外相 (wài xiàng) — foreign minister

Definition

外相 (wài xiàng) is the Japanese/Chinese-press term for 'foreign minister,' used mainly in news about Japan's cabinet. For most other contexts, 外交部长 is the standard term.

noun
foreign minister
Measure word · 位
Easily confused

Examples

  • 外相。
    Rì běn wài xiàng jīn tiān fǎng wèn zhōng guó.
    The Japanese foreign minister is visiting China today.
  • 外相。
    wài xiàng Zài jì zhě huì shàng fā biǎo le jiǎng huà.
    The foreign minister delivered a speech at the press conference.
  • 外相。
    Xīn rèn wài xiàng jiāng yú xià yuè chū fǎng ōu zhōu.
    The newly appointed foreign minister will visit Europe next month.

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
相xiāngminister

外相 joins 外 foreign and 相 minister, naming a foreign minister.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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