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外币 (wài bì) — foreign currency

Definition

外币 refers to the physical foreign money itself — coins and banknotes you carry or exchange. 外汇 is the broader financial concept of foreign exchange, including the market, rates, and transactions.

noun
foreign currency
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 外币。
    Chū guó lǚ xíng qián zuì hǎo huàn yì xiē wài bì.
    It's best to exchange some foreign currency before traveling abroad.
  • 外币。
    Zhè jiā yín háng kě yǐ duì huàn wài bì.
    This bank can exchange foreign currency.
  • 外币。
    Rù jìng shí xié dài wài bì chāo guò xiàn é yào shēn bào.
    You must declare foreign currency if you carry more than the limit when entering the country.

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wàiforeign
币bìcurrency

“外” specifies foreign and “币” names currency, together meaning foreign money.

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 幣; 币 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
敝
敝bì幣bì
Same sound today

The traditional form 幣 combines 敝 (which gives the sound) and 巾 (cloth), and meant silk given as a gift or sacrifice; the simplified 币 is a shorthand.

Open 币 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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