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

HSK 6

你怎么能平白拿走别人的东西？

Nǐ zěnme néng píngbái názǒu biéren de dōngxi?

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

HSK 7-9

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.

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