Writing
以外 (yǐ wài) — how to say "except" in Chinese
以外
Except, beyond
noun
Character composition
with, by
outside
Radicals / Keys
Evening
#36 · xī · 3 strokes
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
Collocations
工作以外
gōng zuò yǐ wài
outside of work
Examples
除了学习以外,他每天还锻炼身体。
Besides studying, he also exercises every day.
除了他以外,我们都去。
Except him, we all go.
Mnemonic

[yǐ wài-] Yi-Wai the little badger, by means of (以) a ruler, checked: all the food is inside the basket, and outside (外) lies only a pebble. "以外 the pebble, everything is edible!" he announced. 🦡🧺
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "except" in Chinese?
"except" in Chinese is 以外 (yǐ wài).
以外 meaning in English
以外 (yǐ wài) means "Except, beyond".
How is 以外 pronounced?
It is pronounced yǐ wài (written as yi wai, yiwai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "except" in Chinese characters?
It is written 以外: 以 has 4 strokes, 外 has 5 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 以外?
以外 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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