从来 (cónglái) is an adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever' — but it is almost always used in negative constructions, especially with 不 (bù) or 没 (méi). Literally, 从 means 'from' and 来 means 'come', so 从来 originally conveyed the idea of 'from the beginning until now', implying continuity over time. In modern usage, it emphasizes that something has never happened at any point in the past up to the present.

This word adds strong emphasis to negation and often appears in formal or literary contexts, though it’s also common in everyday speech when expressing absolute denial or lifelong habits. It typically precedes the verb and cannot stand alone as a sentence element. Unlike the simple negator 不, 从来 must be paired with another negator (e.g., 从来不、从来没) to form grammatically correct expressions.