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HSK 2

已经

already

adverbneutral3 episodes
已
yǐ3rd tone
经
jīng1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
yǐjīng
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
11
Register
neutral
In episodes
3

Stroke order for 已经

已经 is written with 11 strokes (已: 3, 经: 8). The animation replays automatically.

What does 已经 mean?

已经 (yǐjīng) is the Chinese adverb for 'already.'

It marks that an action or state has been completed or reached by now, and it almost always pairs with the sentence-final particle 了 (le): 我已经吃了 ('I've already eaten'). The 已经…了 frame is a fixed pattern; English learners who drop the 了 sound off, even though grammatically 了 alone can already do the job. 已经 sits BEFORE the verb. It's neutral in register — equally fine in conversation, news, and writing.

To negate, use 还没 (hái méi) instead, NOT 不已经. For 'not yet,' say 还没 + verb (+ 呢). Note: in fast speech 已经 is often pronounced yǐjing (neutral tone on 经).

Character by character

已yǐalready; to stop
+
经jīngto pass through; to undergo
=
已经

Memory hook: Literally 'already passed through' — the action has crossed the finish line. Pair it with 了 like a one-two punch: 已经…了.

Hear 已经 in real episodes

已经 appears in 3 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Wikipedia Was Altered for 41 Minutes, So Google Said Altman Was Dead已经 spoken at natural speedmediumHe Asked an AI to Snag Him a Pilates Class — Instead It Hacked the Gym's System and Cancelled Someone Else's Booking已经 spoken at natural speedeasyHe Took Drugs, Drank Over 20 a Day, Never Trained at All — He Placed Last at His First Bodybuilding Show已经 spoken at natural speedeasy
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Example sentences

我已经吃饭了。

Wǒ yǐjīng chī fàn le.

I've already eaten.

spoken

他已经回家了。

Tā yǐjīng huí jiā le.

He's already gone home.

neutral

已经九点了，我们快走吧。

Yǐjīng jiǔ diǎn le, wǒmen kuài zǒu ba.

It's already nine o'clock, let's hurry.

spoken

她已经学了三年中文。

Tā yǐjīng xué le sān nián Zhōngwén.

She's already studied Chinese for three years.

neutral

Common phrases with 已经

已经…了yǐjīng…lealready (done)
已经好了yǐjīng hǎo leit's already done / ready
已经走了yǐjīng zǒu le(he/she) has already left
已经晚了yǐjīng wǎn leit's already late

Synonyms

都dōu

都 can mean 'already' colloquially, especially with time/age (他都八十了 — 'he's already 80'). 已经 is neutral and standard; 都 in this sense is conversational and adds a sense of surprise.

Don't confuse 已经 with

曾经céngjīng

曾经 means 'once / formerly' — past experience that is no longer true. 已经 means 'already' — completed and still relevant. 我曾经去过 ('I went once before') vs 我已经去了 ('I've already gone').

经过jīngguò

经过 means 'to pass by / through' or 'after (a process).' Different word, different role — verb/preposition, not an adverb of completion.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

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Acquire it by listening

Meet 已经 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

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