白

See also: 日, 曰, 臼, 自, and 百

白	U+767D, 白 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-767D

← 發
[U+767C]

CJK Unified Ideographs

百 →
[U+767E]

⽩	U+2F69, ⽩ KANGXI RADICAL WHITE

← ⽨
[U+2F68]

Kangxi Radicals

⽪ →
[U+2F6A]

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order

Han character[edit]

See images of
Radical 106 白

白 (radical 106, 白+0, 5 strokes, cangjie input 竹日 (HA), four-corner 2600₀, composition ⿱丿日)

Kangxi radical #106, ⽩.

Derived characters[edit]

Index:Chinese radical/白
柏, 泊, 迫, 珀, 拍, 伯, 苩, 舶, 怕, 粕, 狛, 岶, 皛, 胉, 砶, 鉑(铂), 袙, 百, 絈, 鮊(鲌), 帕, 𦐚, 𣆆, 珀
習 (in current form)

References[edit]

KangXi: page 785, character 1
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 22678
Dae Jaweon: page 1196, character 1
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2642, character 1
Unihan data for U+767D

Chinese[edit]

simp. and trad.		白

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 白
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (白) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
怕	pʰraːɡs, pʰraːɡ
帕	pʰraːɡs, mbraːd
粕	pʰaːɡ, pʰraːɡ
胉	*pʰaːɡ
泊	*baːɡ
箔	*baːɡ
魄	tʰaːɡ, pʰraːɡ
皕	*prɯɡ
伯	*praːɡ
百	*praːɡ
迫	*praːɡ
敀	praːɡ, pʰraːɡ
柏	*praːɡ
湐	*praːɡ
拍	*pʰraːɡ
珀	*pʰraːɡ
皛	pʰraːɡ, ɡeːwʔ
洦	mpʰraːɡ, mbraːɡ
白	*braːɡ
帛	*braːɡ
舶	*braːɡ
鮊	*braːɡ
陌	*mbraːɡ
帞	*mbraːɡ
袹	*mbraːɡ
蛨	*mbraːɡ
貊	*mbraːɡ
佰	*mbraːɡ
銆	*mbraːɡ
碧	praɡ, preɡ
咟	*ɦmreːɡ

Unclear; probably a pictogram (象形).

Guo (1954) suggests that it represents a thumb and is original form of 拇 (OC *mɯʔ) or, more probably, 擘 (OC *preːɡ).

Alternatively, Unger (apud Schuessler, 2007) suggests that it represents an acorn, noting its use in 樂 (“oak”) (= 櫟) and 皂 (“acorn”).

Etymology[edit]

STEDT derives it from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bawk (“white”), whence also Proto-Bodo-Garo *bok (“white”), Limbu ᤑ (phô, “white”); also compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *kɓɔɔk (“white, grey”).

However, Schuessler (2007) finds it difficult to reconcile these forms with Middle Chinese due to the lack of medial r. Instead, he proposes a derivation from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bar (“white”) with -k extension, thus cognate with 皤 (OC *baːl, “white”) (Wang, 1982), Mizo vâr (“(to be) white”), Proto-Karen *ʔ(b)wa (“white”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): bái, bó (bai², bo²)

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄞˊ, ㄅㄛˊ

(Chengdu, SP): be²

(Dungan, Cyrillic): бый (bɨy, I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): baak⁶

(Taishan, Wiktionary): bak⁵
Gan (Wiktionary): pah⁷ / pet⁶
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): pha̍k

(Meixian, Guangdong): pag⁶
Jin (Wiktionary): bai¹ / bieh⁵
Min Bei (KCR): bā / bà / bà̤
Min Dong (BUC): băh / bĕk
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): pe̍h / pe̍eh / pe̍k / pia̍k

(Teochew, Peng'im): bêh⁸
Wu (Wiktionary): baq (T5)
Xiang (Wiktionary): be⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan, colloquial)⁺
  - Pinyin: bái
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄞˊ
  - Wade–Giles: pai²
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bair
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bái
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /paɪ̯³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, literary variant)⁺
  - Pinyin: bó
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄛˊ
  - Wade–Giles: po²
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bor
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bó
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pwɔ³⁵/

Note: bó - extremely limited in usage, sometimes used in the name Li Bai (李白).

- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: be²
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: be
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɛ²¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic: бый (bɨy, I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pei²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: baak⁶
  - Yale: baahk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: baak⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: bag⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /päːk̚²/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: bak⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pak̚³²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: pah⁷ / pet⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰaʔ²/, /pʰɛt̚⁵/

Note:

pah7 - vernacular;
pet6 - literary (e.g. 明白).

