bái
adjective HSK 3 #1,105

Meanings

  1. 1 white
  2. 2 blank; empty
  3. 3 in vain; for nothing

Examples

Tā chuān bái yīfu.
She is wearing white clothes.
Wǒ bái děng le yì tiān.
I waited for nothing the whole day.

Tips

culture
In Chinese culture, white () is traditionally associated with death and mourning — the opposite of Western culture. White is worn at funerals, while red is the color of celebrations.
usage
as an adverb means 'in vain' or 'for nothing': 白费 (waste effort), (said for nothing), (made a trip for nothing).

Stroke Order

bái