而外 (ér wài) — besides; apart from; other than

Definition

而外 is a written conjunction meaning 'besides / other than', almost always paired after 除了. More formal and literary than spoken 除了…以外 or 除了…之外.

conjunction
besidesapart fromother than

Examples

  • 而外，。
    Chú le gōng zuò ér wài, tā jī hū méi yǒu qí tā ài hào.
    Besides work, he has almost no other hobbies.
  • 而外，？
    Chú le zhè tiáo guī dìng ér wài, hái yǒu bié de guī zé ma?
    Besides this rule, are there other rules?
  • 而外，。
    Jiā lǐ de rén ér wài, tā yě yāo qǐng le péng you.
    Besides family members, he also invited friends.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.