白牌車
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Chinese[edit]
white; empty; blank white; empty; blank; bright; clear; plain; pure; gratuitous |
cards; game pieces; signboard cards; game pieces; signboard; plate; tablet |
vehicle on land; car; machine vehicle on land; car; machine; to shape with a lathe | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (白牌車) | 白 | 牌 | 車 | |
simp. (白牌车) | 白 | 牌 | 车 | |
Literally: “car with a white number plate”. |
Etymology[edit]
From the fact that number plates of private vehicles in Hong Kong were with white background and black text before the 1980s, contrary to legal taxis with black background and white text, and buses with red background and white text.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
白牌車
- (chiefly Hong Kong) car used as an illegal taxi; pak pai; white card (sometimes may also include car sharing services such as Uber)