(yǐ) - already (literary or formal) in Mandarin
yǐTraditional: 已
Translation
already (literary or formal)
Word origin
已 (yǐ) means 'already'. It is a variant of 巳, derived from an ancient pictograph; the depicted object (often taken to be a foetus or a snake) is debated, and the grammatical sense 'already, to stop' developed from the borrowed form.
- Origin
- pictograph (depicted object debated)
- Root
- 已, an ancient pictograph borrowed for 'already, to cease'
Stroke order
已
Examples
。
He has already arrived home.
。
Time is already running short.
。
He has already left.
，。
Things have come to this, no need to argue further.
退。
He has been retired for many years.
已 (yǐ) - already (literary or formal).
Where this fits
Appears in 2 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 已.
Used in
Grammar articles
(6)Mandarin Advanced Grammar (C1-C2 / HSK 6+): Chengyu, Classical Remnants, and Register
The Mandarin 把 (bǎ) Construction: Fronting the Object to Say What You Did To It
Formal Mandarin Connectives: 然而, 因此, 于是 and 尽管 (The Written Register)
Mandarin Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2 / HSK 4-5): Complements, Conjunctions and the Full 了 System
Mandarin Resultative Complements: Fusing a Result onto the Verb (看见, 吃完, 找到)
The Mandarin 于 (yú) Family: 对于, 关于, 由于, 至于, 属于, 位于, 终于
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已: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "已" (already (literary or formal)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 8.