矣
yǐ · HSK 7
particle: used in classical Chinese to express exclamation
厶 over 矢 (arrow); a classical full-stop that lands like an arrow: it is done, yǐ!
矣 is a sentence-final particle in Classical Chinese marking a change of state or exclamation, roughly the spoken period in literary texts. The 矢 (arrow) element sits below 厶; pairs with phrases ending emphatically, like done already, finished now.
矣 — arrow 矢 + breath 㠯 (top component)
矣 originally depicted a person turning to look back, with the top part showing the head/breath and 矢 (arrow) suggesting the sound. It became a grammatical particle in Classical Chinese marking completed action or a change of state, similar to 了. The concrete pictographic meaning faded as its function became purely grammatical.