从...开始/到...
Reach for this to mark where something starts in time, place, or process. 'Starting from the 90s,' 'Starting from chapter three,' 'Starting from today.' It's the cleanest way to set a starting point that the rest of the sentence then extends from — usually paired with a verb describing what happens next, or with 到 to bookend the range. Use it for timelines, sequences, and origin stories.
Structure
从 [START] 开始, [WHAT FOLLOWS]
cóng... kāishǐ / dào...
How to Think About It
从 plants a flag on the starting point, 开始 says 'this is where the clock starts ticking.' The slot between them takes a noun naming the start — a time, an event, a chapter, a person. Native speakers feel 从 alone as incomplete; the 开始 (or a 到 endpoint) seals the construction. Without 开始, '从一九九零年, 他...' sounds like the speaker trailed off mid-sentence.
Examples
从下周开始, 我每天跑步。
Cóng xià zhōu kāishǐ, wǒ měitiān pǎobù.
Starting next week, I'll run every day.
从第三课开始, 难度变大了。
Cóng dì sān kè kāishǐ, nándù biàn dà le.
Starting from chapter three, it gets harder.
从今天开始, 不再吃糖。
Cóng jīntiān kāishǐ, bù zài chī táng.
Starting today, no more sugar.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 开始 thinking 从 alone is enough — but a bare 从-phrase usually needs either 开始 or 到 to feel complete. With just 从, the sentence dangles.
从九十年代, 他开始抵制大牌。
从九十年代开始, 他抵制大牌。
Don't Confuse With
从...到...
Marks a full range with both endpoints ('from X to Y'). Use 从...开始 when you only care about the start, 从...到... when you care about both start and end.
自从...以来
More formal and more emphatic about 'ever since.' Implies a long stretch of consequences from that point. Use 从...开始 in casual speech and 自从...以来 in writing or solemn contexts.
由...开始
Written, formal equivalent of 从...开始. Means the same thing but appears in essays and announcements, not in everyday conversation.
Practice
___ 明天开始, 我要早睡。
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从
从下个月 ___ , 价格会涨。
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开始
Put in order: [开始 / 从 / 我 / 学中文 / 去年]
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从去年开始, 我学中文。
Translate to Chinese: 'Starting from today, I will eat breakfast every day.'
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从今天开始, 我每天吃早饭。
Write one sentence using 从...开始 to mark a starting point in your routine.
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Example answer: 从这个星期开始, 我每天看一集中文剧。 (Starting this week, I watch one episode of a Chinese show every day.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: