白 meaning and stroke order
White; in vain; free of charge
How to write 白, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Meaning of 白
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- white
- in vain
- free of charge
- (bound form) (of facts, the truth, a situation) clear; evident (e.g. 真相大白[zhen1 xiang4 da4 bai2])
- (bound form) plain; without additions (e.g. 白飯|白饭[bai2 fan4])
- (bound form) to explain; to state (e.g. 辯白|辩白[bian4 bai2])
How 白 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A burning candle; the rays of the sun.
How to remember 白
白 looks like the sun 日 with one extra stroke on top, like a ray of light shooting up. Think of bright sunlight so strong it looks white.
白 (bái) means white, as in 白色 (báisè), but it also means "for nothing" or "in vain" when placed before a verb, as in 白白 (báibái). It appears in very common words like 明白 (míngbai, to understand) and 白天 (báitiān, daytime). Example: 我白去了一趟。(Wǒ bái qù le yí tàng.) I went there for nothing.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 白 with 百 (bǎi, hundred), which has an extra horizontal stroke on top, and with 日 (rì, sun), which has no top stroke. Also watch the tone: 白 is second tone bái, while 百 is third tone bǎi.
Common words with 白
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明白 | míngbai | clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable | HSK 1 |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day | HSK 1 |
| 白色 | báisè | white; fig. reactionary | HSK 2 |
| 白菜 | báicài | Chinese cabbage, esp. napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis); sometimes used to re | HSK 3 |
| 白酒 | báijiǔ | baijiu, a spirit usually distilled from sorghum; (Tw) white wine (abbr. for 白葡萄酒[bai2 pu2 | HSK 5 |
| 白领 | báilǐng | white-collar; white-collar worker | HSK 6 |
| 坦白 | tǎnbái | honest; forthcoming | HSK 7-9 |
| 白白 | báibái | in vain; to no purpose | HSK 7-9 |
| 空白 | kòngbái | blank space | HSK 7-9 |
| 表白 | biǎobái | to explain oneself; to express | HSK 7-9 |
| 黑白 | hēibái | black and white; right and wrong | HSK 7-9 |
| 蛋白质 | dànbáizhì | protein | HSK 7-9 |
| 对白 | duìbái | dialogue (in a movie or a play) | HSK 7-9 |
| 开场白 | kāichǎngbái | prologue of play; opening remarks | HSK 7-9 |
白 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 白
Learning 白 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 白
How many strokes are in 白?
白 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 白 mean?
白 (bái) means white; in vain; free of charge. A common word with it is 明白 (míngbai), meaning "clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable".
How do you pronounce 白?
白 is pronounced bái, in the second tone (rising).
Is 白 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 白 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why is 白 in 明白 pronounced without a tone?
In 明白 (míngbai), the second syllable is usually read in the neutral tone in everyday Mandarin. You will still hear míngbái in careful speech, but the neutral tone is more natural.
Does 白 mean free of charge?
Yes, 白 can mean getting something for free, as in 白吃 (bái chī, to eat without paying) or 白给 (bái gěi, to give away for nothing). The context tells you whether it means free or in vain.