Hakka

(Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
- Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pha̍k
- Hakka Romanization System: pag
- Hagfa Pinyim: pag⁶
- Sinological IPA: /pʰak̚⁵/
(Meixian)
- Guangdong: pag⁶
- Sinological IPA: /pʰak̚⁵/

Jin

(Taiyuan)⁺
- Wiktionary: bai¹ / bieh⁵
- Sinological IPA (old-style): /pai¹¹/, /piəʔ⁵⁴/

Min Bei

(Jian'ou)
- Kienning Colloquial Romanized: bā / bà / bà̤
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /pa⁵⁵/, /pa⁴²/, /pɛ⁴²/

Note:

bā, bà - vernacular;
bà̤ - literary.

Min Dong

(Fuzhou)
- Bàng-uâ-cê: băh / bĕk
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /paʔ⁵/, /pɛiʔ⁵/

Note:

băh - vernacular;
bĕk - literary.

Min Nan

(Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍h
- Tâi-lô: pe̍h
- Phofsit Daibuun: peh
- IPA (Quanzhou): /peʔ²⁴/
- IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /peʔ⁴/
(Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍eh
- Tâi-lô: pe̍eh
- IPA (Zhangzhou): /pɛʔ¹²¹/
(Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍k
- Tâi-lô: pi̍k
- Phofsit Daibuun: pek
- IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /piɪk̚⁴/
- IPA (Zhangzhou): /piɪk̚¹²¹/
(Hokkien: Quanzhou)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pia̍k
- Tâi-lô: pia̍k
- Phofsit Daibuun: piak
- IPA (Quanzhou): /piak̚²⁴/

Note:

pe̍h/pe̍eh - vernacular (standalone and in most compounds, surname);
pe̍k/pia̍k - literary (in a few compounds).

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: bêh⁸
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pe̍h
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /peʔ⁴/

Wu

(Shanghainese)
- Wiktionary: baq (T5)
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /b̻a̱ʔ¹²/

Xiang

(Changsha)
- Wiktionary: be⁶
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɤ̞²⁴/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 白
Mandarin	Beijing	/pai³⁵/
	Harbin	/pai²⁴/
	Tianjin	/pai⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/pei²¹³/
	Qingdao	/pe⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/pɛ⁴²/
	Xi'an	/pei²⁴/
	Xining	/pɨ²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/pia¹³/ /pɛ¹³/
	Lanzhou	/pə⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/pai⁵¹/ /pei⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/pɤ²¹³/
	Chengdu	/pe³¹/
	Guiyang	/pɛ²¹/
	Kunming	/pə³¹/
	Nanjing	/pəʔ⁵/
	Hefei	/pɐʔ⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/pai¹¹/ /piəʔ⁵⁴/
	Pingyao	/piʌʔ⁵³/ ～的 /pæ¹³/ ～菜
	Hohhot	/pɛ³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/baʔ¹/
	Suzhou	/bɑʔ³/
	Hangzhou	/bɑʔ²/
	Wenzhou	/ba²¹³/
Hui	Shexian	/pʰɛ²²/
Hui	Tunxi	/pʰa¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/pə²⁴/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/pæ²⁴/
Gan	Nanchang	/pʰɑʔ²/
Hakka	Meixian	/pʰak̚⁵/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/pʰɑk̚⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/pak̚²/
	Nanning	/pak̚²²/
	Hong Kong	/pak̚²/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/pik̚⁵/ /peʔ⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/paʔ⁵/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/pa⁴⁴/ /pɛ⁴²/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/peʔ⁵/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/ʔbɔk̚⁵/ /ʔbɛ³⁵/

Middle Chinese: /bˠæk̚/

Rime
Character	白
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	陌 (113)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	傍陌切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/bˠæk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/bᵚak̚/
Shao Rongfen	/bak̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/baɨjk̚/
Li Rong	/bɐk̚/
Wang Li	/bɐk̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/bʱɐk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bak⁶

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*bˤrak/

(Zhengzhang): /*braːɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	白
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	bái
Middle Chinese	‹ bæk ›
Old Chinese	/*bˁrak/
English	white
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	白
Reading #	1/1
No.	207
Phonetic component	白
Rime group	鐸
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	白
Old Chinese	/*braːɡ/

Definitions[edit]

白

white
白色 ― báisè ― white color

白茶 ― báichá ― white tea
clear; easy to understand
明白 ― míngbai ― clear, obvious

淺白 / 浅白 ― qiǎnbái ― simple
clear; pure; plain; blank
白紙 / 白纸 ― báizhǐ ― a blank sheet of paper

