Ceng Houyi's date of birth and death is unknown (according to archaeological findings, he was born around 475 BC and died in 433 BC), which is not recorded in historical records. He was the monarch of Zeng, a small vassal state in southern China during the Warring States Period. Unearthed cultural relics show that Ceng Houyi attaches great importance to musical instrument manufacturing and melody research, and has a wide range of interests. At the same time, he is also a strategist who is good at car fighting.

Guo Moruo's Historical Draft of China pointed out that the Zhou Dynasty was a vassal with the same surname in Sui and Zeng States. 1979 Two bronze inscriptions of Ge Ming were unearthed in a tomb in Gangji Liang Shi, a suburb of Suizhou. The owner of Tongquetai is Ji Yi, the son of Great Mother and the descendant of Xigong. According to the inscription, Lao Lao claimed to be "the grandson of Zhou Wang", which proved that Zeng Hou was originally a descendant of Zhou Wang. On this basis, Tan Sitong concluded that Zeng was the surname of Ji, and his monarch had the same surname as Zhou.