从 (cóng) means From (follow - obey). Below are 16 sentences on this site that use it — with pinyin, an English translation and audio. All of them were written by hand; none is machine generated.
Dictionary examples
这本书是 从 图书馆借的。
Zhè běn shū shì cóng túshūguǎn jiè de.
This book was borrowed from the library.
Dictionary example · HSK 3 · 借
从 我家到公司要一个小时。
Cóng wǒ jiā dào gōngsī yào yí gè xiǎoshí.
It takes an hour from my home to the office.
Dictionary example · HSK 2 · 小时
从 这儿走路去学校要十分钟。
Cóng zhèr zǒu lù qù xuéxiào yào shí fēnzhōng.
It's a ten-minute walk from here to school.
Dictionary example · HSK 2 · 走
From the graded readers
不过我 从 来没有后悔过。
búguò wǒ cónglái méiyǒu hòuhuǐ guò.
But I have never regretted it.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Changing Jobs
他问我：“你是 从 哪儿来的？”
tā wèn wǒ:" nǐ shì cóng nǎ / něi ér lái de / dì?"
He asked me, "Where are you from?"
Graded reader · HSK 2 · The Train to Shanghai
我 从 来没见过她这么年轻的样子。
wǒ cónglái méi jiànguò tā zhème niánqīng de / dì yàngzi.
I had never seen her looking that young.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · An Old Photograph
可是 从 那天起，我就再也没有停过。
kěshì cóng nà / nèi tiān qǐ, wǒ jiù zài yě méiyǒu tíng guò.
But from that day on I never stopped again.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Keeping Up Running
我们问她问题的时候，她 从 来不马上回答。
wǒmen wèn tā wèntí de / dì shíhou, tā cónglái bù mǎshàng huídá.
When we ask her a question, she never answers straight away.
Graded reader · HSK 2 · My Chinese Teacher
一只老狗 从 院子里慢慢走出来，看了我很久。
yī zhī lǎo gǒu cóng yuànzi lǐ mànmàn zǒu chūlai, kànle wǒ hěn jiǔ.
An old dog came slowly out of the yard and looked at me for a long time.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Going Back Home
从 那以后，我学会了一件事：先问清楚，再生气。
cóng nà / nèi yǐhòu, wǒ xuéhuìle yíjiàn shì: xiān wèn qīngchu, zài shēngqì.
Since then I've learned one thing: find out first, get angry afterwards.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · A Misunderstanding
我们认识四年了， 从 大学一年级开始就住在一个宿舍。
wǒmen rènshi sìnián le / liǎo / liào, cóng dàxué yī niánjí kāishǐ jiù zhù zài yīgè sùshè.
We'd known each other four years, sharing a dorm since our first year at university.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · Saying Goodbye
我 从 小就喜欢画画，可是上大学的时候选了别的专业。
wǒ cóngxiǎo jiù xǐhuan huà huà, kěshì shàng dàxué de / dì shíhou xuǎn le / liǎo / liào biéde zhuānyè.
I'd loved drawing since I was small, but at university I chose a different subject.
Graded reader · HSK 4 · A Decision at Thirty
From the travel phrasebook
量大 从 优。
Liàng dà cóng yōu.
Better price for larger volumes.
Travel phrasebook · Negotiating and pricing
从 哪个港口发？
Cóng nǎge gǎngkǒu fā?
Which port does it leave from?
Travel phrasebook · Shipping and customs
Words that contain 从
Each of these has sentences of its own, so you can see the character doing a different job in each one.
Questions about 从
How is 从 used in a sentence?
This page shows 16 sentences using 从 (cóng, "From (follow - obey)"), each with pinyin, an English translation and audio. Every one of them was written by hand for this site.
Are these sentences machine generated?
No. They come from the site's own dictionary examples, graded readers, travel phrasebook and grammar library — all written by a person. A word with no sentence gets no page here, rather than a page of invented ones.
Why do some sentences show 从 inside a longer word?
Because that is where a single character usually lives. Seeing 从 inside the words it builds is how the character stops being an isolated symbol and starts being something you can read.
Is 从 an HSK word?
Yes — 从 is on the official HSK 2 vocabulary list, and you can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 2 page.
Where can I see the full entry for 从?
The dictionary page for 从 has its stroke order, its traditional form, every sense the dictionary lists and a character-by-character breakdown. It is linked at the top of this page.
Keep going
Read the full entry for 从, write a sentence of your own and check it in the Pinyin Annotator, drill it with HSK 2 flashcards, or search the whole sentence bank for another word.
Another word
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