曾

céng

once

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

layers (丷) + sun/day (日) = days stacked in the past

The sun (日) beneath layers evokes days that have already passed — stacked, settled time. 曾 grammaticalized from its original meaning of 'already' into a past-experience marker.

丷+日→曾

丷Suggests layeringSemantic

日The sunSemantic

我曾在那家店买过东西。

wǒ céng zài nà jiā diàn mǎi guò dōng xi。

I once bought things at that store.

她曾告诉我，她不喜欢这种天气。

tā céng gào sù wǒ，tā bù xǐ huān zhè zhǒng tiān qì。

She had previously told me that she did not like this kind of weather.

More characters with 丷

单产关乎兰前㒸丵