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从小 (cóng xiǎo) — from childhood; from a young age

Definition

An adverb meaning 'since childhood' or 'from a young age', used before a verb or clause (从小就…). It often pairs with 就 to stress a long-standing habit or trait.

adverb
from childhoodfrom a young age

Examples

  • 从小。
    Wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù xǐ huan xué xí zhōng wén.
    I've liked learning Chinese since childhood.
  • 从小，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo shēn tǐ hěn hǎo, hěn shǎo shēng bìng.
    She has been healthy since childhood and rarely gets sick.
  • 从小。
    cóng xiǎo Tā jiù bú ài chī ròu.
    He hasn't liked eating meat since childhood.

Origin

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2Life Stages & AgeTime (Abstract)

Browse more HSK 2 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.