How to say “since” in Chinese
since (until now)
“Since” in Chinese is 以来, yǐ lái: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
以来 is read yǐ lái: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “以来”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 以来. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 明天你可以来吗míngtiānnǐkěyǐláimaCan you come tomorrow?
- 毕业以来，我一直在这家公司工作。bìyèyǐlái,wǒyìzhízàizhèjiāgōngsīgōngzuòSince graduating, I've been working at this company the whole time.
- 自去年以来他一直在学汉语zìqùniányǐlái,tāyìzhízàixuéHànyǔHe's been studying Chinese since last year.
More words from the lesson “Since then”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “since” in Chinese?
“Since” in Chinese is 以来, pinyin yǐlái.
What does 以来 mean?
以来 (yǐlái) means “since (until now)”.
How do you write 以来?
以来 is 2 characters: 以 (yǐ) — by means of; 来 (lái) — come. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 以来?
以来 is read yǐlái. Tones: yǐ — third tone, lái — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“since” in the lesson “Since then”
This word is from the topic “Time: when and how long” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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