曾 (céng) - Zēng — a Chinese surname & Céng — once, already, in the past

曾Tone 2

céng ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

偲嫦

曾 · céng

Zēng — a Chinese surname;

Céng — once, already, in the past;

indicates past experience or action.

Zēng — a Chinese surnameCéng — once, already, in the pastindicates past experience or action.

Usage highlights

OnceNever beforeHad alreadyHad notHad beenHad done

Synonyms

  • 曾经— once, formerly
  • 已— already
  • 过— past experience marker

Antonyms

  • 未— not yet, never
  • 将— will, about to (future)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I have been to Beijing (曾去过北京).
  • He once studied Chinese (他曾学习中文).
  • Have you ever eaten this? (你曾吃过这个吗?).
  • She had already left (她曾离开了).

Collocations

  • Once(曾经)
  • Never before(未曾)
  • Had already(曾已)
  • Had not(不曾)
  • Had been(曾是)
  • Had done(曾做)

Idioms

  • Once upon a time(曾几何时)
  • Deja vu(似曾相识)
  • Never experienced before(未曾有之)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • As a surname, Zeng is one of the common Chinese surnames with historical significance.
  • In its adverbial sense, it expresses past experience or completed action, similar to 'once' or 'already' in English.
  • The character appears in classical Chinese literature and historical texts to denote temporal relationships.

FAQ