Mandarin Vocabulary: 经 CANON

经 /jīng/ A CANON / ALREADY, EXPERIENCE, DIRECTOR and much more…

Primary meaning is A CANON (that is the official text or a sum of official texts of a particular culture).

When something has ALREADY happened, we can find a mention of it in A CANON. So it shouldn’t surprise us that we find the character 经 /jīng/ in the word 已经 /yǐjīng/ ALREADY.

When we have ALREADY been through something, we have THE EXPERIENCE 经验 /jīngyàn/.

DIRECTOR 经理 /jīnglǐ/ is someone who sets (or “canonises”) the ORDER 理 /lǐ/ of a company.

ALREADY

已经
yǐjīng

OFTEN

经常
jīngcháng

DIRECTOR

经理
jīnglǐ

EXPERIENCE

经验
jīngyàn

ECONOMY

经济
jīngjì

They have already booked a room for sure.

他们一定已经定了房间。

Tāmen yīdìng yǐjīng dìng le fángjiān.

间 SPACE

Is the teacher in the classroom yet?

老师已经在教室吗？

Lǎoshī yǐjīng zài jiàoshì ma?

TO BE / 在

I often discuss economy with the director.

我经常跟经理谈经济。

Wǒ jīngcháng gēn jīnglǐ tán jīngjì.

Is he still in Shanghai or in Beijing already?

他还在上海还是已经在北京？

Tā hái zài Shànghǎi háishì yǐjīng zài Běijīng?

The director has already left.

经理已经走了。

Jīnglǐ yǐjīng zǒule.

The manager already has this kind of experience.

经理已经有这种经验。

Jīnglǐ yǐjīng yǒu zhè zhǒng jīngyàn.