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外行 (wài háng) — (noun) layperson, nonprofessional; (adjective) amateurish, unprofessional

Definition

外行 is a layperson or amateur — a person (or work) lacking expertise in a specific field. Contrast with 内行 ('insider / expert'), its direct opposite. 业余 emphasizes doing something as a hobby in spare time, not lacking skill.

noun
laypersonnonprofessional
adjective
amateurishunprofessional
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 外行。
    Tā duì diàn nǎo wéi xiū wán quán shì wài háng.
    He is a complete layperson when it comes to computer repair.
  • 外行。
    Zhè zhǒng shè jì kàn qǐ lái hěn wài háng.
    This kind of design looks very amateurish.
  • 外行。
    wài háng De yì jiàn cháng cháng huì wù dǎo rén.
    Lay opinions often mislead people.

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
行xíngtrade; profession

外 means outside and 行 means trade or profession, so 外行 describes someone outside that profession.

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.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Professions & Jobs

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