About
The character 既, a traditional form that has not been simplified, originates from an early pictorial concept depicting a figure turned away from a food vessel, thus conveying the idea of having finished a meal. Its structural composition combines the component 皀, representing the vessel, with 旡, indicating the turning figure, which gradually stylized into the standardized character seen today. From this initial concrete sense of completion, the meaning broadened to express the abstract notion that an action has already occurred, leading to its adverbial use meaning "already" in classical Chinese texts. This semantic expansion continued as the character acquired conjunctive functions in compounds like 既然 to denote "since" or "given that", all while its graphical form persisted without significant alteration across centuries of use.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他既聪明又勤奋。
她既会唱歌也会跳舞。
这个问题既复杂又重要。
既然大家都没有意见，我们就按照计划进行。
这部电影既有趣又有教育意义。
他既没有钱也没有时间。
既然你诚心诚意地问了，我就坦白告诉你。
既然环境既美丽又安静，我们决定在这里定居。