From the glyph, "Zeng" is the prototype of the word "Zan", that is, the steamer with symbols. The "sky" below Oracle Bone Inscriptions is similar to the operator of later generations, while the above two are actually the rising heat above the operator; In the bronze inscription, a pot filled with water was added under the operator. In Biography, the pot below was changed to "mouth" or "moon", and the font on it also changed. Just as the tribal leader who is good at making pottery is called Tao, the tribal leader who is good at archery is called Yi, and the tribal leader who is good at making cookware is called Zeng, which later developed into a "Zeng" country in history.

"Zeng" is not used alone, but on a pot, so the original meaning of "Zeng" also means "increase" At first, food was processed directly on the fire, and later, pots and retort were added, so that there were two layers between food and fire, and a "two-layer kinship" was created. Great grandfather refers to his grandfather's father, and great grandson refers to his grandson's son.