曾经 (céng jīng) — once in Mandarin
🔊 Tap to hear it
#671 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR B2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
曾经 is pronounced céng jīng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Tā céng jīng shì yī míng zhí yè yǎn yuán。
He was once a professional actor.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 曾经 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 曾经 mean?+
曾经 (céng jīng) means "once" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 曾经?+
曾经 is pronounced céng jīng. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 1 (high flat). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 曾经 in Mandarin?+
曾经 is the #671 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 曾经 fits
Every HSK 5 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
Coming to iOS & Android
The mobile app is on the way. The trainer works right now.
ToneDeck for iPhone and Android is launching soon, and your progress syncs across every device. Meanwhile the full tone trainer runs in your browser today — no install, free to start.
Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.