从 meaning in English

cóng

from; through; via; (bound form) to follow

HSK 1prepositionTraditional 從4 strokes

Meaning of 从

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

cóng

from; through; via
(bound form) to follow
(bound form) to obey
(bound form) to engage in (an activity)
(used before a negative) ever
(bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) retainer; attendant
(bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) assistant; auxiliary; subordinate
(bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) related by common paternal grandfather or earlier ancestor

Cóng

surname Cong

cóng

variant of 從|从[cong2]

How to use 从

As a preposition, 从 marks a starting point in place or time, often paired with 到 (dào) or 开始 (kāishǐ). Example: 我从北京来。(Wǒ cóng Běijīng lái.) I come from Beijing. Before a negative, 从 means "ever," as in 从来不 (cónglái bù, never) or 从没 (cóng méi, have never).

从 is two 人 (rén, person) side by side, one walking behind the other. Picture a person following someone, which links to the meanings "to follow" and "from" a starting point.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 从 with 众 (zhòng, crowd), which has three people, or with 认 (rèn) because of the shared 人 shape. Another common slip is putting 从 after the verb in English order. Say 我从中国来 (Wǒ cóng Zhōngguó lái), not 我来从中国.

从 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

你nǐ从cóng没méi有yǒu女nǚ朋péng友yǒu，不bú是shì么me？

You've never had a girlfriend, have you?

从cóng没méi有yǒu人rén听tīng说shuō过guò这zhè件jiàn事shì。

Nobody had ever heard of it.

你nǐ从cóng没méi来lái过guò这zhè儿ér，对duì吗ma？

You've never been here, have you?

你nǐ从cóng那nà里lǐ就jiù看kàn得dé到dào了le。

You can see it from as far as over there.

我wǒ们men再zài也yě不bù能néng一yì起qǐ回huí到dào从cóng前qián了le。

We will never be able to return to the way things were in the past.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

从 cóng · from · 4 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 从.

从小	cóngxiǎo	from childhood; from a young age
从来	cónglái	always; at all times
自从	zìcóng	since (a time); ever since
从前	cóngqián	previously; formerly
从事	cóngshì	to go for; to engage in
从此	cóngcǐ	from now on; since then
服从	fúcóng	to obey (an order); to comply
从中	cóngzhōng	from among them; from it
从而	cóng'ér	thus; thereby
从没	cóng méi	never (in the past); never did
从不	cóng bù	never
从未	cóngwèi	never

Questions about 从

What does 从 mean?

从 (cóng) means "from; through; via; (bound form) to follow" and is used as a preposition.

How do you write 从?

从 is made of 1 character: 从 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.

Is 从 an HSK word?

Yes. 从 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 从 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 从 is written 從.

What is the difference between 从 and 离 when talking about distance?

从 marks a starting point for movement or time, as in 从家到学校 (cóng jiā dào xuéxiào, from home to school). 离 (lí) describes how far apart two things are, as in 我家离学校很近 (Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn, My home is close to school).

How do I say "through" or "via" with 从?

Put 从 before the place you pass through, then the verb. For example, 从这个门进去 (cóng zhège mén jìnqù) means "go in through this door."