从 + Start point + 到 + End point
从...到... (cóng...dào...) — 'from...to...' for time and place ranges
从...到... marks a range between a starting point and an ending point — for TIME (从九点到十二点 — from nine to twelve) or for PLACE/distance (从北京到上海 — from Beijing to Shanghai). Both 从 and 到 can also be used separately (从 alone for just a starting point, 到 alone for just a destination/endpoint — 我到北京了, I've arrived in Beijing), but together they frame a clear span with both ends marked, which a lone 从 or 到 can't do. Word order stays fixed: 从 always introduces the earlier/starting point, 到 always the later/ending point — never reversed. The deciding question: do I need to mark BOTH ends of a span (a start and a finish, in time or space) — if so, keep 从 and 到 in that fixed order, matching start-then-end.
Examples
- 我们从九点上课到十二点。wǒ men cóng jiǔ diǎn shàng kè dào shí èr diǎn
We have class from nine to twelve.
- 从北京到上海坐火车要多长时间？cóng běi jīng dào shàng hǎi zuò huǒ chē yào duō cháng shí jiān
How long does it take by train from Beijing to Shanghai?
- 从星期一到星期五我都要上班，从早上八点忙到晚上六点。cóng xīng qī yī dào xīng qī wǔ wǒ dōu yào shàng bān, cóng zǎo shang bā diǎn máng dào wǎn shang liù diǎn
I have to work from Monday to Friday, busy from eight in the morning until six at night.
Common mistake
✗ Wrong: 我们到九点上课从十二点。
✓ Right: 我们从九点上课到十二点。
从 always marks the earlier/starting point and 到 always marks the later/ending point — the order can't be swapped, even though English 'from...to' word order might tempt you to reorder them.
Practice this pattern
Fill in the missing character:
我们＿九点上课到十二点。
We have class from nine to twelve.