(céng jīng) - once, at one time, formerly, used to in Mandarin
céngjīngTraditional: 曾經
Translation
once, at one time, formerly, used to
Word origin
A two-character word: 曾 'once, formerly' (originally a layered steamer) plus 经 'to pass through, to undergo' (the simplified silk radical 纟with 巠 jīng as phonetic). Together 曾经 means 'once' or 'formerly'.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 曾 (formerly) + 经 (纟silk + 巠 jīng phonetic)
Stroke order
曾
经
Examples
。
I once lived in Shanghai.
。
He was once an actor.
。
We were once good friends.
。
I once lived in London.
。
She used to be my colleague.
曾经 (céng jīng) means once, at one time, or used to, indicating that something was true or happened in the past but may no longer be the case. It appears before verbs (曾经去过, once went) and often carries a nostalgic or reflective tone. It pairs naturally with 过 (guò, the experiential aspect marker) and 了 (le). Compared to 以前 (yǐ qián, before), 曾经 tends to be slightly more literary and emphasises the contrast with the present.
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曾经: worksheet, infographic and listicle
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 12.