Two people walking in tandem, one behind the other on the same path. From (a starting point in place, time, or source); through (a route or intermediary). Two identical figures (人人) side by side—the second follows the first, coming 从 (from/through) the same road.
ever; always (usually in the negative)
English puts 'from Shanghai' after the verb; Chinese puts 从 before the verb.
回来 already means 'come back here.' If you name the destination, use 回到北京 instead of stacking 到 after 回来.
离 is for distance from a point, not for starting a trip.
Talking about distance uses 离, not 从.
从 comes before the verb, so 我从上海来 is right.
English lets 'from Shanghai' sit after 'come.' Chinese puts 从上海 before the verb 来. So you say 我从上海来, 他从北京来, 我们从公司走. If 从 lands after the verb, it sounds like a word-order crash. “他今天从上海回来，晚上就和我去了一个饭馆儿吃北京菜。” (He came back from Shanghai today, and in the evening he and I went to a restaurant to eat Beijing cuisine.) ── [《友好的高友朋》](/read/friendly-beijing-coworker#s6)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Basic order | 我从上海来 | 我来从上海 |
| Person coming from a city | 他从北京来 | 他来从北京 |
| Leaving from a place | 我们从公司走 | 我们走从公司 |
No. Use 从上海回到北京, or just 从上海回来 if you are already in Beijing.
回来 already means 'come back here.' It has the 'back to this place' idea baked in. If you need to name the destination, switch to 回到北京. So 从上海回到北京 is clean. 从上海回来到北京 piles two endpoints together and sounds wrong.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Destination named | 从上海回到北京 | 从上海回来到北京 |
| Speaker already in Beijing | 从上海回来 | 从上海回来到北京 |
| Past trip to Beijing | 他昨天回到北京 | 他昨天回来到北京 |
从 starts movement; 离 measures distance.
从 marks where a trip, action, or time period starts. 离 marks how far one place is from another. So 从上海来 means the trip starts in Shanghai. 离上海很近 means the distance to Shanghai is short. Mixing them makes the sentence talk about the wrong relation.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Starting a trip | 从上海来 | 离上海来 |
| Distance from a place | 离上海很近 | 从上海很近 |
| Time start | 从早上开始 | 离早上开始 |
| Range | 从早上到晚上 | 离早上到晚上 |
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.
从 北京到上海坐飞机，不到两个小时，但是要坐火车，就要最少五个多小时。
Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.
他今天 从 上海回来，晚上就和我去了一个饭馆儿吃北京菜。
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