Zeng was born in
Heye,
Shuangfeng County,
Hunan, on January 27, 1909. His great-grandfather was the second younger brother of
Zeng Guofan and a general in the
Qing Empire. His father Zeng Guangzuo () was an official in the Qing Empire. His mother Chen Jiying () was the daughter of Hunan Provincial Governor
Chen Baozhen and the aunt of
Chen Yinke. Zeng had seven brothers and sisters. His eldest brother Zeng Zhaocheng () graduated from
Harvard University. His younger brother Zeng Zhaojie () graduated from the
Great China University. His younger sister
Zeng Zhaoyu graduated from the
University of London and was an archaeologist and museologist. After graduating from
Tsinghua University in 1920, he pursued graduate studies at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. After returning to China, he taught at the
National Central University. In 1931 he became a professor at
Peking University. In the summer of 1946,
Wu Ta-You, Zeng Zhaolun and
Hua Luogeng visited the United States to inspect the manufacturing process of the
atomic bomb. After the defeat of the Nationalists by the Communists in
Chinese Civil War in 1949, he chose to stay in mainland China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zeng was appointed Vice Minister of Education. In 1957, Zeng was labeled as a rightist during the
Anti-Rightist Campaign. In March 1958, he was transferred to
Wuhan University as a teacher. When the
Cultural Revolution began in 1966, Zeng was persecuted as one of "Zeng Guofan's descendants". On August 25, 1966, his wife Yu Dayin () committed suicide after being beaten and humiliated. On December 8, 1967, Zeng died of cancer at home. ==Personal life==