The Chinese word **郊外** (jiāowài), meaning "the countryside" or "outskirts," is a compound noun formed through semantic combination. Its first character, **郊** (jiāo), specifically denotes the suburban area immediately surrounding a city or town. The second character, **外** (wài), means "outside" or "external." When combined, **外** acts to extend the spatial concept of **郊** further outward, so the compound literally and logically means "the area outside the suburbs," effectively referring to the more remote, open countryside or rural areas beyond the city's immediate periphery.