曾经沧海 (céng jīng cāng hǎi) — (idiom) having experienced great things; worldly-wise; no longer easily impressed

Definition

From a poem by Yuan Zhen: 'having crossed the deep sea, no water seems a sea to one ever after.' Means being so experienced that ordinary things no longer impress.

idiom
having experienced great thingsworldly-wiseno longer easily impressed

Examples

  • 曾经沧海，。
    Tā céng jīng cāng hǎi, duì zhè xiē xiǎo jiǎng gēn běn bú fàng zài xīn shàng.
    Having seen so much of the world, he doesn't care at all about these little prizes.
  • 曾经沧海，。
    Lǎo rén jia céng jīng cāng hǎi, shén me dōu bù jué dé xī qí le.
    The old man has been through so much that nothing seems novel to him anymore.
  • 曾经沧海，。
    Tā céng jīng cāng hǎi, bú zài wèi xiǎo shì fán nǎo.
    Having experienced profound love and loss, she no longer frets over trivial matters.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 經; 经 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìsilk; thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng經jīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 經 combines 糹 (silk; thread) with 巠, which gives the sound.

Open 经 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 滄; 沧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng滄cāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 滄 has 氵, a water sign, beside 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 沧 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old 倉.

Open 沧 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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