己 vs 已

[Konstantinos]

从20世纪80年代起，比尔 • 盖茨每年都要进行两次为期一周的 “闭关”。在这一周的时间里，他会把自己关在一所房子里，包括家人在内的任何人他都一律不见，使自己完全不受日常工作的打扰。盖茨的这种令人寂寞难耐的 “闭关” 不只是一种休息方式，更是一种高效率的工作方式。

Hi all. This is from the Standard Course book of HSK5. How do I distinguish whether it is 己 or 已? 他会把自己关在一所房子里 or 他会把自已关在一所房子里?

I have a kinda calligraphic version so it is tough (I use google translate, baidu translate and yandex translate, but they differ).

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I have supposed the classical self = zìjǐ = 自己. Am I right? 自已 = zìyǐ is a verb "to control yourself".

 

[zhg]

Edit: I have supposed the classical self = zìjǐ = 自己. Am I right? 自已 = zìyǐ is a verb "to control yourself".

Yes, you are right.

已 when used as a verb, has a basic meaning of "to stop (止)". For 自已，a more literal translation would be "(one) stops oneself"
while 己 is simply a synonym for 自 in 自己.

 

[27rabbit]

In modern Chinese, 已 is usually in 已经, which means already.

As to 自已, we usually say: 不能自已, which means that I can't control myself. It is used to express the speaker is in a strong mood, so he/she can't control his/herself

 

[SuperXW]

From the context, the word is clearly "self". It can't be the verb for "control", which usage is much less common in modern Chinese.