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Word

曾 (céng) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 5

曾 (céng) is a Chinese word: once. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 曾

副 fù adverb

once

我曾去过北京。

wǒ céng qù guò Běi jīng

I once went to Beijing.

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Word breakdown

曾 céng — once

Words with this character (3)
  • 1 曾经 céng jīng — once, formerly HSK 5
    • 曾 ever, in the past (indicates past time)
    • 经 experienced, gone through (emphasizes the experiential aspect)
    Example

    我曾经去过北京。

    wǒ céng jīng qù guò Běi jīng

    I once went to Beijing.

  • 2 不曾 bù céng — never HSK 6
    • 不 not (negative particle)
    • 曾 ever, once (indicating past experience)
    Example

    他不曾放弃过自己的梦想。

    tā bù céng fàng qì guò zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng

    He has never given up on his dreams.

  • 3 似曾相识 sì céng xiāng shí — seeming familiar HSK 7
    • 似 to seem, to resemble
    • 曾 once, formerly
    • 相 mutually, each other
    • 识 to know, to recognize
    Example

    这个地方似曾相识，但我确定没来过。

    zhè ge dì fang sì céng xiāng shí dàn wǒ què dìng méi lái guò

    This place seems familiar, but I'm sure I haven't been here.

Structure & writing
1 曾 céng — once; formerly (indicating a past experience)
曾 is a component in 4 characters
HSK 4
增 zēng to increase (opposite of 减)
HSK 5
赠 zèng to give as a gift; to present
HSK 7
僧 sēng Buddhist monk 蹭 cèng to rub; to scrape

曾 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order