Zeng was born into a prominent family in Xiangxiang, Hunan Province, and was the great-granddaughter of Zeng Guofan,[1] a Qing dynasty Chinese official who commanded the Xiang Army during the Taiping Rebellion.

[2] She then attended Blackheath High School in London, before entering Westfield College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1916, thus becoming the first Chinese woman to receive the "Bachelor of Science degree with honors" from this college.

Zeng often attended the Quaker meeting at Hampstead during her time at Westfield.

In 1953, she represented the Republic of China in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

[5] Self-described in her memoir as a "Confucian feminist", Zeng published her autobiography as well as women's issues essays.