Chinese word

已

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǐ

Meaning

  • adverbalready

Example

他已不在这里。tā yǐ bú zài zhè lǐ

He is no longer here.

Illustration for 已 (already)

More examples

小王已经吃过晚饭了。xiǎo wáng yǐ jīng chī guò wǎn fàn le

Xiaowang has already eaten dinner.

Core concept

Marks the point after a change has taken place, so the earlier situation is no longer the current one.

Common phrases

  • 已经知道yǐ jīng zhī dào

    already know

  • 已经吃过yǐ jīng chī guò

    have already eaten

  • 已经到达yǐ jīng dào dá

    have already arrived

Similar words

已经yǐ jīng: Shows that an action or event has already taken place or finished by that time.

Definition in Chinese

表示动作或状态已经发生或完成，常见于“已经”等词，单字在口语中较少独立使用。biǎo shì dòng zuò huò zhuàng tài yǐ jīng fā shēng huò wán chéng cháng jiàn yú yǐ jīng děng cí dān zì zài kóu yǔ zhōng jiào shǎo dú lì shǐ yòng

Word origin

已 (yǐ, "already") comes from an older sense of something having stopped or reached its end, which developed into a marker for completed actions or states.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the one-syllable form is uncommon; ordinary speech usually uses the fuller two-syllable form, while the shorter form is more typical of writing or formal language.

Opposites

  • 还没hái méinot yetadverb
  • 还没有hái méi yǒunot yetadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word