矣 yǐ particle of completed action
How it came to be
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
Already in the bronze form, the arrow gives the meaning and the other part the sound.
用法
- A classical sentence-final particle marking completed action or exclamation, roughly 'now/already/indeed': 悔之晚矣 (huǐzhī-wǎnyǐ) too late for regrets now, 大势去矣 (dàshì qù yǐ) the game is up.
- Purely Classical Chinese; recognize it in idioms, don't use it in modern writing.