曾经

曾经 is an adverb meaning 'once' or 'in the past.' It emphasizes that something happened previously but is no longer the case. It is often used to contrast past experiences with the present.

The character 曾 (céng) originally meant 'to have done something,' and 经 (jīng) means 'to pass through' or 'to experience.' Together, they convey the idea of having gone through a certain experience in the past.

曾经 is commonly used in daily conversation to refer to past events, such as memories or previous situations. It can also be used in literary or poetic contexts to reflect on the past. For example, it might appear in phrases like “我们曾经是朋友” (wǒmen céngjīng shì péngyǒu), meaning 'We were once friends.'