Chinese word

矣

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǐ

Meaning

  • adverbalready

Example

机会已失，补救无效矣。jī huì yǐ shī bǔ jiù wú xiào yǐ

The opportunity has already been lost, and remedial action is ineffective.

Illustration for 矣 (already)

More examples

事已矣，无可挽回。shì yǐ yǐ wú ké wǎn huí

The matter is already over, and nothing can be done to undo it.

Core concept

The closing point of a statement, where a change or event is treated as complete and no longer open.

Common phrases

  • 事已矣shì yǐ yǐ

    the matter has already ended

  • 悔之晚矣huǐ zhī wán yǐ

    regret comes too late

Similar words

已经yǐ jīng: Marks an action or condition as already completed in modern Chinese.
已yǐ: A formal adverb indicating that something has already happened or become true.
曾经céng jīng: Indicates a past experience or a state that existed before the present.

Definition in Chinese

文言助词，常置于句末，表示事情已经完成或状态已定，有时带感叹或断定的语气，相当于“已”“已然”。wén yán zhù cí cháng zhì yú jù mò biǎo shì shì qíng yǐ jīng wán chéng huò zhuàng tài yǐ dìng yǒu shí dài gǎn tàn huò duàn dìng de yǔ qì xiāng dāng yú yǐ yǐ rán

Word origin

矣 (yǐ, "already") developed as an ancient sentence-final particle with a completion sense close to 已 (yǐ, "already"), which helps explain its role in declaring a result settled.

Usage tips

  • For general learners, this word is mainly a reading signal rather than a conversational choice; its position at the end of a sentence helps identify classical or formal language.

Opposites

Word lists with this word