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外场 (wài chǎng) — (baseball, cricket) outfield; (theater) forestage

Definition

In sports (baseball, cricket) 外场 means the 'outfield' — the outer area of the playing field, beyond the infield. In theater it means the 'forestage' — the part of the stage that extends out past the curtain into the audience.

noun
(baseball, cricket) outfield(theater) forestage

Examples

  • 外场。
    Tā zài wài chǎng jiē zhù le yí gè bàng qiú.
    He caught a baseball in the outfield.
  • 外场。
    Yǎn yuán cóng wài chǎng zǒu dào wǔ tái zhōng jiān.
    The actor walked from the forestage to the center of the stage.
  • 外场。
    Zhè ge jù yuàn de wài chǎng hěn dà.
    This theater's forestage is very large.

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wàioutside
场chǎngfield

The 外 meaning outside and 场 meaning field combine to denote the outer playing area.

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
卜卜bǔ
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.

Open 外 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →
Appears in
Sports & Athletics

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