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白日

báirì
noun #31,798

Meanings

  1. 1 daytime
  2. 2 broad daylight
  3. 3 the sun

Examples

光天化日，白日抢劫，太可怕了！
Guāngtiān-huàrì, báirì qiǎngjié, tài kěpà le!
Robbery in broad daylight — terrifying!
白日依山尽，黄河入海流。
Báirì yī shān jìn, Huáng Hé rù hǎi liú.
The white sun sinks behind the mountain; the Yellow River flows to the sea.

Tips

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白日 is literary/written. In everyday speech, prefer 白天 (báitiān, "daytime") and 太阳 (tàiyáng, "sun"). 白日 survives in fixed expressions: 白日做梦 ("daydream / wishful thinking"), 光天化日 ("in broad daylight"), and the famous Tang poem 《登鹳雀楼》 quoted above.

In Pop Culture

白日依山尽 Báirì yī shān jìn
The white sun sinks behind the mountain
Opening line of Wang Zhihuan's (王之涣) Tang poem 《登鹳雀楼》 — one of the first poems Chinese children memorize.
《白日焰火》 《Báirì Yànhuǒ》
Black Coal, Thin Ice (lit. 'Daytime Fireworks')
2014 Diao Yinan film, Golden Bear winner at Berlinale.

Stroke Order

白 bái
日 rì