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门外汉 (mén wài hàn) — layman, outsider (in a specific field or subject)

Definition

Literally 'person outside the door' — a non-expert who lacks knowledge in a specific field. Use to humbly disclaim expertise in an area, not as a general insult.

noun
laymanoutsider (in a specific field or subject)

Examples

  • 门外汉。
    Wǒ duì diàn nǎo biān chéng wán quán shì mén wài hàn.
    I'm a complete layman when it comes to computer programming.
  • ，门外汉。
    Zài yīn yuè fāng miàn, tā zhǐ shì yí gè mén wài hàn.
    In music, he's just a layman.
  • ，门外汉。
    Bié wèn wǒ fǎ lǜ wèn tí, wǒ shì mén wài hàn.
    Don't ask me legal questions — I'm a layman.

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.

门外outside the door
门méndoor外wàioutside
偏正Modifier + head
汉hànman

From 门 and 外, 'outside the door', plus 汉, 'man', so a man standing outside the field.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 汉 →
Appears in
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