Chinese grammar: ever since with yilai以来

There are a few ways to express "ever since" in Chinese. In English, we would say something like "ever since I came to Shanghai, my Chinese has improved a lot." In this article, we will first take a look at using 以来 (yǐlái) to mean "ever since". We will also take a quick look at using "ever since" with 来 （lái), which is similar but used in a somewhat different way.

Structure with 以来
Basic form
To express "ever since", all one needs to do is put "以来" (yǐlái) after a specific event or time. It expresses what has happened since the event spoken until the time that the speaker talks (in other words, referring to a certain time period).

This grammar patter is usually used to start a statement.
time or event+以来

Examples

Dào shànɡ hǎi yǐ lái , tā de hàn yǔ shuǐ pínɡ tí ɡāo le.
到 上海 以来 ，他 的 汉语 水平 提高 了。

Ever since he came to Shanghai, his Chinese has been improving.

Form with 自, 从 or 自从
When you need to use 以来 in a more formal or written context, you can add 自, 从 or 自从 (or other similar words) before the time or event.
自/从/自从+time or event +以来

Examples

Zìcónɡ wǒ ná dào jià zhào yǐ lái yǐ jīnɡ yǒu wǔ nián le.
自从 我 拿到 驾照 以来 已经 有 五 年 了。

I've had my license for five years.

Structure with 来
Using 来 to mean "ever since" is basically the same as "以来", however, there is one key difference: you can only use 来 after a time interval. In other words, it needs to be used with a certain number of years, months, days, hours etc. In English this would be like saying "ever since three days ago, I have constantly had a headache." It doesn't have to be a specific number either, it could be "a few" (几).

This form cannot be used with 自, 从 or 自从 (or other similar words).
time interval +来

Examples

Wǔ nián lái , wù jià yì zhí shànɡ zhǎnɡ.
五 年 来，物价 一直 上涨。

Ever since five years ago, prices have been going up.