Meaning of 外边
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- outside
- outer surface
- abroad
- place other than one's home
How to use 外边
外边 is a place word, so it often follows 在 (zài) or comes after a noun, like 门外边 (mén wàibian) outside the door. It can also mean away from home or in another place. Example: 孩子们在外边玩。(Háizimen zài wàibian wán.) The children are playing outside.
外 (wài) means outside, and 边 (bian) means side. Put them together and you get the outside side of something, which is simply outside.
Common mistake: Learners often say 在外边 with a full fourth tone on 边, but in 外边 the 边 is usually light and neutral: wàibian. Also, do not confuse 外 (wài) with 处 (chù), which looks similar but has a different right side.
外边 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
外 wài · outside · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
边 biān · side · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 外边.
| 那边 | nàbiān | over there; yonder |
| 这边 | zhèbiān | this side; here |
| 一边 | yībiān | one side; either side |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | side; adjacent place |
| 左边 | zuǒbian | left; the left side |
| 右边 | yòubian | right side; right, to the right |
| 外国 | wàiguó | foreign country |
| 国外 | guó wài | abroad; external (affairs) |
| 里边 | lǐbian | inside |
| 北边 | běibian | north; north side |
| 南边 | nánbian | south; south side |
| 东边 | dōngbian | east; east side |
Questions about 外边
What does 外边 mean?
外边 (wàibian) means "outside; outer surface" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 外边?
外边 is made of 2 characters: 外 (5 strokes), 边 (5 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 外边 an HSK word?
Yes. 外边 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 外边 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 外边 is written 外邊.
What is the difference between 外边 and 外面?
They mean the same thing and are usually interchangeable. 外面 (wàimian) is very common in both speech and writing, while 外边 sounds a little more casual and spoken.
How do I say inside, the opposite of 外边?
Use 里边 (lǐbian), as in 房间里边 (fángjiān lǐbian) inside the room. The pair 里边 and 外边 work the same way grammatically.