已

已 (Kangxi radical 49, 己+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 尸山 (SU) or 難尸山 (XSU), four-corner 1771₇, composition ⿻コ乚)

This character is not to be confused with visually similar but unrelated 己 or 巳.

• 𠖰, 𡉏, 𡴾, 𢩽, 𨑓, 𤣱, 𥝗, 𫧟, 𬜒, 𧿆, 𩨕, 𩝮, 𬀺, 𥮄
• 𤏁 (Exception: Only for Taiwan character form as Hong Kong character contains 己 instead)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 326, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 8743
• Dae Jaweon: page 630, character 11
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 984, character 1
• Unihan data for U+5DF2

May have originally been the same character as 巳, a pictogram (象形) of either a snake or a fetus. This character cannot be found in the Shuowen Jiezi.

Etymology not clear (Schuessler, 2007). The “already” sense is lexicalized from the verb “to finish; to complete”, and gradually became more common than 既 (OC *kɯds), the older word for “already”, in the mid- to late first millennium BCE (Pulleyblank, 1995).

已

1. to stop; to finish

   • 任重而道遠。仁以為己任，不亦重乎？死而後已，不亦遠乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后已，不亦远乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Rèn zhòng ér dào yuǎn. Rén yǐwèi jǐ rèn, bù yì zhòng hū? Sǐ érhòu yǐ, bù yì yuǎn hū? [Pinyin]

     [His] duty is heavy and [his] way is far. He takes benevolence to be his duty; is that not heavy indeed? [His duty] is completed [only] when he dies; is that not far indeed?

   • 此水幾時休，此恨何時已。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     此水几时休，此恨何时已。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Song Dynasty, 李之儀, 《卜算子·我住長江頭》

     Cǐ shuǐ jǐshí xiū, cǐ hèn héshí yǐ. [Pinyin]

     When will the river cease to flow? When will this brooding end?

2. already; have done something

   • 年已七十矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Nián yǐ qīshí yǐ. [Pinyin]

     He was already seventy years old.

   • 若已食則退，若未食則佐長者視具。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     若已食则退，若未食则佐长者视具。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Ruò yǐ shí zé tuì, ruò wèi shí zé zuǒ chángzhě shì jù. [Pinyin]

     If they have eaten already, they should retire; if they have not eaten, they will [remain to] assist their elder [brothers and sisters] and see what has been prepared.

   • 情義已失去，恩愛都失去 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     情义已失去，恩爱都失去 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 1983, 陳百強, 《偏偏喜歡你》

     cing⁴ ji⁶ ji⁵ sat¹ heoi³, jan¹ oi³ dou¹ sat¹ heoi³ [Jyutping]

     Friendship has already gone, and all of the love is gone

Possibly a fusion of 也 (OC *laːlʔ) and 矣 (OC *ɢlɯʔ), explaining why the latter is never found after the former (Pulleyblank, 1995).

已

1. (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.

   • 然則王之所大欲可知已。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     然则王之所大欲可知已。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Ránzé wáng zhī suǒ dà yù kě zhī yǐ. [Pinyin]

     Then, what your Majesty greatly desires may be known.

   • 入其境，其田疇穢，都邑露，是貪主已。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     入其境，其田畴秽，都邑露，是贪主已。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Rù qí jìng, qí tiánchóu huì, dōuyì lù, shì tān zhǔ yǐ. [Pinyin]

     If, upon entering the borders, the fields are in poor condition and the towns are exposed, one can tell that this is the [realm of] a covetous ruler.

• “已”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

• Go-on: い (i)
• Kan-on: い (i)
• Kun: すでに (sudeni, 已に); やむ (yamu, 已む); のみ (nomi, 已)
• Nanori: み (mi)

From Middle Chinese 已 (MC yiX|yiH).

已(い) • (i) 

1. already
2. Alternative form of 以 (i)

May be replaced with 以 in some compounds, e.g. 已降→以降.

已 • (i) (hangeul 이, revised i, McCune–Reischauer i)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

已: Hán Nôm readings: dĩ, dãi

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.