Zi:已

已 [yǐ] (已​经 yǐjīng) already; ​早已 long ago; ​而已 that's all; ​不​得已 have no choice but to

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The Shuōwén Seal form of 已/​以(​㠯) yǐ ‘already/use’ split into two characters with different modern usage: (1) 已 yǐ ‘already (use up)’, and (2) ​以 yǐ ‘use (employ)’; the form 已 resembles the old form ​㠯 more closely; the old form ​㠯, also written ​厶, as in ​台, ​牟, is abbreviated to ​ in ​以 yǐ (with ​人 added on the right). In Shuōwén the Seal form of 已(​㠯) yǐ is said to be ​巳 sì ‘fetus/embryo’ inverted, depict the fetus in the “head-down” position “ready” for easy (non-breach) birth; cf. ​巳 (in old texts conflated with 已/​似).
    已(​㠯) ‘use’ → ‘all ready, already, finished, used up’;
    ​以(​㠯) ‘use’ → ​以 ‘use as, consider as’ (​以​为).
    Compare: ​己(​𢀒) jǐ ‘self’; ​巳 sì ‘fetus/embryo’; ​似(​佀) sì ‘like/similar’.
    “​㠯 a symbol the analysis of which is uncertain, but which is said to indicate an exhalation, an outcry (and serves in this sense e.g. in ​牟 móu): hough! voila! it’s finished!” —Karlgren (AD:179).
    HDZ: 已 : yǐ : ​止, ​停​止; ​完​成, ​完​毕; ​罢​免, ​黜​退; ​废​弃; ​病​愈; ​一​定, ​比​然; ​不​允​许; ​最​终, ​终​归; ​从​前, 已​往; (​代​词) ​此; (​副​词) (已​经; 已​而, ​随​后; ​太, ​甚; ​又); ​以; ​與; (​语​气​词)
►references: Guǎngyùn:251.21,357.52; Wieger:85b; Karlgren:AD179,GSR977a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:2.984.1; Mathews:2930; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:326.11; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:004.0.06; EDOC:1
►components: ​㠯
►Cantonese: yih/
►stroke 已 (... strokes)   
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Unicode: U+5DF2
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