曾几何时 céng jǐ hé shí — before long; not long since

曾几何时
céng jǐ hé shí

Characters: 曾 · 几 · 何 · 时

Definitions

  1. before long; not long since

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. just a while before
  2. not so long ago
  3. everyone can remember when..

ExtDict

  1. 曾：曾经
  2. 几何：若干、多少。才有多少时候。指没过多久。

Examples

  • 曾几何时，这里还是一片荒地。

    Not long ago, this place was still a wasteland.

  • 曾几何时，他还是个默默无闻的小职员。

    Before long, he had been a little-known clerk.