窗外 (chuāng wài) — outside the window; beyond the window | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

outside the windowbeyond the window

Examples

窗外。
chuāng wài Xià zhe dà yǔ.
It's raining heavily outside the window.
窗外。
Tā xǐ huan zuò zài chuāng biān kàn chuāng wài de fēng jǐng.
He likes to sit by the window and look at the scenery outside.
窗外。
chuāng wài Chuán lái yí zhèn niǎo jiào shēng.
From outside the window came a burst of bird calls.

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.

窗chuāngwindow

外wàioutside

“窗” (window) and “外” (outside) combine to mean outside the window.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

穴囱窗

穴穴xuéhole
囱囱cōngwindow

窗 combines 穴 (hole) with 囱 (window), giving the sense of an opening used as a window.

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

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.

Appears in

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