平白

píngbái

adverb #25,682

Meanings

1 for no reason
2 without cause
3 gratuitously

Characters

flat / even / ordinary

white / blank / in vain

Examples

我平白无故被骂了一顿。

Wǒ píngbái wúgù bèi mà le yī dùn.

I got scolded for absolutely no reason.

你怎么能平白拿走别人的东西？

Nǐ zěnme néng píngbái ná zǒu biéren de dōngxi?

How can you just take someone else's things without reason?

Tips

usage

Often seen in the compound 平白无故 (for no reason whatsoever), which is more emphatic than 平白 alone.

Stroke Order

平 píng

白 bái