hǎi wài
overseas; abroad
我一直在海外工作。
wǒ yīzhí zài hǎiwài gōngzuò.
I have been working overseas.
他去海外留学了。
tā qù hǎiwài liúxué le.
He went overseas to study.
海外的风景很美。
hǎiwài de fēngjǐng hěn měi.
The scenery overseas is very beautiful.
境外 (jìngwài)
abroad
外国 (wàiguó)
foreign country
国内 (guónèi)
domestic
本土 (běntǔ)
local
Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.
Get Started Free
The Chinese word 海外 (hǎiwài) is composed of two characters: 海 (hǎi), meaning "sea", and 外 (wài), meaning "outside". Together, they literally mean "outside the sea", which is a poetic way of referring to foreign countries or overseas territories.The character 海 (hǎi) has a long history in Chinese culture, dating back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). It was originally a pictograph of a body of water with waves, and it has been used to refer to the sea, ocean, and other large bodies of water ever since.The character 外 (wài) is also a pictograph, originally depicting a person standing outside a door. It has been used to refer to the outside world, foreign countries, and anything that is beyond or external to something else.When combined, the characters 海 (hǎi) and 外 (wài) create the word 海外 (hǎiwài), which has been used in Chinese literature and poetry for centuries to refer to foreign lands and peoples. It is a common word in modern Chinese as well, and it is used in a variety of contexts, including news articles, travelogues, and business reports.
