HSK 7
除此之外
chú cǐ zhī wài
除此之外 (chú cǐ zhī wài) - Apart from this, besides
Explanation
除此之外 (chú cǐ zhī wài) is a fixed conjunctional phrase, meaning "apart from this, besides." It excludes the thing just mentioned and then adds new information, or emphasizes that apart from that there is nothing else.
(clause 1, stating something known), 除此之外 (chú cǐ zhī wài) + (clause 2: adding something else / or negating with "nothing else"). It usually stands at the head of the latter clause (e.g. 除此之外，我不知道别的 = besides that, I don't know anything else; 除此之外什么都没带 = apart from that I brought nothing).
Used in both spoken and written language, with a slightly formal tone; used to shift the topic, add information, or close off a scope ("that's all, no more"). Close in meaning to 此外 (cǐwài = besides).
除此之外 refers specifically to "this (此)" just mentioned and is more formal; whereas 另外 (lìngwài = besides, in addition) leans colloquial and merely adds new information, without emphasizing the exclusion.
Writing the character 此 (cǐ) wrongly as 这 (zhè) — the fixed phrase must use 此; using 除此之外 when "this" has not been specifically stated beforehand to be excluded (leaving 此 with nothing to refer to).
Examples
He is a teacher; apart from that, I don't know anything else.
I only brought a single book bag; apart from that I brought nothing at all.
Practice
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Learn “除此之外” effectively
The grammar point “除此之外” (除此之外 (chú cǐ zhī wài) - Apart from this, besides) is one of the key structures at HSK 7. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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