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对外 (duì wài) — external; foreign (attributive)

Definition

Means 'external / foreign-facing' — typically modifies a noun like 对外政策, 对外贸易, 对外市场. Refers to relations, trade, or activities directed at other countries, not domestic ones.

adjective
externalforeign (attributive)

Examples

  • 对外。
    Zhōng guó de duì wài zhèng cè fēi cháng míng què.
    China's foreign policy is very clear.
  • 对外。
    Wǒ men gōng sī hěn zhòng shì duì wài shì chǎng.
    Our company pays great attention to foreign markets.
  • 对外。
    Zhè yí cuò shī cù jìn le duì wài mào yì.
    This measure promoted foreign trade.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

对duìtoward
外wàioutside

“对” (toward) and “外” (outside) form the idea of facing outward, hence external.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

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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.

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Appears in
International & Diplomacy

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