Chinese-ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/MD/Grammar/docs/g05.xhtml

<h1 id="the-use-of-从-and-离">The use of 从 and 离</h1>
<p>从 cóng from is used as a co-verb in sentences such as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>小 王 从 他家 来了这儿 。<br /> Xiǎo Wáng cóng tā jiā lái le zhèr<br /> Xiao Wang came here from his home.<br /></p>
</blockquote>
<p>离 lí from cannot be used in the same way, but is used to measure the distance between two objects. For instance,</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>SV</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>很 远。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>hěn yuǎn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>My home is a long way from the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + distance</th>
<th></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>有 三 英 里。</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>yǒu sān yīngliǐ</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is three miles from my home to the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>走 路一个 小 时。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>zǒu lù yī ge xiǎoshí</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It takes an hour to walk to the college from my home.</p>
<p>The 离lí construction can also be used to measure duration.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>现在</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>下 课</td>
<td>还有一刻钟。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>xiànzài</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xiàkè</td>
<td>Háiyǒu yíkè zhōng</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is 15 minutes from now to the end of the class.</p>
<p>The co-verbs 从 cóng from and 到 dào to can also be used to measure distance and duration in the following sentence patterns.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>从</th>
<th>A</th>
<th>到</th>
<th>B</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>我 家</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>学 院</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>My home is a long way from the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>从</th>
<th>A</th>
<th>到</th>
<th>B</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>我 家</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>学 院</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is three miles from my home to the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>从</th>
<th>A</th>
<th>到</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>我 家</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>走 路一 个 小 时。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>zǒu lù yī ge xiǎoshí</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It takes an hour to walk to the college from my home.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>从</th>
<th>A</th>
<th>到</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>现 在</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>下 课</td>
<td>还 有 一刻 钟。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>Xiànzài</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xiàkè</td>
<td>háiyǒu yíkè zhōng</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is 15 minis between now and the end of the class.</p>
<p>Negation and question words are placed next to the main verbs or stative verbs expressing distance or duration as demonstrated below.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>SV</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>远 吗?</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>yuǎn ma</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Is it far from my home to the college?</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>SV</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>不 远。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>bù yuǎn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is not far from my home to the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>SV</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>多 远?</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>duō yuǎn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>How far is it from my home to the college?</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>现 在</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>下 课</td>
<td>还 有 一刻 钟。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>xiànzài</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xiàkè</td>
<td>Háiyǒu yíkè zhōng</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is 15 minutes from now to the end of the class.</p>
<p>The co-verbs 从 cóng from and 到 dào to can also be used to measure distance and duration in the following sentence patterns.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>B</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>从</td>
<td>我 家</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>学 院</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>My home is a long way from the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>B</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>从</td>
<td>我 家</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>学 院</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is three miles from my home to the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>B</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>从</td>
<td>我 家</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>学 院</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It takes an hour to walk to the college from my home.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>从</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>B</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>从</td>
<td>现 在</td>
<td>到</td>
<td>下 课</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>cóng</td>
<td>Xiànzài</td>
<td>dào</td>
<td>xiàkè</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is 15 minis between now and the end of the class.</p>
<p>Negation and question words are placed next to the main verbs or stative verbs expressing distance or duration as demonstrated below.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>A</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>B</td>
<td>SV</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>远 吗?</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>yuǎn ma</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Is it far from my home to the college?</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>A</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>B</td>
<td>SV</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>不 远。</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>bù yuǎn</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It is not far from my home to the college.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th>A</th>
<th>离</th>
<th>B</th>
<th>V + duration</th>
<th></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td>A</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>B</td>
<td>SV</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>我 家</td>
<td>离</td>
<td>学 院</td>
<td>多 远?</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>wǒ jiā</td>
<td>lí</td>
<td>xuéyuàn</td>
<td>duō yuǎn</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>How far is it from my home to the college?</p>
<p>Assignments</p>