TongTong
Sign in

外来 (wài lái) — external; foreign; coming from outside

Definition

Adjective for things that originate from outside a system — used for people, influences, or capital coming in, not for describing a foreign country's location (use 外国 for that). Contrast with 外部 (exterior structure) and 外在 (extrinsic quality).

adjective
externalforeigncoming from outside

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì de wài lái rén kǒu yuè lái yuè duō.
    The migrant population in this city is growing.
  • 外来。
    wài lái Gān rǎo dǎ luàn le shí yàn de jìn xíng.
    External interference disrupted the progress of the experiment.
  • 外来。
    Zhè ge dì qū xī yǐn le dà liàng wài lái tóu zī.
    This region has attracted a large amount of foreign investment.

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
来láicome

外 indicates outside, and 来 adds the sense of coming from there.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.