白

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (白):
* → Japanese: 白(はく) (haku)
* → Korean: 백(白) (baek)
* → Jeju: 벡 (bek)
* → Vietnamese: bạch (白)

→ Proto-Southwestern Tai: *pʰɯəkᴰ¹ᴸ

Lao: ເຜືອກ (phư̄ak)

Thai: เผือก (pʉ̀ʉak)

→ Proto-Vietic: *baːk

Vietnamese: bạc

desc

→ Vietnamese: bệch (“chalky; sickly white”)

Characters in the same phonetic series (白) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
Unclear; probably a pictogram (象形).
Guo (1954) suggests that it represents a thumb and is original form of 拇 (*mɯʔ) or, more probably, 擘 (*preːɡ).
Alternatively, Unger (apud Schuessler, 2007) suggests that it represents an acorn, noting its use in 樂 /乐 (“oak”) (= 櫟 /栎) and 皂 (zào, “acorn”). In this interpretation, the meaning of “white” is derived from the color of an acorn's inside. Unrelated to the top component of 原.
STEDT derives it from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bawk (“white”), whence also Proto-Bodo-Garo *bok (“white”), Limbu ᤑ (phô, “white”); also compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *kɓɔɔk (“white, grey”).
However, Schuessler (2007) finds it difficult to reconcile these forms with Middle Chinese due to the lack of medial r. Instead, he proposes a derivation from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bar (“white”) with -k extension, thus cognate with 皤 (OC *baːl, “white”) (Wang, 1982), Mizo vâr (“(to be) white”), Proto-Karen *ʔ(b)wa (“white”).

Han etyl

白色

白茶

念白

道白

獨白

独白

對白

对白

(spoken:) Without words, I ascend the western tower by myself; the moon is like a hook […]
(as may be displayed in the lyrics to Teresa Teng's “Du shang xilou” (獨上西樓))

(bái) Wúyán dú shàng xīlóu, yuè rú gōu......

（白）無言獨上西樓，月如鉤……

（白）无言独上西楼，月如钩……

販仔白

贩仔白


白色

/paɪ̯³⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ siɪk̚³²/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ siɪk̚³²/

/pɛ(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ siɪk̚³²/

/baʔ¹¹ səʔ²³/

/paɪ̯³⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ siɪk̚³²/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ siɪk̚³²/

/pɛ(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ siɪk̚³²/

/baʔ¹¹ səʔ²³/


潔白

/t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/kiɛt̚⁵⁻²⁴ peʔ²⁴/

/kiɛt̚³²⁻⁴ peʔ⁴/

/kiɛt̚³²⁻⁵ pɛʔ¹²¹/

/t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/kiɛt̚⁵⁻²⁴ peʔ²⁴/

/kiɛt̚³²⁻⁴ peʔ⁴/

/kiɛt̚³²⁻⁵ pɛʔ¹²¹/


雪白

/ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ɕyəʔ²⁻⁵⁴ pai¹¹/

/suat̚³²⁻⁵ piɪk̚¹²¹/

/se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ peʔ⁴/

/se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ pɛʔ¹²¹/

/ɕiɪʔ³³ baʔ⁴⁴/

/ɕiɪʔ⁵⁵ baʔ⁵⁵/

/siɪʔ⁴⁴ bɑʔ⁴⁴/

/ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ɕyəʔ²⁻⁵⁴ pai¹¹/

/suat̚³²⁻⁵ piɪk̚¹²¹/

/se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ peʔ⁴/

/se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ pɛʔ¹²¹/

/ɕiɪʔ³³ baʔ⁴⁴/

/ɕiɪʔ⁵⁵ baʔ⁵⁵/

/siɪʔ⁴⁴ bɑʔ⁴⁴/

The bright moon white as snow illuminates the earth

雪白明月照在大地


紅白

/xʊŋ³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/xʊŋ³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/


白雪雪

/paːk̚² syːt̚³⁻⁵ syːt̚³⁻⁵/

/paʔ⁵⁻²¹ suoʔ²⁴⁻⁵⁵ suɔʔ²⁴/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ se(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ seʔ³²/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ seʔ³²/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ seʔ³²/

/paːk̚² syːt̚³⁻⁵ syːt̚³⁻⁵/

/paʔ⁵⁻²¹ suoʔ²⁴⁻⁵⁵ suɔʔ²⁴/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ se(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ seʔ³²/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ seʔ³²/

/pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ se(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ seʔ³²/

(Cantonese, Eastern Min, Hokkien) snow-white; very white


銀白

/in³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ŋɐn²¹ paːk̚²/

/ɡun²⁴⁻²² peʔ⁴/

/ɡun²⁴⁻²² peʔ²⁴/

/ɡin¹³⁻²² pɛʔ¹²¹/

/in³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ŋɐn²¹ paːk̚²/

/ɡun²⁴⁻²² peʔ⁴/

/ɡun²⁴⁻²² peʔ²⁴/

/ɡin¹³⁻²² pɛʔ¹²¹/


乳白色

/ʐu²¹⁴⁻²¹ paɪ̯³⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/jyː¹³ paːk̚² sɪk̚⁵/

/ʐu²¹⁴⁻²¹ paɪ̯³⁵ sɤ⁵¹/

/jyː¹³ paːk̚² sɪk̚⁵/


刷白

/ʂu̯ä⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ʂu̯ä⁵⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ʂu̯ä⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ʂu̯ä⁵⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/


素色

/su⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹/

/sɔ²¹⁻⁴¹ siɪk̚³²/

/sɔ¹¹⁻⁵³ siɪk̚³²/

/su⁵¹⁻⁵³ sɤ⁵¹/

/sɔ²¹⁻⁴¹ siɪk̚³²/

/sɔ¹¹⁻⁵³ siɪk̚³²/


皓白

/xɑʊ̯⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/

/xɑʊ̯⁵¹ paɪ̯³⁵/


粉裝玉琢

ㄈㄣˇ ㄓㄨㄤ ㄩˋ ㄓㄨㄛˊ

фэньчжуанъюйчжо

/fən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ y⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵/

/fən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ y⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵/


牙白

/jä³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ŋaː²¹ paːk̚²/

/jä³⁵ paɪ̯³⁵/

/ŋaː²¹ paːk̚²/


奶白色

/naːi̯¹³ paːk̚² sɪk̚⁵/

/naːi̯¹³ paːk̚² sɪk̚⁵/

(Cantonese) creamy white; milky white (color)


牛奶色

/ɡu²³⁻³³ liɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪk̚³²/

/ɡu²⁴⁻¹¹ nĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪk̚³²/

/ɡu²³⁻³³ liɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪk̚³²/

/ɡu²⁴⁻¹¹ nĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪk̚³²/

(Taiwanese Hokkien) creamy white; milky white (color)