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外边 (wài bian) — outside, the space outdoors or beyond an enclosed area; a place away from one's home or indoors

Definition

外边 (wài bian) is the everyday spoken word for 'outside' (outdoors, beyond a room). It is the same as 外面 but more casual; 旁边 is 'beside', not outside.

noun
outside, the space outdoors or beyond an enclosed areaa place away from one's home or indoors

Examples

  • 外边。
    Xiǎo māo zài wài bian.
    The kitten is outside.
  • 外边！
    Wǒ men qù wài bian wán ba!
    Let's go play outside!
  • 外边，。
    wài bian Hěn lěng, nǐ duō chuān yī fu.
    It's very cold outside; wear more clothes.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

外wàioutside
边biānplace

外 points to outside, and 边 marks the place around it.

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
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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1

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