Meaning of 白领
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- white-collar
- white-collar worker
How to use 白领
白领 refers to office workers in professional or administrative jobs, and it can describe a person or be used before another noun. It often appears in news and everyday talk about city life. Example: 她是一个白领，在银行上班。(Tā shì yí gè báilǐng, zài yínháng shàngbān.) She is a white-collar worker who works at a bank.
白 (bái) means white and 领 (lǐng) means collar, so 白领 is literally a white collar. Picture an office worker in a crisp white shirt collar sitting at a desk.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 白岭 or 白令 because they sound the same, but the collar character is 领 with the 页 part on the right. Also keep the third tone on 领 (lǐng), not lìng.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
白 bái · white · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
领 lǐng · neck · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 白领.
| 明白 | míngbai | clear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible; reasonable |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day |
| 白色 | báisè | white; fig. reactionary |
| 领导 | lǐngdǎo | lead; leading |
| 带领 | dàilǐng | to guide; to lead |
| 领先 | lǐngxiān | to lead; to be in front |
| 本领 | běnlǐng | skill; ability |
| 白菜 | báicài | Chinese cabbage, esp. napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis); sometimes used to re |
| 占领 | zhànlǐng | to capture; to seize; to occupy by force |
| 领带 | lǐngdài | necktie |
| 率领 | shuàilǐng | to lead; to command |
| 白酒 | báijiǔ | baijiu, a spirit usually distilled from sorghum; (Tw) white wine (abbr. for 白葡萄酒[bai2 pu2 |
Questions about 白领
What does 白领 mean?
白领 (báilǐng) means "white-collar; white-collar worker" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 白领?
白领 is made of 2 characters: 白 (5 strokes), 领 (11 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 白领 an HSK word?
Yes. 白领 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 白领 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 白领 is written 白領.
What is the opposite of 白领 in Chinese?
The opposite is 蓝领 (lánlǐng), blue-collar, for manual or factory workers. You may also hear 金领 (jīnlǐng), gold-collar, for highly paid senior professionals.
Why does 领 mean both collar and to lead?
领 originally relates to the neck and collar area, and the collar is the part you hold to guide clothing, so it extended to meanings like leading. That is why it appears in words like 领导 (lǐngdǎo) and 带领 (dàilǐng).