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格外 (gé wài) — especially, particularly

Definition

格外 highlights a notably high degree — the closest everyday match is 特别. 格外 is more literary than 特别 and emphasizes that a quality stands out from the norm, while 尤其 focuses a single item out of a group.

adverb
especiallyparticularly

Examples

  • 格外。
    Jīn tiān tiān qì gé wài hǎo.
    The weather is especially good today.
  • 格外。
    Tā xué xí gé wài nǔ lì.
    She studies especially hard.
  • 格外。
    Nǐ zuò de cài gé wài hǎo chī.
    The dish you made is especially delicious.

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.

格géstandard
外wàioutside

格 and 外 suggest beyond the usual standard, hence especially.

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè格gé
Same sound today

格 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 各 on the right, which gives the sound.

Open 格 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5

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