既有 (jì yǒu) — existing; already existing

Definition

既有 (jì yǒu) is a written/formal verb-noun meaning 'already existing' — often used as a set modifier in 既有…(又有)… ('both… and…') or before nouns like 既有客户. Collocates with abstract, established things, not casual speech.

existingalready existing

Examples

  • 既有。
    Zài jì yǒu de jī chǔ shàng jìn xíng gǎi jìn.
    Make improvements on the existing basis.
  • 既有。
    Gōng sī bǎo liú le jì yǒu kè hù.
    The company retained its existing customers.
  • 既有。
    Wǒ men xū yào kǎo lǜ jì yǒu de tiáo jiàn.
    We need to consider the existing conditions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

既jìalready
有yǒuhave or exist

既 means already and 有 means have or exist, giving the sense of already existing.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 皀皀jíbowl of rice
  • 旡旡jìkneeling figure

既 combines 皀, a bowl of rice, with 旡, a kneeling figure: a person kneeling at the bowl, having finished eating.

Open 既 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.