外

wài

outside

in addition; foreign; external

Evening (夕) + divination (卜) = outside, beyond

In ancient China, divination (卜) was done outdoors at dusk (夕) — outside the home, beyond the threshold. What lies beyond the familiar boundary is foreign and external.

夕+卜→外
卜DivinationSemantic
夕EveningSemantic

孩子们在外面玩。

hái zi men zài wài miàn wán。

The children are playing outside.

除了工作之外,他还喜欢画画。

chú le gōng zuò zhī wài,tā hái xǐ huān huà huà。

In addition to work, he also likes painting.

Words with 外

外滩

wài tān

the Bund, a waterfront promenade in central Shanghai, running along the western bank of the Huangpu River

外籍

wài jí

foreign (i.e. of foreign nationality)

野外

yě wài

countryside

门外

mén wài

outside the door

九霄云外

jiǔ xiāo yún wài

beyond the topmost clouds (idiom)

外援

wài yuán

foreign aid

置身事外

zhì shēn shì wài

(idiom) not to get involved; to stay out of it

之外

zhī wài

outside

体外

tǐ wài

outside the body

外型

wài xíng

external form

外带

wài dài

take-out (fast food)

外务省

wài wù shěng

foreign ministry (e.g. of Japan or Korea)

More characters with 夕

歹浆奖桨罗岁矽拶