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Expressing 'already' with 已 (yǐ)
Aspect & Tense
Structure
Subject + 已 + Verb
Explanation
已 (yǐ) is a formal adverb meaning "already," indicating that an action has been completed. It is the shortened literary form of 已经 (yǐjīng) and is more common in written and formal Chinese. It is placed before the verb to indicate prior completion of the action.
Examples
会议已结束，请大家有序离开。
Huìyì yǐ jiéshù, qǐng dàjiā yǒuxù líkāi.
The meeting has ended; please leave in an orderly fashion.
他已在这家公司工作了十年。
Tā yǐ zài zhè jiā gōngsī gōngzuò le shí nián.
He has already worked at this company for ten years.
新规定已于上月正式实施。
Xīn guīdìng yǐ yú shàng yuè zhèngshì shīshī.
The new regulations were officially implemented last month.