从来 (cónglái) — always; at all times (with negation: never)

从来 (cónglái)

从来 indicates that something has consistently been true from the past up to now. In positive sentences it means "always"; when negated with 不 or 没 it means "never."

Meanings

1. [adverb] Always; at all times (consistently true from the past to now).
2. [adverb] Never (when used with negation 不 or 没).

Example Sentences

她从来不迟到，总是准时到达。 Tā cónglái bù chídào, zǒngshì zhǔnshí dàodá. She never arrives late; she is always on time.

我从来没有去过日本，很想有机会去看看。 Wǒ cónglái méiyǒu qù guò Rìběn, hěn xiǎng yǒu jīhuì qù kàn kan. I have never been to Japan; I really want to have the chance to go.

他从来都很认真，做事一丝不苟。 Tā cónglái dōu hěn rènzhēn, zuòshì yīsī bùgǒu. He has always been very serious and meticulous in everything he does.

这种情况从来没有发生过。 Zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng cónglái méiyǒu fāshēng guò. This kind of situation has never happened before.

Collocations

Usage Notes

从来 nearly always appears with negation (从来不 or 从来没有) in everyday speech. Positive 从来都 is less common but used for emphasis. 从来不 expresses a habitual behavior (never does X), while 从来没有 expresses a completed experience (has never done X).

Memory Hook

从 means "from" and 来 means "to come"; 从来 traces all the way from the beginning up to now, covering the entire timeline.