曩 (nǎng) - Formerly & in the past

曩Tone 3

nǎng ｜ 21 strokes ｜ radical:

楠念

曩 · nǎng

Formerly;

in the past;

of old;

bygone.

Formerlyin the pastof old

Usage highlights

Formerly livedPast eventsOld methodFormer timesBygone daysFormer residence

Synonyms

  • 昔— former times; past
  • 往— past; previous
  • 旧— old; former

Antonyms

  • 今— now; present
  • 现— current; present

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I formerly lived in Beijing (曩居北京).
  • He mentioned past events (曩事).
  • This is different from the old method (与曩法不同).
  • The situation in former times (曩时情形).

Collocations

  • Formerly lived(曩居)
  • Past events(曩事)
  • Old method(曩法)
  • Former times(曩时)
  • Bygone days(曩日)
  • Former residence(曩居)

Idioms

  • As in former times(一如曩昔)
  • Past events and present feelings(曩事今情)
  • The past and the present(曩今)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • A classical Chinese character primarily found in literary and historical texts.
  • Rarely used in modern spoken Chinese but appears in formal writing to denote past time.
  • Reflects the Chinese literary tradition of using specific temporal markers.

FAQ