已
Meanings
- already
- (bound form) to stop; to cease; to end
- (literary) thereafter; afterward
- (literary) too; excessively
Characters in this entry
- 已
- yǐ · already; finished; stop
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
3 · yi3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Sentences in context
Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ji5
Cantonese word readings for 已. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- to stop; to finish
- already; have done something
character · Etymology 2
- (Classical) Used after predicates, especially noun predicates, to express a new realization by the speaker. Compare 矣 (yǐ), which is used similarly but only after verbs. Sometimes expanded to 也已 or 也已矣, which are synonymous.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack