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

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

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