Meaning
already; to stop; then; afterwards
Chinese: 已经。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “yi” becomes a different word in each tone. 已 is the 3rd tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 已经yǐ jīngalready
- 早已zǎo yǐfor a long time; long since; (dialect) in the past
- 而已ér yǐthat's all; nothing more
- 不已bù yǐ(used after a verb) endlessly; incessantly
- 不得已bù dé yǐto act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to; to have no choice
Example Sentence
时间已经不早了。Shí jiān yǐ jīng bù zǎo le.It is already getting late.
时间Shí jiān(concept of) time已经yǐ jīngalready不bùnot早zǎoearly了le(completed action)。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph close to 己/巳. It means ‘already; to stop, to cease; afterward’ (已经, 不得已). Note the small opening at the top, between fully-closed 巳 and fully-open 己.
A way to remember it
Half-open top = 已 (already); fully open = 己 (self); closed = 巳.
Easy to confuse with
- 己‘Self’: the same shape but with the top fully open.