Dictionary › 白

白

bái

HSK 2 Character

What 白 means

1. white
2. snowy
3. pure
4. bright
5. empty
6. blank
7. plain
8. clear
9. to make clear
10. in vain
11. gratuitous
12. free of charge
13. reactionary
14. anti-communist
15. funeral
16. to stare coldly
17. to write wrong character
18. to state
19. to explain
20. vernacular
21. spoken lines in opera

Other readings

白 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Báisurname Bai; Bai ethnic group

Example sentences

• 明白。
  I understand.
• 不明白。
  I don't understand.
• 明白了。
  I got it.
• 我明白。
  I get it.
• 我不明白。
  I don't get it.
• 你不明白。
  You don't understand.

Words starting with 白

• 白色bái sèwhite; fig. reactionary; anti-communist
• 白天bái tiāndaytime; during the day; day
• 白酒bái jiǔbaijiu, a spirit usually distilled from sorghum; (Taiwan) white wine (abbr. for 白葡萄酒
• 白云bái yúnwhite cloud
• 白领bái lǐngwhite-collar; white-collar worker
• 白白bái báiin vain; to no purpose; for nothing
• 白痴bái chīidiocy; idiot
• 白菜bái càiChinese cabbage, esp. napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis)…
• 白人bái rénwhite man or woman; Caucasian
• 白宫Bái gōngWhite House
• 白发bái fàwhite or gray hair
• 白雪bái xuěsnow
• 白金bái jīnplatinum; silver; white gold
• 白眼bái yǎnto give sb a dirty look; to cast a supercilious glance; a disdainful look
• 白皙bái xī(of complexion or skin) fair and clear
• 白兔bái tùwhite rabbit; (fig.) (slang) breast
• 白水bái shuǐplain water
• 白糖bái táng(refined) white sugar
• 白玉bái yùwhite jade; tofu (by analogy)
• 白布bái bùplain white cloth; calico
• 白血病bái xuè bìngleukemia
• 白费bái fèito waste (one's energy etc)
• 白开水bái kāi shuǐplain boiled water
• 白居易Bái Jū yìBai Juyi (772-846), Tang dynasty poet

Words containing 白

• 明白míng baiclear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable; to understand; to realize
• 苍白cāng báipale; wan
• 空白kòng báiblank space
• 坦白tǎn báihonest; forthcoming; to confess
• 蛋白质dàn bái zhìprotein
• 黑白hēi báiblack and white; right and wrong; monochrome
• 雪白xuě báisnow white
• 洁白jié báispotlessly white; pure white
• 小白xiǎo bái(slang) novice; greenhorn; (old; slang) fool; idiot; abbr. for 小白脸
• 李白Lǐ BáiLi Bai (701-762), famous Tang Dynasty poet
• 对白duì báidialogue (in a movie or a play)
• 表白biǎo báito explain oneself; to express; to reveal one's thoughts or feelings
• 清白qīng báipure; innocent
• 蛋白dàn báiegg white; protein; albumen
• 瞿秋白Qú Qiū báiQu Qiubai (1899-1935), politician, Soviet expert of the Chinese communists at time of…
• 伊丽莎白Yī lì shā báiElizabeth (person name)
• 惨白cǎn báideathly pale
• 大白dà bái(of facts or truth) to become fully revealed; to come to light; (old) wine cup…
• 发白fā báito turn pale; to lose color; to go white
• 旁白páng báiaside (theater); voice-over; background narration
• 独白dú báistage monologue; soliloquy
• 说白了shuō bái leto speak frankly
• 花白huā báigrizzled (hair)
• 灰白huī báiash-colored

Characters built on 日

These share the phonetic component 日 (rì), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 晒shài(of the sun) to shine on; to bask in (the sunshine)…
• 暧ài(of daylight) dim; obscure; clandestine

Characters that look like 白

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 自zì(bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course
• 由yóuto follow; from; because of; due to
• 台tái(classical) you (in letters); variant of 台
• 曲qǔtune; song
• 句jùsentence; clause; phrase
• 勿wùdo not