外观 (wài guān) — outward appearance, exterior look | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

The designed or observed external look of a product, building, or object. For people, use 外表 or 外貌; 外形 is closer to physical shape.

noun

outward appearanceexterior look

Examples

外观。
Zhè kuǎn diàn nǎo de wài guān shè jì hěn jiǎn jié.
The exterior design of this computer is very simple.
外观。
Fáng zi de wài guān kàn qǐ lái hěn xīn.
The house looks new from the outside.
外观。
Yī fu de wài guān hé shǒu gǎn dōu hěn hǎo.
The look and feel of the clothes are both very good.

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

外 means outside and 观 means view, so 外观 refers to the outward view or appearance.

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

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 觀; 观 is its simplified writing.

雚見觀

Meaning part形符xíngfú

見見jiànsee

Sound part声符shēngfú

雚

雚guàn觀guān

Same sound today

The traditional form 觀 uses 見 (see) for meaning and 雚 for sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Appearance

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.