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白 (bái) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 5

白 (bái) is a Chinese word: white. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 白

形 xíng adjective

white

她穿着白色的衣服。

tā chuān zhe bái sè de yī fu

She is wearing white clothes.

副 fù adverb

in vain

我白跑了一趟。

wǒ bái pǎo le yī tàng

I made a trip for nothing.

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Word breakdown

白 bái — white

Words with this character (16)
  • 1 白天 bái tiān — daytime HSK 1
    • 白 bright, light (referring to daylight)
    • 天 day (time period)
    Example

    我白天工作，晚上学习。

    wǒ bái tiān gōng zuò wǎn shang xué xí

    I work during the daytime and study at night.

  • 2 白色 bái sè — white HSK 2
    • 白 white (the color concept)
    • 色 color (specifies it refers to the color)
    Example

    她今天穿了一件白色的衣服。

    tā jīn tiān chuān le yī jiàn bái sè de yī fu

    She wore a white piece of clothing today.

  • 3 明白 míng bai — to understand HSK 3
    • 明 clear, bright (contributes clarity)
    • 白 plain, clear (reinforces clarity)
    Example

    你明白我的意思吗？

    nǐ míng bai wǒ de yì si ma

    Do you understand what I mean?

  • 4 白酒 bái jiǔ — baijiu (Chinese white liquor) HSK 4
    • 白 white/clear (referring to the transparent appearance)
    • 酒 alcohol/liquor (the beverage category)
    Example

    这瓶白酒是我爸爸送的礼物。

    zhè píng bái jiǔ shì wǒ bà ba sòng de lǐ wù

    This bottle of baijiu is a gift from my father.

  • 5 白白 bái bái — in vain HSK 6
    • 白 empty, without result
    • 白 reduplication for emphasis of wastefulness
    Example

    不要白白浪费时间。

    bù yào bái bái làng fèi shí jiān

    Don't waste time in vain.

Show more (+11)
  • 6 白领 bái lǐng — white-collar worker HSK 6
    • 白 white (referring to white dress shirts)
    • 领 collar (of a shirt)
    Example

    他是一个白领，每天在办公室工作。

    tā shì yí gè bái lǐng měi tiān zài bàn gōng shì gōng zuò

    He is a white-collar worker, working in an office every day.

  • 7 蛋白质 dàn bái zhì — protein HSK 6
    • 蛋 egg
    • 白 white (referring to egg white)
    • 质 substance, matter
    Example

    鸡蛋含有丰富的蛋白质。

    jī dàn hán yǒu fēng fù de dàn bái zhì

    Eggs contain abundant protein.

  • 8 坦白 tǎn bái — frank, honest HSK 7
    • 坦 open, candid, frank
    • 白 clear, plain, to reveal
    Example

    他很坦白地承认了错误。

    tā hěn tǎn bái de chéng rèn le cuò wù

    He frankly admitted his mistake.

  • 9 对白 duì bái — dialogue HSK 7
    • 对 reciprocal, facing (indicates back-and-forth exchange)
    • 白 speech, spoken words (the lines being spoken)
    Example

    这部电影的对白写得很精彩。

    zhè bù diàn yǐng de duì bái xiě de hěn jīng cǎi

    The dialogue in this film is written brilliantly.

  • 10 开场白 kāi chǎng bái — opening remarks HSK 7
    • 开 to open, to begin
    • 场 occasion, venue, scene
    • 白 speech, words, remarks
    Example

    主持人的开场白很幽默。

    zhǔ chí rén de kāi chǎng bái hěn yōu mò

    The host's opening remarks were very humorous.

  • 11 惨白 cǎn bái — deathly pale HSK 7
    • 惨 intensifies the paleness to a tragic, extreme, or disturbing degree
    • 白 provides the base meaning of white or pale color
    Example

    她听到噩耗后脸色变得惨白。

    tā tīng dào è hào hòu liǎn sè biàn de cǎn bái

    Her face turned deathly pale after hearing the bad news.

  • 12 洁白 jié bái — pure white HSK 7
    • 洁 clean, pure, spotless
    • 白 white
    Example

    她穿着一件洁白的连衣裙。

    tā chuān zhe yī jiàn jié bái de lián yī qún

    She wore a pure white dress.

  • 13 空白 kòng bái — blank HSK 7
    Example

    这份表格有很多空白需要填写。

    zhè fèn biǎo gé yǒu hěn duō kòng bái xū yào tián xiě

    This form has many blanks that need to be filled in.

  • 14 苍白 cāng bái — pale HSK 7
    • 苍 ashen, gray (suggesting unhealthy color)
    • 白 white, pale (lightness of color)
    Example

    她的脸色苍白，看起来很虚弱。

    tā de liǎn sè cāng bái kàn qǐ lái hěn xū ruò

    Her complexion is pale, she looks very weak.

  • 15 表白 biǎo bái — to confess one's feelings HSK 7
    • 表 to express, to show outwardly
    • 白 clear, openly, plainly
    Example

    他终于鼓起勇气向她表白了。

    tā zhōng yú gǔ qǐ yǒng qì xiàng tā biǎo bái le

    He finally mustered the courage to confess his feelings to her.

  • 16 颠倒黑白 diān dǎo hēi bái — to confuse right and wrong; to distort facts HSK 7
    • 颠 overturn, topple
    • 倒 reverse, invert
    • 黑 black (representing wrong/evil)
    • 白 white (representing right/good)
    Example

    媒体不应该颠倒黑白误导公众。

    méi tǐ bù yīng gāi diān dǎo hēi bái wù dǎo gōng zhòng

    The media should not distort facts and mislead the public.

Structure & writing
1 白 bái — white (color like snow or milk, opposite of black)
白 is a component in 19 characters
HSK 1
百 bǎi hundred (the number 100) 的 de structural particle used after an attributive: ① general modifier before a noun ② possessive modifier ③ attributive is a person's name or pronoun, head noun is a role or identity ④ head noun combines with a preceding verb to express an action, attributive is the object of that action
HSK 3
怕 pà to fear; to be afraid of 拍 pāi to slap or pat with the palm or a flat object 泉 quán spring water
HSK 4
貌 mào appearance, looks
HSK 6
皇 huáng monarch; emperor 迫 pò to compel; to force
HSK 7
伯 bó uncle (father's elder brother) 卑 bēi low; lowly 帕 pà small square cloth for wiping hands or face; handkerchief 柏 bǎi cypress tree, an evergreen with scale-like leaves and cone fruits; hard wood used as building material 泊 bó to moor a boat; to dock
Show more HSK 7 characters (+6)
皂 zào black (color) 皆 jiē all; everyone 碧 bì (lit.) blue-green jade 粕 pò dregs left over from brewing wine 舶 bó large oceangoing vessel 魄 pò the corporeal soul (in superstition, the spirit attached to the body)

白 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order