HSK 5 · VERSION 2.0#17
Expressing “Once” with “céngjīng”
曾经……过
How it works
曾经……过 (céngjīng...guò) is used to talk about an experience in the past. 曾经 (céngjīng) means “once” or “at one time,” and 过 (guò) marks experience.
Together, they emphasize that something happened before in one’s life or at some time in the past.
The pattern
Subject + 曾经 (céngjīng) + Verb + 过 (guò)
Example sentences
我曾经在上海工作过两年。
I once worked in Shanghai for two years.
他曾经跟我提起过这件事，只是我当时没太在意。
He once mentioned this matter to me, but I did not pay much attention at the time.
小时候我曾经特别怕狗。
When I was young, I was especially afraid of dogs.
Key point
曾经 (céngjīng) itself already points to the past. When combined with 过 (guò), the sentence often feels more clearly experiential.