external
/ɪkˈstɜːnl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˈstɜːrnl/ (ame, ipa) · /ek-ˈstər-nᵊl/ (ame, mw)
external — 形容詞
- externalpositive
- more externalcomparative
- most externalsuperlative
1. relating to the outside of an object, person, or place, or arising beyond a part
外部的
位於或來自某物外側的
relating to the outside of an object, person, or place, or arising beyond a particular organisation or setting.
Wei painted the external walls of the house a pale cream colour.
Wei 把房子的外牆漆成了淡奶油色。
collocation: external walls
The police found no signs of external injury on the victim.
警方在受害者身上沒有發現外部傷痕。
collocation: external injury
Many factors external to the company influenced its decision to close the factory.
許多公司外部的因素影響了它關閉工廠的決定。
An external auditor visits the factory once a year to check the records.
一位外部審計員每年來工廠檢查帳目。
- internal
direct opposite; 'internal' refers to the inside of a system, object, or organisation
文法句型
external + noun
be external to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Attributive only — you can say 'the external wall' but NOT 'the wall is external' in everyday use. The pattern 'external to + noun phrase' is more formal and common in academic or business writing.
常見錯誤
2. relating to or involving other countries, especially in matters of trade, politi
國外的
與外國有關的，涉及外交或國際事務的
relating to or involving other countries, especially in matters of trade, politics, finance, or international relations.
The government wants to attract more external investment from Asian markets.
政府希望吸引更多來自亞洲市場的國外投資。
collocation: external investment
Indra studied external trade policies between the EU and Southeast Asia.
Indra 研究了歐盟與東南亞之間的對外貿易政策。
collocation: external trade
The finance minister outlined the country's external debt repayment plan.
財政部長概述了該國的對外債務償還計劃。
Hyun works in the department of external affairs at the embassy.
Hyun 在大使館的對外事務部門工作。
- foreign
more common in everyday use; 'foreign policy' is interchangeable with 'external policy' in formal writing
- international
broader scope; includes multilateral and global contexts rather than strictly bilateral cross-border matters
- domestic
the opposite in political and economic contexts; 'domestic trade' vs 'external trade'
文法句型
external + noun (trade, policy, affairs, investment)
用法筆記
Commonly paired with nouns like 'trade', 'policy', 'affairs', 'relations', 'investment', 'debt'. In this sense 'external' contrasts with 'domestic' (inside the country), not with 'internal'.
常見錯誤
3. based on outward appearance only, having little connection with what is real, im
表面的
僅在外表上而非本質的
based on outward appearance only, having little connection with what is real, important, or essential about a person, situation, or thing.
Ada felt their praise was purely external, not a genuine recognition of her work.
Ada 覺得他們的讚美只是表面工夫，並非真心肯定她的工作。
adverb: purely external
The logo changes were merely external and did nothing to fix the brand's real problems.
標誌的改變僅止於表面，完全沒有解決品牌的真正問題。
adverb: merely external
To an outsider, their marriage looked fine, but the harmony was only external.
在外人看來他們的婚姻很美滿，但那份和諧只是表面上的。
Their apology seemed purely external, lacking any real feeling of regret.
他們的道歉似乎純粹是表面的，缺乏任何真正的悔意。
- superficial
more direct and common in everyday speech; 'superficial' carries a clearer negative judgement
- outward
neutral register; 'outward calm' describes appearance without implying deception or emptiness
文法句型
purely/merely/strictly external
external + noun (appearance, show, formality)
用法筆記
Often modified by 'purely', 'merely', 'only', or 'strictly' to emphasise the contrast with inner reality. Can be used predicatively (e.g. 'the harmony was only external'), unlike the OUTSIDE sense.
常見錯誤
external — 名詞
1. the visible or obvious features of a person, object, or situation, especially wh
外表；外在
外在特徵或表面細節
the visible or obvious features of a person, object, or situation, especially when these do not reflect the true inner character, value, or quality.
Students should not judge a university by its externals, such as buildings, but by the teaching.
學生不該用外表——例如校舍建築——來判斷一所大學的好壞，而要看教學品質。
pattern: judge by externals
The committee focused on externals like uniform colours and ignored the training programme.
委員會只關注制服顏色之類的表面細節，忽略了培訓課程本身。
plural only: externals
Beneath the externals of a calm professional, Paul was extremely nervous about the presentation.
在冷靜專業的外表之下，Paul 對這場簡報緊張得要命。
Many job seekers focus on externals like salary rather than job satisfaction.
許多求職者關注的是薪資之類的表面因素，而非工作滿意度。
- appearance
broader and more neutral; 'appearance' includes both positive and negative connotations without the critical edge of 'externals'
- superficialities
more explicitly negative; implies the features are trivial and unimportant
- substance
what is real and important rather than surface-level
文法句型
the externals of + noun phrase
judge by externals
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form 'externals'. The singular 'external' as a noun is very rare in modern English. This sense carries a mildly critical tone — it suggests that surface features are being overvalued at the expense of deeper qualities.