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外貌 (wài mào) — appearance, looks

Definition

A person's overall outer appearance. More general than 长相 and 相貌 (which focus on the face), and broader than 容貌 (features/looks).

noun
appearancelooks
Easily confused

Examples

  • 外貌。
    Tā de wài mào hěn piào liang.
    She has a very beautiful appearance.
  • 外貌。
    Bú yào zhī gēn jù wài mào pàn duàn yí gè rén.
    Don't judge a person only by appearance.
  • 外貌。
    Tā fēi cháng zài yì zì jǐ de wài mào.
    He cares a lot about his own appearance.

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
貌màoappearance

外 means outside and 貌 means appearance, so 外貌 is the appearance seen from outside.

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 →

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
皃皃màolooks
Sound part声符shēngfú
豹
豹bào貌
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

貌 uses 皃, an older picture of a face, to show looks, and 豹 as a sound part.

Open 貌 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Appearance

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