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不曾 (bù céng) — (adverb) never (in the past); has never / hasn't ever

Definition

Written/literary 'never (in the past)'. Contrast with 从未 (near-synonym, also written; 不曾 is slightly more literary). 对应口语用 从来不.

adverb
never (in the past)has never / hasn't ever

Examples

  • 不曾。
    Wǒ bù céng jiàn guò zhè me měi dì rì luò.
    I have never seen such a beautiful sunset.
  • 不曾。
    Tā bù céng duì rèn hé rén tí qǐ guò nà jiàn shì.
    He has never mentioned that matter to anyone.
  • 不曾。
    Wǒ men bù céng huái yí guò tā de néng lì.
    We have never doubted his ability.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
曾céngever

The negation 不 denies 曾 (ever), yielding 'never' or 'has not ever'.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

曾 was first drawn as a cooker for steaming food. The 'once' meaning came from borrowing the sound, so the picture does not directly show that meaning.

Open 曾 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Frequency & Duration

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