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海外 (hǎi wài) — overseas; abroad (referring to foreign countries or regions)

Definition

Refers to countries or regions across the sea — a more literary/formal 'overseas' than 外国, and limited to beyond one's own borders, unlike 外地 (which is another place within China).

noun
overseasabroad (referring to foreign countries or regions)

Examples

  • 海外。
    Tā dǎ suàn míng nián qù hǎi wài gōng zuò.
    He plans to go work overseas next year.
  • 海外。
    Hěn duō hǎi wài huá rén huí guó tóu zī.
    Many overseas Chinese return to invest in their home country.
  • 海外。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī xiǎng kuò dà hǎi wài shì chǎng.
    This company wants to expand its overseas market.

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.

海hǎisea
外wàioutside

sea and outside combine to mean outside the sea, abroad.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5International & Diplomacy

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