外援

• Pinyin: wài yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 外 = 夕 + 卜; 援 = 扌(hand radical) + 爰 (phonetic: to pull/extend) — to reach out a hand and help

Meaning

Outside assistance; external reinforcement; foreign aid. Support or personnel brought in from outside to help a team, organisation, or country.

Used across two main contexts: (1) Sports — foreign players or coaches imported to strengthen a domestic team (联赛外援配额 = foreign-player quota in the league); (2) Military/political — external military or economic support provided by another country. In everyday speech it can also humorously refer to calling in a friend to help with a difficult task.

Examples

1. 这支球队引进了两名高水平外援，本赛季的整体实力明显得到了提升。 The team brought in two high-calibre foreign players, and their overall strength for this season has visibly improved.
2. 在关键时刻能够获得可靠的外援，往往是一个组织应对危机的重要保障。 Having access to reliable outside assistance at critical moments is often a key safeguard for an organisation facing a crisis.
3. 他一个人搬不动那台冰箱，只好打电话叫来几个朋友充当外援。 He couldn't move the refrigerator by himself, so he had to call a few friends to come and serve as reinforcements.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, military, politics, casual

Tone: matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 联赛规定每支球队最多可上场三名外援，以保障国内球员的出场机会。(League rules stipulate that each team can field at most three foreign players, to protect playing time for domestic players.)
• 灾区急需外援物资，多国政府已陆续宣布提供人道主义援助。(The disaster-hit areas urgently need external aid supplies, and governments of several countries have announced humanitarian assistance in succession.)

Don't Say

• 把外援和外资混淆 (外援 = external assistance, personnel, or supplies; 外资 = foreign capital/investment — they are occasionally related but are distinct concepts)

Origin & History

Compound of 外 (outside, external) + 援 (to assist, to reinforce, to extend help). 援 carries the image of stretching out a hand to help — 外援 means help that is extended in from the outside.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal