曾 (céng) — once; ever (indicating a past experience)
Definition
Adverb meaning 'once' / 'ever', used for past experience before a verb or clause (often with 过). Stronger and more literary than the everyday 曾经, and distinct from 已经 ('already').
adverb
onceever (indicating a past experience)
Easily confused
Examples
- 曾。Tā céng zài běi jīng xué guò zhōng wén.He once studied Chinese in Beijing.
- 曾？Nǐ céng tīng shuō guò zhè ge chuán shuō ma?Have you ever heard of this legend?
- 曾。Wǒ céng zài yì suǒ dà xué jiào guò shū.I once taught at a university.
Appears in
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