曾经
céngjīng
once, formerly
Part of speech · adverb
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 我曾经在北京住过几年。I once lived in Beijing for a few years.
- 这片荒地曾经是一座花园。This wasteland was once a garden.
Collocations
曾经去过曾经拥有曾经历过不曾
Mnemonic
曾 céng "formerly" + 经 jīng "to pass through": having passed through before, i.e. the adverb "once, formerly". Often pairs with verb + 过. Distinguish from 已经: 曾经 marks a past experience, 已经 marks completion by now.
Related
已经以前过去从未
Quick check
What is the difference between 曾经 and 已经?