Learn how to use the preposition "从 (cóng)" to talk about where you are from, or starting points in time and space in Chinese. level: HSK1 language: chinese type: fill

Ready to teleport through time, space, and Monday morning meetings? Meet your new travel buddy: 从 (cóng), which means from in Chinese!

You use 从 (cóng) to say where something or someone starts – whether it's "from Monday" or "from the supermarket" (or, if you’re Lili, "from work... again...").

1. 从 + Place
Want to say where you (or that mysterious delivery) come from?

• 你从哪儿来？(Nǐ cóng nǎr lái?)
  Where do you come from?
• 我从美国来。 (Wǒ cóng Měiguó lái.)
  I come from the USA.
• 张莉莉从家去公司。
  Lili goes from home to the office.

2. 从 + Time
人生苦短，周末更短。 But here's how to describe time in Chinese!

• 我们从星期一到星期五工作。
  (Wǒmen cóng xīngqī yī dào xīngqī wǔ gōngzuò.)
  We work from Monday to Friday.
• 小彤从七点开始上学。
  (Xiǎotóng cóng qī diǎn kāishǐ shàngxué.)
  Xiaotong starts school from 7 o'clock.

Pro-tip:

• 从 (cóng) means the starting point—so whenever you’re telling the story of Lili’s long week, start with 从!
• The opposite is 到 (dào), meaning to, until:
  从...到... = from ... to ...
  Example: 从星期一到星期五 = from Monday to Friday

Feeling smart? Let’s try some questions...

1. 你 哪儿来？ (Where do you come from?)

2. 我 公司回家。 (I go home from work.)

3. 我们 星期一到星期五工作。 (We work from Monday to Friday.)

4. 浩然 学校去商店。 (Haoran goes from school to the store.)

5. 奶奶 七点开始睡觉。 (Grandma starts sleeping from 7 o'clock.)

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