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.

Try not to say:

• 我们 不 曾经 吵 过 架 。We've never fought.
• 他们 一直 写信 ，没 曾经 见 过 面 。They've been writing to each other, but they've never met.

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

• Taiwanese "you"
• Expressing experiences with "guo"
• Before a specific time with "yiqian"
• Expressing "before" in general with "yiqian"

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK5