外出
がいしゅつ · gaishutsu · JLPT N3 · noun
excursion
🚪 外出 = outside (外) + go out (出): stepping outside
外 (gai) means outside, as in 外国 gaikoku, foreign country. 出 (shutsu) means to exit, as in 出口 deguchi, exit. On office whiteboards, 外出中 gaishutsuchū means out of the office right now.
外 — evening 夕 + divination 卜
Originally a compound of 夕 (evening) and 卜 (divination). Ancient Chinese divinations were performed in the morning; doing them at evening (夕) was considered irregular or 'outside' the norm. From this sense of deviation, 外 came to mean 'outside' or 'external'.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'