Dictionary › 从

从

cóng

Old HSK 2 HSK 3.0 character level 2 Character Traditional 從

从 (cóng) means "from". It is an HSK 3.0 level 2 word, and was HSK 2 in the old six-level list.

What 从 means

1. from; through; via
2. bound formto follow
3. bound formto obey
4. bound formto engage in (an activity)
5. (used before a negative) ever
6. bound form(Taiwan pr. zòng) retainer; attendant
7. bound form(Taiwan pr. zòng) assistant; auxiliary; subordinate
8. bound form(Taiwan pr. zòng) related by common paternal grandfather or earlier ancestor

How 从 is used in grammar

从 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Directional Prepositions: 往、向、从 (HSK 2)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 2, prepositions (引出方向、路径); level 2, prepositions (引出时间、处所); level 4, adverbs (时间副词).

Other readings

从 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Cóngsurname Cong
• cóngvariant of {从|cóng}

Example sentences

• 从头开始。
  Start at the beginning.
• 我无从得知。
  Wǒ wúcóng dézhī.
  I have no way of knowing that.
• 他从杭州来。
  Tā cóng Hángzhōu lái.
  He comes from Hangzhou.
• 从中选一个。
  Cóngzhōng xuǎn yī gè.
  Choose one from among these.
• 你从哪里来？
  Where did you come from?
• 从那儿下来！
  Get down from there.

Words starting with 从

• 从来cóng láialways; at all times; never (if used in negative sentence)
• 从事cóng shìto go for; to engage in; to undertake
• 从此cóng cǐfrom now on; since then; henceforth
• 从而cóng érthus; thereby
• 从前cóng qiánpreviously; formerly; once upon a time
• 从容不迫cóng róng bù pòcalm; unruffled
• 从小cóng xiǎofrom childhood; from a young age
• 从不cóng bùnever
• 从未cóng wèinever
• 从中cóng zhōngfrom among them; from it
• 从没cóng méinever (in the past); never did
• 从容cóng róngto go easy; unhurried; calm
• 从头cóng tóuanew; from the start
• 从业cóng yèto practice (a trade)
• 从头到尾cóng tóu dào wěifrom start to finish; from head to tail; the whole (thing)
• 从天而降cóng tiān ér jiàng(idiom) to fall from the sky; (idiom) (fig.) to appear unexpectedly…
• 从军cóng jūnto enlist; to serve in the army
• 从教cóng jiàoto work as a teacher
• 从早到晚cóng zǎo dào wǎnfrom morning till night; from dawn to dusk; all day long
• 从政cóng zhèngto be engaged in politics (esp. as a government official)
• 从今以后cóng jīn yǐ hòufrom now on; henceforward
• 从业者cóng yè zhěpeople in the (aforementioned) industry; practitioner; industry professional
• 从属cóng shǔsubordinate
• 从严cóng yánstrict; rigorous; severely

Words containing 从

• 自从zì cóngsince (a time); ever since
• 服从fú cóngto obey (an order); to comply; to defer
• 无从wú cóngnot to have access; beyond one's authority or capability; sth one has no way of doing
• 听从tīng cóngto listen and obey; to comply with; to heed
• 顺从shùn cóngobedient; to comply; to submit
• 沈从文Shěn Cóng wénShen Congwen (1902-1988), novelist
• 随从suí cóngto accompany; to follow; to attend
• 力不从心lì bù cóng xīn(idiom) to lack the ability to do what one would wish
• 遵从zūn cóngto comply with; to follow (directives); to defer to (the judgment of superiors)
• 何去何从hé qù hé cóngwhat course to follow; what path to take
• 无所适从wú suǒ shì cóngnot knowing which course to follow (idiom); at a loss what to do
• 打从dǎ cóngfrom; (ever) since
• 师从shī cóngto study under (a teacher)
• 侍从shì cóngto serve (an important personage); attendant; retainer
• 屈从qū cóngto submit; to yield; to bow to sb's will
• 盲从máng cóngto follow blindly; to conform slavishly; unthinking obedience
• 无从下手wú cóng xià shǒunot know where to start
• 言听计从yán tīng jì cóngto see, hear and obey (idiom); to take advice; to take sb at his word
• 主从zhǔ cóngmaster-slave (computing); client-server (computing); primary and secondary
• 人从rén cóngretinue; hangers-on
• 任从rèn cóngat one's discretion
• 信从xìn cóngto trust and obey
• 应从yìng cóngto assent; to comply with
• 过从guò cóngto have relations with; to associate with

Sounds the same

Read cóng, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 丛cluster; collection; collection of books
• 淙noise of water
• 琮jade tube with round hole and rectangular sides, used ceremonially in ancient times
• 悰joy
• 賨tribute paid by Han dynasty tribes
• 漎a place where small streams flow into a large one
• 潀gather; flow into (water); sound of waters flowing together
• 従old variant of 从

Where 从 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Conjunctions and Discourse Adverbs (HSK 2), HSK 2 Characters · Set 5 (HSK 2), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 2 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read cóng correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.