白卷 ― báijuǎn ― blank exam paper

白水 ― báishuǐ ― plain water

白粥 ― báizhōu ― plain congee
bright; well-lit
- 凡殤與無後者，祭於宗子之家，當室之白，尊於東房，是謂陽厭。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  凡殇与无后者，祭于宗子之家，当室之白，尊于东房，是谓阳厌。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Book of Rites, circa 4^th – 2^nd century BCE
  Fánshāng yǔ wúhòu zhě, jì yú zōngzǐ zhī jiā, dāng shì zhī bái, zūn yú dōng fáng, shì wèi yángyàn. [Pinyin]
  In regard to all others who have died prematurely and have left no offspring, the sacrifice is offered to them in the house of the oldest son, where the apartment is the most light, with the vases in the chamber on the east. This is what is called the bright satisfying offering.
- 相與枕藉乎舟中，不知東方之既白。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  相与枕借乎舟中，不知东方之既白。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1082, 蘇軾 (Su Shi), 《前赤壁賦》
  Xiàngyǔ zhěnjiè hū zhōu zhōng, bù zhī dōngfāng zhī jì bái. [Pinyin]
  The cups and plates leaned against one another in the boat, and we did not know the East has already turned bright white.
eminent; prominent
- 是故窮則不隱，通則大明，身死而名彌白。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  是故穷则不隐，通则大明，身死而名弥白。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Xunzi, circa 3^rd century BCE
  Shìgù qióng zé bù yǐn, tōng zé dà míng, shēn sǐ ér míng mí bái. [Pinyin]
  Therefore, the superior man, when in poverty or distress, is not obscured, and when his life is smooth, he becomes more famous. After his death, his reputation becomes even more prominent.
vernacular
白話 / 白话 ― báihuà ― spoken language
dialect
蘇白 / 苏白 ― sūbái ― Suzhou dialect

京白 ― jīngbái ― Beijing dialect
Short for 白讀／白读 (báidú, “colloquial reading”).
reactionary; anticommunist
白軍 / 白军 ― báijūn ― The White army

白區 / 白区 ― báiqū ― The White area

白色恐怖 ― báisèkǒngbù ― the White terror
in vain; for nothing
我們沒有白忙。 / 我们没有白忙。 ― Wǒmen méiyǒu bái máng. ― Our efforts were not in vain.

她白等了。 ― Tā bái děng le. ― She waited in vain.

他們的血沒有白流。 [MSC, trad.]
他们的血没有白流。 [MSC, simp.]
Tāmen de xuè méiyǒu bái liú. [Pinyin]
Their blood was not shed in vain.

所有的工作都白做了。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]
Suǒyǒu de gōngzuò dōu bái zuò le. [Pinyin]
All the work has been done for nothing.

白來一趟 / 白来一趟 ― bái lái yītàng ― to come in vain; to come for nothing

白給的東西 / 白给的东西 ― báigěi de dōngxi ― something given for nothing
free of charge; gratuitous; gratis
你可以白拿走這些蘋果。 [MSC, trad.]
你可以白拿走这些苹果。 [MSC, simp.]
Nǐ kěyǐ bái názǒu zhè xiē píngguǒ. [Pinyin]
You can have these apples for free.
to stare coldly; to stare at someone with the white of the eyes
她生氣地白了他一眼。 [MSC, trad.]
她生气地白了他一眼。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā shēngqì de bái le tā yīyǎn. [Pinyin]
She gave him an angry stare.
to explain; to present; to state
自白 ― zìbái ― explain oneself, confess

開場白 / 开场白 ― kāichǎngbái ― preamble

表白 ― biǎobái ― to explain oneself

辯白 / 辩白 ― biànbái ― to explain, to defend oneself
to mispronounce or wrongly write a character
我老是寫白字讀破句。 [MSC, trad.]
我老是写白字读破句。 [MSC, simp.]
Wǒ lǎoshì xiě bái zì dúpòjù. [Pinyin]
I always mispronounce words and break my sentences up in the wrong places.

我把這字念白了。 / 我把这字念白了。 ― Wǒ bǎ zhè zì niàn bái le. ― I've mispronounced the character.
spoken lines
念白 ― niànbái ― spoken parts of a Chinese opera

道白 ― dàobái ― spoken parts of a Chinese opera

獨白 / 独白 ― dúbái ― monologue

對白 / 对白 ― duìbái ― dialogue
- （白）無言獨上西樓，月如鉤…… [MSC, trad.]
  （白）无言独上西楼，月如钩…… [MSC, simp.]
  (bái) Wúyán dú shàng xīlóu, yuè rú gōu...... [Pinyin]
  (spoken:) Without words, I ascend the western tower by myself; the moon is like a hook […]
  (as may be displayed in the lyrics to Teresa Teng's “Du shang xilou” (獨上西樓))
funeral
紅白喜事 / 红白喜事 ― hóngbáixǐshì ― weddings and funerals
A surname. Bai
白崇禧 ― Bái Chóngxǐ ― Bai Chongxi
(～族) Bai, an ethnic group living primarily in Yunnan, China

Synonyms[edit]

(in vain): (Min Nan) 干

Descendants[edit]

Sino-Xenic (白):

→ Japanese: 白(はく) (haku)
→ Korean: 백 (白, baek)
→ Vietnamese: bạch (白)