Although it can also work in the positive, 从来 (cónglái) is usually
used when you want to express that you ***never** do something* (as a
habit, or as a rule), or that you *have **never** done something* (it's
not a part of your life experience). In either usage, 从来 (cónglái) may
be shortened to just 从 (cóng) in casual speech.

"To Never Do" with 从来 (cónglái) + 不 (bù)
-------------------------------------------

When you follow 从来 (cónglái) with 不 (bù), you are expressing that you
***never** do something* (as a habit, or as a rule). It's often used as
a way to refuse something, as in "I never drink."

### Structure

The structure is:

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 从来 + 不 + \[Verb Phrase\]

</div>
Keep in mind that 从来 (cónglái) may be shortened to just 从 (cóng) in
casual speech.

### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   她 <em>从来 不</em> 喝酒。 <span class="pinyin">Tā <em>cónglái
    bù</em> hējiǔ.</span><span class="trans">She never drinks.</span>
-   我 女朋友 <em>从 不</em> 给 我 打
    电话。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">来 has been omitted
    here.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǚpéngyou <em>cóng bù</em> gěi
    wǒ dǎ diànhuà.</span><span class="trans">My girlfriend never calls
    me.</span>
-   这 个 人 很 奇怪，他 <em>从来 不</em> 笑。<span class="pinyin">Zhège
    rén hěn qíguài, tā <em>cónglái bù</em>
    xiào.</span><span class="trans">This person is very strange. He
    never laughs.</span>
-   你 父母 <em>从来 不</em> 打 你
    吗？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">"hit" can mean
    "spank"</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ fùmǔ <em>cónglái bù</em> dǎ nǐ
    ma?</span><span class="trans">Your parents never hit you?</span>
-   他 <em>从 不</em> 关心 别人。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">来
    has been omitted here.</span><span class="pinyin">Tā <em>cóng
    bù</em> guānxīn biérén.</span><span class="trans">He never cares
    about other people.</span>

</div>
"To Have Never Done" with 从来 (cónglái) + 没有 (méiyǒu)
--------------------------------------------------------

Use 从来 (cónglái) with 没 (méi) or 没有 (méiyǒu) (and 过 (guo) after
the verb) to indicate that you *have **never** done something* (it's not
a part of your life experience). You're talking about the past now,
because you're talking about what you haven't done before, so 没有
(méiyǒu) is appropriate. 过 (guo) also makes sense, because you're
making a statement about your life experience.

### Structure

The structure is:

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 从来 + 没(有) + Verb + 过

</div>
Again, 从来 (cónglái) may be shortened to just 从 (cóng) in casual
speech. Note that you can have an object or other information after the
verb, but the 过 (guo) needs to come immediately after the verb.

### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你 <em>从来 没有</em> 想 <em>过</em> 这 个 问题
    吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>cónglái méiyǒu</em> xiǎng
    <em>guo</em> zhège wèntí ma? </span><span class="trans">Have you
    never thought about this question? </span>
-   她 <em>从来 没</em> 见 <em>过</em> 她 妈妈。<span class="pinyin">Tā
    <em>cónglái méi</em> jiàn <em>guo</em> tā
    māma.</span><span class="trans">She has never met her mother.</span>
-   我 <em>从没</em> 学 <em>过</em> 这 个
    词。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">来 has been omitted
    here.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>cóngméi</em> xué
    <em>guo</em> zhège cí.</span><span class="trans">I have never before
    studied this word.</span>
-   你们 <em>从来 没有</em> 听说 <em>过</em> 这 个 地方
    吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <em>cónglái méiyǒu</em> tīngshuō
    <em>guo</em> zhège dìfang ma? </span><span class="trans">Have you
    never heard about this place before? </span>
-   很 多 中国人 <em>从来 没</em> 出 <em> 过</em>
    国。<span class="pinyin">Hěn duō Zhōngguó rén <em>cónglái méi</em>
    chū <em> guo</em> guó.</span><span class="trans">A lot of Chinese
    people have never been abroad.</span>

</div>
See Also
--------

-   [Expressing experiences with
    "guo"](Expressing_experiences_with_"guo" "wikilink")
-   [Comparing "bu" and "mei"](Comparing_"bu"_and_"mei" "wikilink")
-   ["meiyou" as a Verb]("meiyou"_as_a_Verb "wikilink")
-   [Standard negation with
    "bu"](Standard_negation_with_"bu" "wikilink")
-   ["Always" with "conglai"]("Always"_with_"conglai" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [BRIDGE
    (桥梁 实用汉语中级教程上)](BRIDGE_(桥梁_实用汉语中级教程上) "wikilink") (p.40)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B003AKZFFC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B003AKZFFC&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-23)
-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part
    2](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_2 "wikilink") (p. 59)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276881/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0887276881)

### Websites

-   Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: [Usage of
    从来](http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0119.html)

[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")