Expressing "from" with "cong... zhong"

从……中 (cóng... zhōng) is just another way to express "from." You might be wondering how it differs from the very similar 从……到 (cóng... dào) which expresses "from" in relation to time and place. 从……中 is more versatile because you can use it to talk about things in a more general sense than just about time and place.

Structure

从 + thing + 中 + result

The result is added on the end to complete the idea, but actually expressing "from" comes from everything before the addition of the result.

Examples

• 我从书中学习了很多知识. Wǒ cóng shū zhōng xuéxí le hěnduō zhīshì.I learned a lot from the book.
• 我们从聊天中知道小王不喜欢咖啡. Wǒmen cóng liáotiān zhōng zhīdào xiǎo wáng bù xǐhuān kāfēi.We know from chatting that Xiao Wang doesn't like coffee.
• 从这件事中小王明白了诚实重要. Cóng zhè jiàn shì zhōng Xiǎo Wáng míngbái le chéngshí zhòngyào.Xiao Wang knows the importance of honesty from this matter.
• 从 老房子 中 我们 找 出来 很多 九十 年代 的 东西。Cóng lǎo fángzi zhōng wǒmen zhǎo chūlái hěnduō jiǔshí niándài de dōngxi.We found a lot of stuff from the nineties in the old house.
• 从 电话 中 我 听出 他 不是 很 开心。Cóng diànhuà zhōng wǒ tīng chū tā bùshì hěn kāixīn.I could tell from the phone that he wasn't very happy.
• 丽丽 从 微信 中 发现 了 她 丈夫 和 别的 女人 聊天。Lìlì cóng Wēi xìn zhōng fāxiàn le tā zhàngfu hé biéde nǚrén liáotiān.Lili found out from WeChat that her husband was talking to another woman.
• 我 从 电视 中 看到 了 你的 采访。Wǒ cóng diànshì zhōng kāndào le nǐde cǎifǎng.I saw your interview on TV.
• 我 从 这次 旅行 中 学习 了 很多 道理。Wǒ cóng zhè cì lǚxíng zhōng xuéxí le hěnduō dàolǐ.I've learned a lot of things from this trip.
• 从 这 杯 水 中 你 能 看到 什么？Cóng zhè bēi shuǐ zhōng nǐ néng kāndào shénme?What do you see in this glass of water?
• 从 这次 的 比赛 中 我 收获 了 友谊。Cóng zhè cì de bǐsài zhōng wǒ shōuhuò le yǒuyì.I gained a lot of friendship from this competition.

Sources and further reading

Books

• Anything Goes (无所不谈) (pp. 8) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

HSK5