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 hěn duō 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 的 重要. Cóng zhè jiàn shì zhōng Xiǎo Wáng míngbái le chéngshí de 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 hěn duō 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 bù shì 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 Wēixìn 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 hěn duō 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