自 (zì) — (preposition) from (indicating a starting point in space or time); (preposition) since (indicating the beginning of a time period up to the present)
Definition
Used in written/formal Chinese to mean 'from' (a place or time) or 'since'. Less common in speech than 从 (cóng) for 'from', and more formal than 自从 for 'since'.
preposition
from (indicating a starting point in space or time)since (indicating the beginning of a time period up to the present)
Examples
- 自。Zhè fēng xìn shì zì shàng hǎi jì lái de.This letter was sent from Shanghai.
- 自，。zì Qù nián yǐ lái, wǒ men de xué xiào fā shēng le hěn dà biàn huà.Since last year, our school has changed a lot.
- 自，。zì Míng tiān kāi shǐ, wǒ yào zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ.Starting from tomorrow, I will go to bed early and get up early.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.
自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.
Grammar
Appears in
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