DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

曾

Mandarin · pinyin céng#

once
already
ever (in the past)
former
previously
(past tense marker used before verb or clause)

Mandarin · pinyin zēng#

great- (grandfather, grandchild etc)

Mandarin · pinyin Zēng#

surname Zeng

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Characters in this entry

曾: céng · already; sign of past

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2 · ceng2

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1character link5same-tone records

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cang4 · zang1

Cantonese word readings for 曾. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

already; ever; once (in the past); previously
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 層 /层 (céng)

character

(prefix) great-
(literary) unexpectedly
(literary) alternative form of 增 (zēng, “to increase”)
a surname, Zeng

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack