既

jì
#723 most
frequent character
already, since, as
adverb
conjunction

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

既 jì shows a basket of grain and a kneeling person 旡 turning away from the food. The picture gives the first meaning, 'finishing a meal'. 旡 also supplies the sound. From that came 'to be complete' and then 'already'.

Drawn as: basket holding grain; kneeling person looking away

既 as a component in other characters

sound6 characters
概慨溉暨厩嘅

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Example Sentences

他既聪明又勤奋。
tā jì cōngmíng yòu qínfèn 。
He is both intelligent and diligent.
既然你来了，我们就开始吧。
jìrán nǐlái le ， wǒmen jiù kāishǐ bā 。
Since you are here, let's get started.
我既喜欢音乐，又喜欢绘画。
wǒ jì xǐhuān yīnyuè ， yòu xǐhuān huìhuà 。
I like music as well as painting.

Grammar Points

HSK 4
Expressing "both… and…" with "ji...you"既…也既…又

Words with similar meanings

已经yǐjīng
already
This word emphasizes the completion of an action, conveying a sense of present relevance.
既然jìrán
since
Used as a conjunction, it indicates a premise or reason for something that follows.

Homophones

HSK 4
寄jì
to live (in a house), to lodge
记jì
remember
季jì
season, period
计jì
. count, . to count
祭jì
to offer a sacrifice to
忌jì
to avoid

Words Starting With 既

既然jì rán
since; as; this being the case

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