外wài

外

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

外 (wài, "outside") is identical in simplified and traditional — a rare case where the modern script preserved the ancient shape unchanged. Its etymology shows a person standing beyond a doorway, a visual metaphor so clear that it endured for three millennia. As a radical, it appears in 外国 (foreign country), 室外 (outdoor), 外科 (surgery, literally "external medicine") and many more.

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Shuowen

Outside. The character is formed by 夕 (the moon, symbolizing evening) and 卜 (a divination mark); in its earliest oracle bone form it pictured a foot stepping out of a doorway, meaning “to go out.” The composite suggests what lies beyond the interior, giving the sense of “outside, external.” All characters with 外 retain the notion of being beyond or external.

Pinyin

wài· HSK 1

外wài

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin