外国人 (wài guó rén) — foreigner | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

foreigner

Measure word · 个

Examples

外国人。
Nà wèi xiān sheng shì wài guó rén.
That gentleman is a foreigner.
外国人。
Zhè ge chéng shì yǒu hěn duō wài guó rén.
This city has many foreigners.
外国人，。
Tā suī rán shì wài guó rén, dàn zhōng wén shuō dé hěn hǎo.
Although he is a foreigner, he speaks Chinese very well.

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.

外国foreign country

外wàioutside国guócountry

偏正Modifier + head

A person from an outside country: 外 means outside, 国 country, and 人 person.

Characters in this word

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

月

月yuè外wài

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

囗或國

Meaning part形符xíngfú

囗囗wéiclosure

Sound part声符shēngfú

或

或huò國guó

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Appears in

Ethnic Groups & Nationalities People (General)

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