Using 从...到... To Express "From... To..."
Whenever we want to express that something happens from one time to another time or something/someone comes from one place and goes elsewhere, we will use this structure. While it is a really diverse and SUPER useful set, it can be kind of hard to make strong rules for. Let's start off with this:
从cóng: From
从cóng's primary meaning is "from", and we will use it in many of the same cases that we use "from" in English. HOWEVER, the placement of 从cóng is different from English. To demonstrate this, a thought challenge:
Before we even talk about "from", where does location/time go in a sentence? How would you say the following?
Tā zài jiālǐguò chūnjié. ——>She celebrates spring festival at home.
她在家里过春节。
Tāmen zuótiān wǎnshàng jiǔ diǎn kànle diànyǐng. ——> They watched movie last night at 9 o'clock.
他们昨天晚上九点看了电影。
Location/time is right at the front of the verb phrase.
This pattern remains the same even with 从cóng.
Wǒ cóng zhōngguó lái. ——> I come from China.
我从中国来。
Tā cóng qùnián kāishǐ xué zhōngwén. ——>He has started learning Chinese since last year. （ lit. He from last year started learning Chinese.）
他从去年开始学中文。
到dào：to Arrive
到dào's primary meaning is "to arrive". Let's look at some example sentences:
Wǒ míngtiān zǎoshang bā diǎn dào gōngsī. ——> I will arrive at the company at 8 tomorrow morning.
我明天早上八点到公司。
Nǐ dàole wǒjiā yǐhòu, gěi wǒ fā yīgè duǎnxìn! ——> After you arrive at my home, send me a message.
你到了我家以后，给我发一个短信！
从cóng...到dào... from... to...
This pattern remains the same even with 从cóng. That being said, we can use 从cóng...到dào... with both places and time period. The time words here do not necessarily need to be standard timings. They can be actions, or general timings instead.
从cóng time1 到dào time2 |
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Wǒ cóng zǎoshang dào wǎnshàng dōu zài gōngzuò. ——> I from the morning to evening, all was working (working the whole time). |
| Cóng xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn dào wǎnshàng liù diǎn, wǒ huì qù túshū guǎn kànshū. ——> From 2PM to 6PM, I will read in the library. 从下午两点到晚上六点，我会去图书馆看书。 |
| Cóng xiǎo shí hòu dào xiàn zài ，wǒ yī zhí xǐ huān chī dàngāo. ——> I’ve always liked sweets since I was a kid. 从小时候到现在，我一直喜欢吃糖。 |
从cóng place1+ [verb] + 到dào place2 |
| Cóng běijīng dào Xīyǎtú méiyǒu gāotiě. ——> From Beijing to Seattle don't have high speed rail. (There's no high speed rail from Beijing to Seattle ) 从北京到西雅图没有高铁。 |
| Cóng zhèlǐ kāichē dào shànghǎi yào 30 fēnzhōng. ——> From here driving to Shanghai needs 30 minutes. (It takes 30 minutes to drive to Shanghai from here) 从这里开车到上海要30分钟。 |
| Cóng zhèlǐ zuò fēijī dào nàlǐ yào duōjiǔ/duō cháng shíjiān? ——> From here taking a plane to there needs how long? 从这里坐飞机到那里要多久/多长时间？ |
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Note: When asking how long, we can use 多久duōjiǔ or 多长时间duōchángshíjiān. And we will put them at the end of the sentence. |
【OPTIONAL】
“从cóng + time/place” can be omitted in a sentence when the starting point is implied. This can be both for time AND location. Some example situations：
For time:
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Dào 9 diǎn, rúguǒ tā méiyǒu lái, nàme wǒmen jiù qù xuéxiào. ——> By 9 o'clock, if he hasn't come, then we will just go to school. 到9点，如果他没有来，那么我们就去学校。 |
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Dào xiànzài, wǒ hái méiyǒu qùguò zhōngguó. ——> (even) Until now, I still haven't been to China. 到现在，我还没有去过中国。 |
For place:
| A：Xiàwǔ lái wǒjiā kàn diànyǐng, zěnme yàng? ——> What do you think to come to my home to watch a movie this afternoon？ 下午来我家看电影，怎么样？ |
| B：Hǎo a! Nǐ jiā zài nǎlǐ? Kāichē dào nǐ jiā yào duōjiǔ? ——> Great！ Where is your home？ How long does it take to your home by driving？ 好啊！你家在哪里？开车到你家要多久？ |