Expressing "ever since" with "yilai"

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 first take a look at using 以来 (yǐlái) to mean "ever since". We will also take a quick look at using "ever since" with 来 (lái), which is similar but used in a somewhat different way.

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 grammar pattern is usually used to start a statement.

Time or Event + 以来

Examples

• 上大学以来 ，我 一直 没逃过课。Shàng dàxué yǐlái, wǒ yīzhí méi táo guò kè.Since I was in college, I haven't skipped a class.
• 到 上海 以来 ，他 的 汉语 水平 提高 了。Dào Shànghǎi yǐlái, tā de Hànyǔ shuǐpíng tígāo le.Ever since he came to Shanghai, his Chinese has been improving.
• 住院 以来 ，常常有朋友来医院看望她 。Zhùyuàn yǐlái, chángcháng yǒu péngyou lái yīyuàn kànwàng tā.Ever since she was in hospital, her friends have constantly come and visited her.

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.

自/从/自从 + Time or Event + 以来

Examples

• 自从 我 拿到 驾照 以来 已经 有 五 年 了。Zìcóng wǒ ná dào jiàzhào yǐlái yǐjīng yǒu wǔ nián le.I've had my license for five years.
• 自从 去年 夏天以来，他 一直 没有 回过家 。Zìcóng qùnián xiàtiān yǐlái, tā yīzhí méiyǒu huíguò jiā.He hasn't returned home since last summer.
• 自从退学以来，他一直在帮父母做农活。Zìcóng tuìxué yǐlái, tā yīzhí zài bāng fùmǔ zuò nónghuó.Since he left school,he's been helping her parents do farm work.
• 自从 1979 年 改革开放 以来，中国人 的 生活水平 得到 了 提高。Zìcóng yījiǔqījiǔ nián gǎigé kāifàng yǐlái, Zhōngguó rén de shēnghuó shuǐpíng dédào le tígāo.Ever since the 1979 reform, the Chinese people's level of living has gone up.

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).

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。Sān gè yuè lái, wǒmen qù le hěn duō dìfāng lǚyóu.Since three months ago, we've traveled to a lot of places.
• 五 年 来，物价 一直 上涨。Wǔ nián lái, wùjià yīzhí shàngzhǎng.Ever since five years ago, prices have been going up.
• 我 的 同学 几 天 来 一直 没有 上课。Wǒ de tóngxué jǐ tiān lái yīzhí méiyǒu shàngkè.My classmate hasn't come to class for a few days now.

See also

• Before and after with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"
• "Ever since" with "zicong"

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (p. 203) →buy
• Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 2 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (p. 25) →buy
• 现代汉语八百词 （p. 616) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (p. 36) →buy