从...到...
Reach for this when you want to mark a span — 'from X to Y.' It works for time (从早上到晚上 / from morning to night), space (从北京到上海 / from Beijing to Shanghai), and abstract ranges (从一到十 / from one to ten; 从普通员工到 CEO / from regular employee to CEO). It's the standard way to express any kind of 'start point and end point' in Chinese.
Structure
从 [START] 到 [END]
cóng... dào...
How to Think About It
Place this whole chunk BEFORE the verb, not after. English puts 'from X to Y' wherever it wants ('I worked from 9 to 5'), but Chinese pins it in front: '我从九点到五点工作'. Putting it after the verb ('我工作从九点到五点') sounds like a tag-on afterthought, not a properly framed time/space adverbial. Treat 从...到... as a setup before the action.
Examples
我从北京飞到上海。
Wǒ cóng Běijīng fēi dào Shànghǎi.
I flew from Beijing to Shanghai.
他从早上工作到晚上。
Tā cóng zǎoshang gōngzuò dào wǎnshang.
He works from morning to night.
从一年级到六年级, 他都是第一名。
Cóng yī niánjí dào liù niánjí, tā dōu shì dì yī míng.
From first grade to sixth grade, he was always first in class.
从早上九点到下午五点都是上班时间。
Cóng zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn dào xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn dōu shì shàngbān shíjiān.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is all work time.
从设计到生产，全部在国内完成。
Cóng shèjì dào shēngchǎn, quánbù zài guónèi wánchéng.
From design to production, everything is done domestically.
从孩子到老人，大家都喜欢这部电影。
Cóng háizi dào lǎorén, dàjiā dōu xǐhuān zhè bù diànyǐng.
From kids to seniors, everyone loves this movie.
Common Mistake
Learners place 从...到... after the verb because English allows it. Chinese expects time and location adverbials in front of the verb. Trailing them feels broken.
我学习中文从去年到现在。
我从去年到现在一直学中文。
Don't Confuse With
从 (alone)
从 alone marks a starting point without an endpoint: '从今天开始' (starting today). Add 到 only when you need to specify where the span ends.
由...到...
Same meaning, formal/written register. 由 is what you'll see in official notices, schedules, and news. 从 is the everyday default.
离 + Place
离 measures DISTANCE between two points ('我家离公司很近'). 从...到... describes a span or path you travel. 离 doesn't take 到 — these are different jobs.
从...开始
从 X 开始 marks only the starting point ('starting from X'); no endpoint specified. 从 A 到 B always names both ends.
由...至...
Same meaning, formal/written register. Used in official documents, schedules, and contracts. Speak with 从...到, write 由...至 in formal contexts.
Practice
我 ___ 星期一到星期五都上班。
Show answer
从
他从家走 ___ 学校只要十分钟。
Show answer
到
Put in order: [从 / 到 / 二零二零年 / 我 / 中文 / 学 / 现在 / 一直]
Show answer
从二零二零年到现在, 我一直学中文。
Translate to Chinese: 'The store is open from 9 to 10.'
Show answer
这家店从九点到十点开门。
Describe your typical workday using 从...到....
Show answer
Example answer: 我从九点到六点在公司工作。 (I work at the office from 9 to 6.)
___ 设计 ___ 打样到批量生产。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 15 Fluentide episodes:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 从...到... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.