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外

wài

1. noun outside; outer (opposite of 内/里)

   门外站着一个人。

   Mén wài zhànzhe yī ge rén.

   Someone is standing outside the door.

2. noun foreign; foreign country

   他会说三门外语。

   Tā huì shuō sān mén wàiyǔ.

   He can speak three foreign languages.

3. adjective not of one's own circle; outside one's unit or clan

   这件事情我们先自己解决，别麻烦外人。

   Zhè jiàn shìqing wǒmen xiān zìjǐ jiějué, bié máfan wàirén.

   Let's resolve this matter ourselves first and not bother outsiders.

4. noun related through the maternal or wife's side (e.g. 外婆)

   小明周末要去外婆家玩。

   Xiǎomíng zhōumò yào qù wàipó jiā wán.

   Xiaoming is going to his maternal grandmother's house this weekend.

5. adverb beyond; outside a scope or limit

   除了他之外，大家都按时到了。

   Chúle tā zhīwài, dàjiā dōu ànshí dào le.

   Except for him, everyone arrived on time.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 外 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.