Expressing "ever since" with "yilai"
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There are a few ways to express "ever since" in Chinese. In English, we would say something like "ever since I came to Shanghai, my Chinese has improved a lot." In this article, we will primary take a look at using 以来 (yǐlái) to mean "ever since". We will also take a quick look at its shortened form 来 （lái), which is similar but used in a somewhat different way.
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Structure with 以来
Basic form
To express "ever since", all one needs to do is put "以来" (yǐlái) after a specific event or time. It expresses what has happened since the event spoken until the time that the speaker talks (in other words, referring to a certain time period). This part can be the first clause of a sentence. When it is, make sure that there is a "，" after the the 以来. It does not always have to though.
Time or Event + 以来
Examples
- 开学 以来 , 我 每 个 星期二 有 中文 课 的 听写。
- 到 上海 以来 ，他 的 汉语 水平 提高 了。
- 申请 大学 以来 ，她 总是 担心 她 的 未来。
Form with 自, 从 or 自从
When you need to use 以来 in a more formal or written context, you can add 自, 从 or 自从 (or other similar words) before the time or event. Remember that the time or event can be a longer time or even phrase.
自/从/自从 + Time or Event + 以来
Examples
- 自从 我 骑 自行车 以来 已经 有 五 年 了
- 自从 昨天 以来，他 没有 吃 什么 东西。
- 自 古 以来，中国 社会 以 儒家 思想 为 主。
- 从 1979 年 改革开放 以来，中国人 的 生活水平 得到 了 提高。
Structure with 来
Using 来 to mean "ever since" is basically the same as "以来", however there is one key difference: you can only use 来 after a time interval. In other words, it needs to be used with a certain number of years, months, days, hours etc. In English this would be like saying "ever since three days ago, I have constantly had a headache." It doesn't have to be a specific number either, it could be "a few“ (几).Also, this form cannot be used with 自, 从 or 自从 (or other similar words).
Time interval + 来
Examples
- 三 个 月来，我们 去 了 很 多地方 旅游。
- 五 年 来，物价 一直 上涨。
- 我 的 同学 几 天 来 一直 没有 上课。
