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外在

wàizài

external; outward

A person compares an ornate gift box with a plain open one
Memory picture

Characters in this word

外 wài

Strokes
5
Radical
夕 — evening, night, dusk
Made of
夕 evening, night, dusk 卜 divination, fortune-telling
How it's built
Ideograph — the meaning is built from its parts

在 zài

Strokes
6
Radical
土 — soil, earth
Made of
才 ability, talent, gift 土 soil, earth
How it's built
Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

Example phrases

  • 评价一项改革不能只看外在形式,还要看它是否改变了权力运行的逻辑。 Píngjià yí xiàng gǎigé bù néng zhǐ kàn wàizài xíngshì, hái yào kàn tā shìfǒu gǎibiàn le quánlì yùnxíng de luóji. In evaluating a reform, one must not only look at its external form but also at whether it changes the logic of how power operates.
  • 她不仅重视外在的打扮,也注重内心的修养。 Tā bùjǐn zhòngshì wàizài de dǎban, yě zhùzhòng nèixīn de xiūyǎng. She cares not only about outward appearance but also about inner cultivation.
  • 产品的好坏,不能只靠外在的包装来判断。 Chǎnpǐn de hǎohuài, bù néng zhǐ kào wàizài de bāozhuāng lái pànduàn. The quality of a product cannot be judged solely by its outer packaging.

Related words

All HSK 9 words →