自从 means "ever since" in English, and is used to express the starting point of an action in the past. It can be followed by phrases using the markers 起 and 以后

Structure

自从 + [Starting Point]

Examples

自从来到湖南，我越来越能吃辣了。Ever since arriving in Hunan, I've been more and more able to eat spicy food.
自从金融危机爆发，就业市场变得越来越不景气了。Ever since the economic crisis, the job market has been growing less and less.
自从他跟我分手后，他就没有联系过我。Ever since he broke up with me, he hasn't contacted me.

In the above examples, 从 can be used interchangeably with 自从. The main difference is that 从 can also be used to state starting points in the future, a little like "from" in English. 自从 cannot be used in this way.

从明天开始，我要认真看书。Starting from tomorrow, I'm going to study seriously.
自从明天开始，我要认真看书。

Note that 从 can be used to denote starting points in place and time, whereas 自从 can only be used to express starting points in time.

Sources and further reading

Books

Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) (pp. 218) →buy

Category: B2 grammar points

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books