There are a few ways to express "ever since" in Chinese. In English, we would say something like "ever since I came to Shanghai, my Chinese has improved a lot." In this article, we will first take a look at using 以来 (yǐlái) to mean "ever since." We will also take a quick look at using "ever since" with 来 (lái), which is similar but used in a somewhat different way.

Structure with 以来

Basic form

To express "ever since," all one needs to do is put "以来" (yǐlái) after a specific event or time. It expresses what has happened since the stated event until the time that the speaker talks (in other words, referring to a certain time period).

Examples

上大学以来，我一直没逃过课。Shàng dàxué yǐlái, wǒ yīzhí méi táo guò kè.Since I was in college, I haven't skipped a class.
到上海以来，他的汉语水平提高了。Dào Shànghǎi yǐlái, tā de Hànyǔ shuǐpíng tígāo le.Ever since he came to Shanghai, his Chinese has been improving.
住院以来，常常有朋友来医院看望她。Zhùyuàn yǐlái, chángcháng yǒu péngyou lái yīyuàn kànwàng tā.Ever since she was in hospital, her friends have constantly come and visited her.

Form with 自, 从 or 自从

When you need to use 以来 in a more formal or written context, you can add 自, 从 or 自从 (or other similar words) before the time or event.

Examples

自从我拿到驾照以来已经有五年了。Zìcóng wǒ ná dào jiàzhào yǐlái yǐjīng yǒu wǔ nián le.I've had my license for five years.
自从去年夏天以来，他一直没有回过家。Zìcóng qùnián xiàtiān yǐlái, tā yīzhí méiyǒu huíguò jiā.He hasn't returned home since last summer.
自从退学以来，他一直在帮父母做农活。Zìcóng tuìxué yǐlái, tā yīzhí zài bāng fùmǔ zuò nónghuó.Since he left school,he's been helping her parents do farm work.
自从 1979 年改革开放以来，中国人的生活水平得到了提高。Zìcóng yījiǔqījiǔ nián gǎigé kāifàng yǐlái, Zhōngguó rén de shēnghuó shuǐpíng dédào le tígāo.Ever since the 1979 reform, the Chinese people's level of living has gone up.

Structure with 来

Using 来 to mean "ever since" is basically the same as "以来," however, there is one key difference: you can only use 来 after a time interval. In other words, it needs to be used with a certain number of years, months, days, hours etc. In English this would be like saying "ever since three days ago, I've had a constant headache." It doesn't have to be a specific number either, it could be "a few" (几).

Examples

三个月来，我们去了很多地方旅游。Sān gè yuè lái, wǒmen qù le hěn duō dìfang lǚyóu.Since three months ago, we've traveled to a lot of places.
五年来，物价一直上涨。Wǔ nián lái, wùjià yīzhí shàngzhǎng.Ever since five years ago, prices have been going up.
我的同学几天来一直没有上课。Wǒ de tóngxué jǐ tiān lái yīzhí méiyǒu shàngkè.My classmate hasn't come to class for a few days now.

Structure with 以来

Basic form

Examples

Form with 自, 从 or 自从

Examples

Structure with 来

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books