曾几何时

曾幾何時
cénjǐhéshí
idiom #20,948

Meanings

  1. 1 not long ago
  2. 2 just a while back
  3. 3 it wasn't so long ago that...
  4. 4 how quickly time has passed

Examples

Céng jǐ hé shí, zhèlǐ hái shì yī piàn nóngtián.
Not so long ago, this was all farmland.
Céng jǐ hé shí, wǒmen yě shì wúyōu wúlǜ de háizi.
There was a time, not so long ago, when we too were carefree children.

Tips

usage
曾几何时 is a literary idiom used to evoke nostalgia or to contrast a past state with the present. It implies that the time was not so long ago but change has been significant. Common in essays, speeches, and reflective writing.

Stroke Order

céng
shí