外海 (wài hǎi) — open sea | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

open sea

外海，。
Zhè sōu chuán yǐ shǐ rù wài hǎi, sì zhōu kàn bú dào lù dì.
This ship has sailed into the open sea, with no land visible around.
，外海。
Yú mín tōng cháng zài jìn hǎi bǔ yú, hěn shǎo qù wài hǎi.
Fishermen usually fish in coastal waters, rarely going to the open sea.
外海，。
Zhè piàn wài hǎi de shuǐ yù fēi cháng shēn, yǐ jīng chāo guò le liǎng qiān mǐ.
The waters of this open sea area are very deep, already exceeding two thousand meters.

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 means outside and 海 means sea, together pointing to the sea away from the shore.

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.

氵每海

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

每

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

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Appears in