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从今 (cóng jīn) — from now on

Definition

Formal/written adverb meaning 'from now on,' usually followed by 开始, 往后, or 以后. It is more literary than the everyday 从此 and is rare in casual speech.

adverb
from now on

Examples

  • 从今，。
    cóng jīn Kāi shǐ, wǒ yào měi tiān duàn liàn shēn tǐ.
    From now on, I'm going to exercise every day.
  • 从今，。
    cóng jīn Wǎng hòu, wǒ zài yě bù chí dào le.
    From now on, I will never be late again.
  • 从今，。
    cóng jīn Yǐ hòu, wǒ yào hǎo hǎo xué xí.
    From now on, I'm going to study hard.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

从cóngfrom
今jīnnow

从 marks the starting point, and 今 gives the present time, yielding from now on.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 從; 从 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
从
从cóng從cóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 從 pairs 辵 (walk) with 从, which gives the sound; the character was originally written 从.

Open 从 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One explanation sees the shape as an upside-down mouth with a line below it, giving the idea of not speaking.

Open 今 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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