Chinese Character Wiki
既

jì

already

Original meaning: 

finish eating

Depicts a person, who is full, turning away (旡) from a container of food (皀). Based on the original meaning "finish eating". The meaning later shifted to "complete" and "already".

Components
皀 iconic component

皀  Iconic component

jí, bī

  

one grain

Depicts a container of food.

旡 sound,iconic component

旡  Sound Iconic component

jì

  

choke on something eaten

Depicts a person with their open mouth facing backwards.

Evolution

既 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
既 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
既 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
既 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
既 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

既  

jì

already; de facto; since; then; both... (and...)

Most common words with 既
Freq.
Word
Meaning

既然

since

既

already

既是

since

既有

existing

一如既往

continuing as always

Component uses

Sound component in 8 characters (1 verified)

概 慨 溉 暨 厩 廄 嘅 鱀

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*[k]ə[t]-s

kj+jH

jì

complete (v.)


Statistics

HSK level 4

Appears in 42.1272% of movies

1092nd most common character in movies

724th most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

9

Unicode

U+65E2

Shuowen

“旣，小食也。从皀，旡聲。《論語》曰：‘不使勝食旣。’”


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