Meaning of 外面
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense)
- surface
- exterior
- external appearance
How to use 外面
外面 is a place word for outside, and it often follows a noun or comes after 在 (zài). It can also mean the surface or outward look of something. Example: 外面下雨了。(Wàimiàn xià yǔ le.) It is raining outside.
外 (wài) means outside, and 面 (miàn) means face or side. Put them together and you get the outside face of something, the side that is not inside.
Common mistake: Learners often say 在房子外 when they mean the full phrase 在房子外面 (zài fángzi wàimiàn). In everyday speech the noun usually needs the full 外面 after it. Also, in casual speech the second syllable is often neutral tone, wàimian, so do not stress miàn too hard.
外面 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
面 miàn · face · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 外面.
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
| 外国 | wàiguó | foreign country |
| 国外 | guó wài | abroad; external (affairs) |
| 外边 | wàibian | outside; outer surface |
| 外语 | wàiyǔ | foreign language |
| 面条儿 | miàntiáor | erhua variant of 麵條|面条[mian4 tiao2] |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect |
| 以外 | yǐwài | apart from; other than |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite; across (the street etc); directly in front of one; up ahead |
| 外卖 | wàimài | (of a restaurant) to provide a takeout or home delivery meal; takeout (business) |
Questions about 外面
What does 外面 mean?
外面 (wàimiàn) means "outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 外面?
外面 is made of 2 characters: 外 (5 strokes), 面 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 外面 an HSK word?
Yes. 外面 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 外面 and 外边?
Both mean outside and are usually interchangeable, as in 外边很冷 or 外面很冷. 外面 also has the sense of surface or outward appearance, which 外边 is less often used for.
What is the opposite of 外面?
The opposite is 里面 (lǐmiàn), inside. For example, 里面很暖和，外面很冷。(Lǐmiàn hěn nuǎnhuo, wàimiàn hěn lěng.) It is warm inside and cold outside.