已经
already
HSK level
- Pinyin
- yǐjīng
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 11
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 5
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
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 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
所以，这个判决已经生效了。
So this judgment has already taken effect.
A Hubei Man Copies Tomb-Robbing Novels and Gets Twelve Years in Prison
不过，他上大学时，已经很喜欢数学，成为职业球员前，就拿到了硕士学位。
However, when he was at university he already loved maths, and before becoming a professional player he had already earned a master's degree.
Former NFL Player Proves a Maths Conjecture
今天，法国已经有几百所高中，上不了课了。
Today, hundreds of high schools in France can't hold classes.
French High-School Students Walk Out Over Missing Teachers: 250,000 March, Thousands Arrested and 500 Schools Shut
今天，鼠疫已经不那么可怕了，因为我们有抗生素。
Today, plague is not so frightening anymore, because we have antibiotics.
A Russian Lab Worker Died After a Test Tube Broke at a Plague Institute. Russia Says It Wasn't Plague, but Quarantined 200 People.
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
Synonyms
Don't confuse 已经 with
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').
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 已经 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
You just saw 已经 in 5 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.