从 (cóng): From (Starting Point) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

从 (cóng) answers one question: starting from where, or from when? It marks the source point of a movement or the beginning of a stretch of time. As a coverb, its phrase sits before the verb — "from here leave," not "leave from here" — so 我从这儿走 literally reads "I from-here leave." Its natural partner is 到 ("to"), and the frame 从…到… (from…to…) frames any span, whether kilometres or hours. The one trap to guard against from the start: 从 is about motion or time starting, not distance — that job belongs to 离.

从 + starting point + verb

Whether the source is a place, a time, or even a route, 从 goes first and the verb follows.

我从这儿走，你从那儿走。

wǒ cóng zhèr zǒu, nǐ cóng nàr zǒu

I'll leave from here, you leave from there. (informal)

他从北京来，说话有点儿口音。

tā cóng Běijīng lái, shuō huà yǒudiǎnr kǒuyīn

He's from Beijing, so he has a bit of an accent. (informal)

你从哪儿来的？

nǐ cóng nǎr lái de?

Where did you come from? (informal) — the source question word fills the slot before the verb.

咱们从这条路走吧，近一点。

zánmen cóng zhè tiáo lù zǒu ba, jìn yìdiǎn

Let's go via this road, it's a bit closer. (informal) — 从 can mark a route, not just a source.

💡

从 = where the motion or the time starts. If you can answer "starting where / starting when?", 从 is your word — and it always comes before the verb.

从…到… and 从…起 / 从…开始: framing a span

从 rarely travels alone for long stretches. Pair it with 到 for an endpoint, or with 起 / 开始 ("starting from … on") to launch a period of time.

Frame	Example	Meaning
从 A 到 B	从北京到上海 (cóng Běijīng dào Shànghǎi)	from Beijing to Shanghai
从 A 到 B (time)	从早到晚 (cóng zǎo dào wǎn)	from morning to night
从 … 开始	从八点开始 (cóng bā diǎn kāishǐ)	starting from eight o'clock
从 … 起	从明天起 (cóng míngtiān qǐ)	from tomorrow on

我从早上八点开始上班。

wǒ cóng zǎoshang bā diǎn kāishǐ shàngbān

I start work at eight in the morning. (neutral)

从明天起，我要早睡早起。

cóng míngtiān qǐ, wǒ yào zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ

From tomorrow on, I'm going to sleep and wake up early. (informal)

他从早到晚都在工作，太拼了。

tā cóng zǎo dào wǎn dōu zài gōngzuò, tài pīn le

He works from morning to night — he really grinds. (informal)

眼泪从她的脸上流了下来。

yǎnlèi cóng tā de liǎn shang liú le xiàlái

Tears ran down her face. (literary) — 从 marks the source of the movement.

从 (source of motion) vs 离 (static distance)

This is the distinction that decides which coverb you need, and it exists precisely because English hides it. English "from" does double duty — "I come from here" (a journey) and "far from here" (a gap) — so learners naturally reach for one Chinese word to cover both, and pick wrong half the time. Mandarin keeps the two ideas in separate boxes. 从 describes a journey's origin and is followed by a motion verb (something moves). 离 describes the gap between two points and is followed by 近/远 or a distance (nothing moves). The test is simple: is anything travelling? If yes, 从; if you're just measuring how far apart two things sit, 离. Compare:

我从这儿到学校只要十分钟。

wǒ cóng zhèr dào xuéxiào zhǐ yào shí fēnzhōng

It only takes me ten minutes to get from here to school. (informal) — a journey, so 从…到….

我家离学校很近，走路就行。

wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn, zǒu lù jiù xíng

My home is close to school — I can just walk. (informal) — a static gap, so 离.

Common Mistakes

1. Placing the 从-phrase after the verb. Like every coverb, 从 leads.

❌ 我来从北京。

Incorrect — the source phrase must precede the verb: 从北京来.

✅ 我从北京来。

wǒ cóng Běijīng lái

I come from Beijing.

2. Using 从 where you mean a static distance. "My home is close to school" is a gap, not a journey — use 离.

❌ 我家从学校很近。

Incorrect — nearness is a static distance; use 离, not 从.

✅ 我家离学校很近。

wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn

My home is close to school.

3. Using 从 for a countdown to an event. "Three days until the exam" also measures a gap, so it takes 离.

❌ 从考试还有三天。

Incorrect — a time-gap countdown uses 离: 离考试还有三天.

✅ 离考试还有三天。

lí kǎoshì hái yǒu sān tiān

There are still three days until the exam.

4. Misordering 从 and 开始. The source comes first, then 开始 closes the phrase.

❌ 我开始从九点工作。

Incorrect — 从 leads the time source; 开始 follows: 从九点开始工作.

✅ 我从九点开始工作。

wǒ cóng jiǔ diǎn kāishǐ gōngzuò

I start working from nine o'clock.

Key Takeaways

从 (cóng) marks a starting point — where a motion begins or when a period starts.
The 从-phrase precedes the verb: 从北京来, not 来从北京.
Pair it with 到 for a span (从…到…) or with 开始 / 起 for a time launch (从明天起).
It can also mark a route you travel by: 从这条路走.
Keep 从 (motion/time source) apart from 离 (static distance): 从这儿走 "leave from here" vs 离这儿很近 "close to here."

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