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外面 (wài miàn) — (noun) outside; exterior

Definition

外面 (wàimiàn) means 'outside' — most common in everyday talk, like saying 'go outside' or 'it's cold outside.' More casual than the written 外部, and more concrete than 表面 (which often means 'surface' or 'outward appearance').

noun
outsideexterior

Examples

  • 外面，。
    wài miàn Hěn lěng, duō chuān yī fu.
    It's very cold outside; wear more clothes.
  • 外面。
    Tā zài wài miàn děng wǒ.
    He is waiting for me outside.
  • 外面。
    Wǒ men qù wài miàn chī fàn ba.
    Let's go eat outside.

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
面miànside

外 gives outside, and 面 adds a sense of side.

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 →

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

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →
Appears in
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