Kilo Lingo

Mandarin · Chapter 17 · Lesson 9 · Common mistake

从 or 离?

One starts a journey. The other measures a gap.

The rule

从 (cong2) is FROM as a starting point you move away from: 从家到公司. 离 (li2) measures DISTANCE between two fixed things: 我家离这里很近. If nothing is moving, you want 离.

Pick the right one

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Pick the right one: 从 or 离.

  1. 家来。 (I came from home)

    wǒ ___ jiā lái 。 (I came from home)

  2. 我家这里很近。 (my home is near here)

    wǒ jiā ___ zhè lǐ hěn jìn 。 (my home is near here)

  3. 这里到那里要多久? (how long from here to there?)

    ___ zhè lǐ dào nà lǐ yào duō jiǔ ? (how long from here to there?)

  4. 他的家学校很远。 (his home is far from the school)

    tā de jiā ___ xué xiào hěn yuǎn 。 (his home is far from the school)

  5. 今天开始。 (starting from today)

    ___ jīn tiān kāi shǐ 。 (starting from today)

  6. 现在五点还有一个小时。 (it is an hour until five)

    xiàn zài ___ wǔ diǎn hái yǒu yí gè xiǎo shí 。 (it is an hour until five)