白 (bái) — white; in vain

白 (bái)

白 primarily means the color white. In everyday speech it also carries the extended meaning of "in vain," "for nothing," or "free of charge," which gives it more range than a simple color word.

Meanings

1. [adjective] White (color). Describes the appearance of objects.
2. [adverb] In vain; without result; for nothing. Used before a verb to say the action produced no useful outcome.

Example Sentences

她穿着一件白衬衫。 Tā chuānzhe yī jiàn bái chènshān. She is wearing a white shirt.

这张纸是白的。 Zhè zhāng zhǐ shì bái de. This piece of paper is white.

我白等了两个小时，他没来。 Wǒ bái děng le liǎng gè xiǎoshí, tā méi lái. I waited two hours for nothing; he didn't come.

你帮我吗？— 白帮的，没问题！ Nǐ bāng wǒ ma? — Bái bāng de, méi wèntí! Will you help me? — Happy to help for free, no problem!

Collocations

Memory Hook

White paper is blank and empty. If your effort yields nothing, it is just as blank as a white page: you worked 白 (for nothing).