外 wài outside; in addition; foreign
Made up of [夕 xī sunset; evening radical 36, 卜 bǔ divination; prophesy radical 25]Made with 5 strokes.
Consists of 'evening' and 'divination', as divination was only carried out during the day this gives the meaning of something unusual, foreign or 'outside' normality
Related characters
Also uses 夕 xī component: 多 duō (many) 多 duō (many) ; 将 jiāng (will) ; 罗 luó (gauze) ; 名 míng (name) ; 岁 suì (year) ; 夜 yè (night)
Also uses 卜 bǔ component: 处 chù (place) 咎 jiù (fault) ; 占 zhān (to observe) ; 贞 zhēn (chaste) ; 桌 zhuō (table)
Pronunciation
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Proverbs
家丑不可外扬 jiā chǒu bù kě wài yáng Keep family problems within the family节外生枝 jié wài shēng zhī New problems pop up unexpectedly
月到中秋分外明, 每逢佳节倍思亲 yuè dào zhōng qiū fèn wài míng, měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn Longing to see family from far away
世外桃源 shì wài táo yuán A mythical land of peace and harmony. The story is of a hidden land that a fisherman found while trying to escape turmoil and war in the Qin dynasty. Try as he might he never found the land again.
外强中干 wài qiáng zhōng gān Looking strong and powerful but actually weak. Flattering appearance that does not represent true worth.
金玉其外，败絮其中 jīn yù qí wài ? bài xù qí zhōng Don't be fooled by outward appearances