自从

自从 zìcóng

Since (ever since)

自从 in a sentence HSK 5 繁體自從 zicong

What 自从 means

Since (ever since)

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 自从 will read it the same way this page does.

Recognise a piece of 自从 but not the character it belongs to? Pick the parts in the component character finder and it will name the character for you — free for every character, with nothing to sign in to.

Character by character

自从 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

自

zì

Oneself (certainly - from)

从

cóng

From (follow - obey)

Words that share a character with 自从

How to write 自从

Stroke order is not decoration — it is what makes handwriting legible and what dictionary lookup by stroke count depends on.

Practise 自从 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

自从 in a sentence

自从来到这里，他一直很忙。

Zìcóng lái dào zhèlǐ, tā yìzhí hěn máng.

He has been busy ever since he came here.

自从那次以后我们没见过。

Zìcóng nà cì yǐhòu wǒmen méi jiàn guo.

We have not met since that time.

Every sentence on this site that uses 自从 is collected on the 自从 sentence page. Want pinyin above a sentence of your own? Paste it into the Pinyin Annotator.

Questions about 自从

What does 自从 mean in English?

自从 is pronounced zìcóng and means Since (ever since).

How do you pronounce 自从?

自从 is zìcóng in pinyin — written zicong without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 自从?

自从 is written with 2 characters: 自 (zì) Oneself (certainly - from), 从 (cóng) From (follow - obey). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

How is 自从 written in traditional Chinese?

自從. The simplified form 自从 is used in mainland China and Singapore; 自從 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Both are pronounced zìcóng.

Is 自从 an HSK word?

Yes — 自从 is on the official HSK 5 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 5 page.

Studied around the same time

资金 zījīn 资料 zīliào 资源 zīyuán 紫 zǐ 自动 zìdòng 自豪 zìháo 自觉 zìjué 自私 zìsī

Keep going

Translate a whole sentence containing 自从 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 5, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.

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