黑白无常

黑白無常
Hēibái Wúcháng
proper noun

Meanings

  1. 1 the Black and White Impermanence, two constables of the underworld who come for the souls of the dead

Examples

HSK 5
Hēibái Wúcháng yí ge chuān bái yīfu, yí ge chuān hēi yīfu.
Of the Black and White Impermanence, one dresses in white and the other in black.
HSK 6
Chuánshuō rén sǐ le yǐhòu, Hēibái Wúcháng huì lái bǎ tā de hún dàizǒu.
Legend says that when someone dies, the Black and White Impermanence come to take his soul away.

Tips

culture
The white one, 白无常, is drawn tall with a long tongue hanging out; the black one, 黑无常, is short and dark-faced. In Fujian and Taiwan they are called 七爷 and 八爷 and walk as giant figures in temple parades.
usage
无常 here is the title of a soul-taking ghost, not the Buddhist "impermanence". They serve 阎王, the king of the underworld.

Stroke Order

黑 hēi
白 bái
无 wú
常 cháng