从小
cóngxiǎo · HSK 2
from childhood
👶 从 = follow + 小 = small/young; literally 'following from when small'
从 (cóng) means 'from/follow' and 小 (xiǎo) means 'small' — together they mean 'from when one was small,' i.e. since childhood. Common in sentences like 从小学汉语 (studied Chinese since childhood).
从 — two 人 (person) figures, one following the other
从 is a pictographic compound showing one person walking behind another, vividly depicting the act of following. The original meaning 'to follow' was extended to 'from' (the starting point one follows out of) and 'to obey'. The traditional form 從 added 辵 (movement) and 止 (foot) to reinforce the walking sense.
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.