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门外 (mén wài) — outside the door

Definition

Literally 'outside the door,' but used figuratively as 'a layperson, outside the field' (e.g. 门外汉) — someone without expert knowledge. Often contrasts with 门内/内行 in set phrases.

noun
outside the door

Examples

  • 门外。
    Tā zhàn zài mén wài děng zhe.
    He stood outside the door waiting.
  • 门外。
    mén wài Yǒu hěn duō rén.
    There are many people outside the door.
  • 门外。
    Qǐng bǎ xíng li fàng zài mén wài.
    Please put the luggage outside the door.

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méndoor
外wàioutside

“门” means door and “外” means outside, so it names the space outside a door.

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 →
Appears in
Home & Housing

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