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老外 (lǎo wài) — (colloquial) foreigner; (colloquial) layman, novice

Definition

Colloquial Chinese for a foreigner (especially a Westerner). The 'layman, novice' sense is a humorous self-deprecating extension — literally 'outsider' in a new domain.

noun
(colloquial) foreigner(colloquial) laymannovice
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老外。
    Nà ge lǎo wài de zhōng wén shuō dé hěn hǎo.
    That foreigner speaks Chinese very well.
  • 老外。
    Wǒ men gōng sī lái le jǐ gè lǎo wài.
    A few foreigners came to our company.
  • ，老外。
    Zài diàn nǎo fāng miàn, wǒ zhēn shì gè lǎo wài.
    When it comes to computers, I'm a real layman.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

老lǎofamiliar
外wàioutside/foreign

The familiar 老 combines with 外, “outside,” to refer to someone from abroad.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

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
People (General)

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