已

Tap the pinyin to hear it

already; (bound form) to stop; to cease; to end; (literary) thereafter; afterward; (literary) too; excessively

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

already · Heisig RSH #519

snake — as a component also called: snakeskin

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
不得已而为之	bù dé yǐ ér wéi zhī	to have no other choice; to be the last resort
年事已高	nián shì yǐ gāo	old in years
不能自已	bù néng zì yǐ	unable to control oneself; to be beside oneself
万不得已	wàn bù dé yǐ	only when absolutely essential (idiom); as a last resort
死而后已	sǐ ér hòu yǐ	until death puts an end (idiom); one's whole life; unto one's dying day
难以自已	nán yǐ zì yǐ	cannot control oneself (idiom); to be beside oneself
情非得已	qíng fēi dé yǐ	compelled by the circumstances (to do sth); (have) no other choice (but do sth); (used as …
说说而已	shuō shuō ér yǐ	nothing serious; just hot air
不得已	bù dé yǐ	to act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to; to have no choice; m…
已作故人	yǐ zuò gù rén	to have passed away
已成形	yǐ chéng xíng	preformed
有增无已	yǒu zēng wú yǐ	constantly increasing without limit (idiom); rapid progress in all directions
方兴未已	fāng xīng wèi yǐ	flourishing and still in the ascendant (idiom); rapidly expanding; still growing strong; o…
为时已晚	wéi shí yǐ wǎn	already too late
不已	bù yǐ	(used after a verb) endlessly; incessantly
无已	wú yǐ	endlessly; to have no choice
迫不得已	pò bù dé yǐ	to have no alternative (idiom); compelled by circumstances; forced into sth
已经	yǐ jīng	already
业已	yè yǐ	already
事已至此	shì yǐ zhì cǐ	see 事到如今[shi4 dao4 ru2 jin1]