Expressing "once" with "cengjing"

曾经，时间副词，放在动词前，表示某种动作、状态、情况在过去发生过或者存在过。

Used with 过

跟行为动词搭配，通常要跟"过"连用。心理动词可以加“过”，也可以不加。

“曾经”可以在主语前或者主语后。

Structure

Subj. + 曾经 + Verb + 过

Examples

• 我们 曾经 一起 去 过 。We've once been there together.
• 他 说 他 曾经 做 过 很多 傻事 。He said that he once did a lot of stupid things.
• 你 曾经 喜欢 过 我 ？You once liked me?
• 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.

“曾经”有时也会跟“了”连用:

• 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.

跟形容词搭配时，要用“过”:

• 我们 都 曾经 年轻 过 。We were all once young.
• 他 的 音乐 曾经 流行 过 。His musician was once popular.

Used without 过

“曾经”和“是、在、有”等表存现意义的动词连用，不能加“过”。

Structure

曾经 + 是 / 在 / 有 ⋯⋯

Examples

• 他 曾经 是 我 老板 。He was once my boss.
• 这里 曾经 是 一个 学校 。It was once a school here.
• 中国 的 首都 曾经 在 南京 。The capital city of China once was Nanjing.
• 我 曾经 在 美国 教汉语 。I once taught Chinese in the US.
• 她 曾经 有 一个 西班牙 男朋友 。She once had a Spanish boyfriend.
• 他们 家 曾经 有 很多钱 。Their family once has lots of money.

Negative Form

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

However, 不曾 and 未曾 can also be used to express the same meaning but they're pretty much used in written language.

不曾/ 未曾 + Verb + 过 + Obj.

A few examples:

• 我们 这一代 人 不曾 经历 过 饥荒 。Our generation have never experienced famine.
• 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.

See also

• Expressing experiences with "guo"
• Before a specific time with "yiqian"
• Expressing "before" in general with "yiqian"
• Expressing "when" with "de shihou"

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK5