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<title>Expressing "once" with "cengjing"</title>
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<h1>Expressing "once" with "cengjing"</h1>


<p>曾经 (céngjīng) is an adverb, and as such comes before verb phrases in a sentence. It adds the sense of "once" having happened (not the "one time" meaning of "once"), sometimes translated as "ever." It frequently pairs with 过.</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Used with 过 </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Used without 过 </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 Negative Form </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5.1 Books</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h2>Used with 过</h2>

<p>When used with action verbs, 曾经 comes before the verb, and that same verb is followed by 过. For psychological verbs, the 过 is optional.</p>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + 曾经 + Verb + 过 (+ Obj.)</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 曾经 一起 去 过 。
We've once been there together. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 说 他 曾经 做 过 很多 傻事 。
He said that he once did a lot of stupid things. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 曾经 喜欢 过 你 。
I once liked you. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 曾经 想 当 演员 ，后来 成 了 全职太太 。
She once wanted to become an actress. She became a full time wife afterwards.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>Sometimes 曾经 is used with 了 rather than 过.</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">为了 找 亲生 父母 ，她 曾经 花 了 很多钱 。
In order to find her biological parents, she once spent lots of money.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>曾经 can also be used with some adjectives. In these cases, 过 is usually also used.</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 都 曾经 年轻 过 。
We were all once young. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 的 音乐 曾经 流行 过 。
His musician was once popular.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Used without 过</h2>

<p>When used with the verbs 是, 在, and 有 (all related to existence rather than actions), 过 is generally not used.</p>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">曾经 + 是 / 在 / 有 ⋯⋯</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">曾经 with 是
他 曾经 是 我 老板 。
He was once my boss. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这里 曾经 是 一个 学校 。
It was once a school here. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">曾经 with 在
市政府 曾经 在 我们 家 旁边 。
The city government was next to our house. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 的 墓 曾经 在 国外 。
His tomb was once abroad. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">曾经 with 有
她 曾经 有 一个 西班牙 男朋友 。
She once had a Spanish boyfriend. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他们 家 曾经 有 很多钱 。
Their family once has lots of money.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Negative Form</h2>

<p>Because 过 is used to talk about past actions, it should be negated with 没 (méi). When you mean to say "I haven't ever (done something)" or "(something) hasn't happened ever," just say 没⋯⋯过. It is incorrect to use 没 or 不 to negate 曾经.</p>

<p>Try not to say:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 不 曾经 吵 过 架 。
We've never fought. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他们 一直 写信 ，没 曾经 见 过 面 。
They've been writing to each other, but they've never met.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>不曾 (bùcéng) and 未曾 (wèicéng), however, can also be used to express the above meaning, but they're more formal and thus used only in written language.
</p>
<div class="deux">不曾/ 未曾 + Verb + 过 + Obj.</div>

<h3>A few examples:</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他们 一直 写信 ，不曾 见 过 面 。
They've been writing to each other, but they've never met. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 从小 就 没有 父母 ，未曾 感受 过 家庭 的 温暖 。
He's lost his parents since his childhood. He's never experienced the warmth of a family.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>See also</h3>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Taiwanese "you" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Expressing experiences with "guo" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Before a specific time with "yiqian" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Expressing "before" in general with "yiqian"</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Sources and further reading</h3>

<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">HSK Standard Course 5上 (pp. 75) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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