外快 (wài kuài) — extra income earned outside one's regular job;…

Definition

Refers to extra money earned on the side, beyond one's main salary — usually informal, irregular income like freelance or side gigs. Measure word: 笔.

noun

extra income earned outside one's regular jobside money

Measure word · 笔

外快。
Tā zhōu mò zuò fān yì zhuàn le bù shǎo wài kuài.
He earned quite a bit of extra income by doing translation on weekends.
，外快。
Chú le gōng zī, tā hái yǒu bié de wài kuài lái yuán.
Besides her salary, she has other sources of side income.
，外快。
Zhè ge yuè gōng sī fā le jiǎng jīn, yě suàn yì bǐ wài kuài.
The company gave out bonuses this month, which counts as extra income too.

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 refers to outside regular work, and 快 suggests quickness or ease, so the result is extra income.

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

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.

忄夬快

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài快kuài

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

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

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