懂中文 Dong Chinese

已

yǐ

already

Original meaning: 

a type of snake creature

Derived from 巳. Depicts a snake-like creature. Based on the original meaning "a type of snake creature". The current meaning "already" is a phonetic loan.

Evolution

已 Bronze script Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze script

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
已 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

已  

yǐ

already; finished; stop; to stop; then; afterwards

Most common words with 已
Freq.
Word
Meaning

已经

already

已

already

而已

that's all

早已

long ago

不已

endlessly

Component uses

Sound component in 1 character (1 verified)

异

Simplified component in 1 character (1 verified)

导