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郊外 (jiāo wài) — outskirts, suburbs (the area on the edge of a city)

Definition

A general word for the area just outside a city, often scenic or rural. 郊区 is the more official/administrative term for suburban districts; 野外 is open wilderness far from cities.

noun
outskirtssuburbs (the area on the edge of a city)

Examples

  • 郊外。
    Zhōu mò hěn duō rén qù jiāo wài yě cān.
    Many people go to the outskirts for a picnic on weekends.
  • 郊外，。
    jiāo wài De fēng jǐng hěn měi, shì hé pāi zhào.
    The scenery in the outskirts is beautiful and suitable for taking photos.
  • 郊外，。
    Tā zhù zài jiāo wài, měi tiān zuò huǒ chē jìn chéng shàng bān.
    He lives in the outskirts and takes the train into the city to work every day.

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.

郊jiāosuburb
外wàioutside

郊 means suburb and 外 means outside, naming the area outside a city.

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
阝Written in full as邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo郊jiāo
Same sound today

郊 pairs the meaning part 邑 (written as 阝) with 交, the sound part.

Open 郊 →

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 6City & Urban

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