Definitions
surname Zeng; Zhou vassal state; also pr. [céng]
Etymology
About
鄫 combines the phonetic 曾 (zēng, meaning 'once' or 'already') with the city/state radical 邑 (yì), which is always written as 阝 when positioned on the right. It serves purely as a proper noun, naming an ancient state located in modern Shandong province during the Zhou Dynasty and Spring and Autumn period. As with many geographical names, the character was formed by adding the city radical to the existing sound 曾 to denote a location or political entity. The state was eventually conquered, but the character survived in historical records and genealogies, later becoming a surname for descendants of the state's nobility.
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