曾
·
once; already; ever (in the past); former; previously; (past tense marker used before verb or clause)
12 strokes
Dict coverage rank #1,933 U+66FE
How 曾 is formed
Ideographic compound (会意字)
A rice cooker on heat 日, building up steam 丷 and letting it off
How to remember it
formerly · Heisig RSH #502
horns + 脑 brain + tongue wagging in the mouth — as a component also called: increase
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Characters built with 曾 as their sound component
These characters all use 曾 (céng) as their phonetic component — compare how they read:
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 曾 sound component | céng | already, formerly, once; the past |
| 增 | zēng | to increase; to expand; to augment; to add |
| 僧 | sēng | Buddhist priest, monk |
| 赠 | zèng | to bestow, to confer, to present a gift |
| 蹭 | cèng | to shuffle; to procrastinate, to freeload, to dilly-dally |
| 憎 | zēng | to abhor, to detest, to hate |
| 噌 | cēng | to scold, to shout at |
| 缯 | zēng | silk; to tie, to bind; surname |
| 罾 | zēng | a large square net for catching fish |
| 甑 | zèng | a boiler for steaming rice |
Words containing 曾
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云 | céng jīng cāng hǎi nán wéi shuǐ , chú què Wū Shān bù shì yún | there are no rivers to one who has crossed the ocean, and no clouds to one who has passed … |
| 曾外祖母 | zēng wài zǔ mǔ | great-grandmother (mother's grandmother) |
| 曾都区 | Zēng dū Qū | Zengdu, a district of Suizhou City 隨州市|随州市[Sui2 zhou1 Shi4], Hubei |
| 曾几何时 | céng jǐ hé shí | just a while before; not so long ago; everyone can remember when.. |
| 曾金燕 | Zēng Jīn yàn | Zeng Jinyan (1983-), Chinese blogger and human rights activist, wife of dissident activist… |
| 曾外祖父 | zēng wài zǔ fù | great-grandfather (mother's grandfather) |
| 不曾 | bù céng | hasn't yet; hasn't ever |
| 曾子 | Zēng zǐ | Zengzi (505-435 BC), student of Confucius, presumed editor or author of Confucian classic … |
| 曾祖父母 | zēng zǔ fù mǔ | great-grandparents |
| 似曾相识 | sì céng xiāng shí | déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly fam… |
| 曾经 | céng jīng | once; already; former; previously; ever; (past tense marker used before verb or clause) |
| 曾庆红 | Zēng Qìng hóng | Zeng Qinghong (1939-), vice-president of PRC 2003-2008 |
| 曾祖母 | zēng zǔ mǔ | father's father's mother; paternal great-grandmother |
| 曾经沧海 | céng jīng cāng hǎi | lit. having crossed the vast ocean (idiom); fig. widely experienced in the vicissitudes of… |
| 曾孙女 | zēng sūn nǚ | great-granddaughter |
| 曾祖父 | zēng zǔ fù | father's father's father; paternal great-grandfather |
| 曾都 | Zēng dū | see 曾都區|曾都区[Zeng1 du1 Qu1] |
| 曾纪泽 | Zēng Jì zé | Cang Jize or Tseng Chi-tse (1839-1890), pioneer diplomat of late Qing, serve as imperial c… |
| 曾繁仁 | Zēng Fán rén | Zeng Fanren, president of Shandong University from February 1998 until July 2000 |
| 未曾 | wèi céng | hasn't (or haven't); hasn't ever |