Chinese word

除了

Pronunciation

Pinyinchú le

Meaning

  • prepositionbesides

Example

除了中文，我还会英语。chú le zhōng wén wǒ hái huì yīng yǔ

Besides Chinese, I also speak English.

Illustration for 除了 (besides)

More examples

除了我之外，大家都通过了考试。chú le wǒ zhī wài dà jiā dōu tōng guò le kǎo shì

Everyone except me passed the exam.

Core concept

Draws a boundary around one item or group and shows whether it joins the rest or is kept outside it.

Common phrases

  • 除了我之外chú le wǒ zhī wài

    except me

  • 除了中文chú le zhōng wén

    besides Chinese

Similar words

除了...以外chú le yǐ wài: Sets one stated item apart from the group being discussed.
除了...之外chú le zhī wài: Shows that additional items exist beyond a named item in a paired construction.
以外yǐ wài: Refers to things that are not within a stated range or group.

Definition in Chinese

作为介词用于标示某一项被提出用于对比或补充，常与还、也、都等搭配以构成完整句子。zuò wéi jiè cí yòng yú biāo shì mǒu yí xiàng bèi tí chū yòng yú duì bǐ huò bǔ chōng cháng yǔ hái yě dōu děng dā pèi yǐ gòu chéng wán zhěng jù zi

Word origin

除了 (chúle, "besides; except") turns the removal idea in 除 (chú, "remove or exclude") into a comparison marker, with 了 (le, "completed action") completing the modern form.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect "besides" to signal addition only, but Chinese uses 除了 (chúle, "besides; except") for exclusion as well, so the rest of the sentence determines which reading applies.

Other meanings

  • exceptpreposition
  • excludingpreposition

Word lists with this word