eric
/
ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
							123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131
							<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta name="generator" content=
"HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" />
<title></title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Although it can also work in the positive, 从来 (cónglái) is
usually used when you want to express that you
<em><strong>never</strong> do something</em> (as a habit, or as a
rule), or that you <em>have <strong>never</strong> done
something</em> (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.</p>
<h2 id="to-never-do-with-从来-cónglái-不-bù">"To Never Do" with 从来
(cónglái) + 不 (bù)</h2>
<p>When you follow 从来 (cónglái) with 不 (bù), you are expressing
that you <em><strong>never</strong> do something</em> (as a habit,
or as a rule). It's often used as a way to refuse something, as in
"I never drink."</p>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<p>The structure is:</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 从来 + 不 + [Verb Phrase]</p>
</div>
<p>Keep in mind that 从来 (cónglái) may be shortened to just 从 (cóng)
in casual speech.</p>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="to-have-never-done-with-从来-cónglái-没有-méiyǒu">"To Have
Never Done" with 从来 (cónglái) + 没有 (méiyǒu)</h2>
<p>Use 从来 (cónglái) with 没 (méi) or 没有 (méiyǒu) (and 过 (guo) after
the verb) to indicate that you <em>have <strong>never</strong> done
something</em> (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.</p>
<h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>
<p>The structure is:</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 从来 + 没(有) + Verb + 过</p>
</div>
<p>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.</p>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
<li>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></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="Expressing_experiences_with_&quot;guo&quot;" title=
"wikilink">Expressing experiences with "guo"</a></li>
<li><a href="Comparing_&quot;bu&quot;_and_&quot;mei&quot;" title=
"wikilink">Comparing "bu" and "mei"</a></li>
<li><a href="&quot;meiyou&quot;_as_a_Verb" title=
"wikilink">"meiyou" as a Verb</a></li>
<li><a href="Standard_negation_with_&quot;bu&quot;" title=
"wikilink">Standard negation with "bu"</a></li>
<li><a href="&quot;Always&quot;_with_&quot;conglai&quot;" title=
"wikilink">"Always" with "conglai"</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further
reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"BRIDGE_(%E6%A1%A5%E6%A2%81_%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7%E6%95%99%E7%A8%8B%E4%B8%8A)"
title="wikilink">BRIDGE (桥梁 实用汉语中级教程上)</a> (p.40) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B003AKZFFC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B003AKZFFC&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=allset-23">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_2" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2</a> (p. 59) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276881/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0887276881">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
<ul>
<li>Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: <a href=
"http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0119.html">Usage
of 从来</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:A2_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:A2 grammar points</a></p>
</body>
</html>