白 bái — white; snowy; empty; blank; bright; clear
天上飘着白白的云。Tiān shàng piāo zhe bái bái de yún.White clouds are floating in the sky.
Common words: 明白 (míng bai)、白天 (bái tiān)、白色 (bái sè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "blank"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "blank", including 白 (bái), 愣 (lèng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "blank" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 白 (bái), 愣 (lèng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bái, lèng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 白 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 白 báiwhite; snowy; empty; blank; bright; clearUseful words: 明白, 白天
- 愣 lèngto look distracted; to stare blankly; distracted; stupefied; blankUseful words: 发愣, 愣说
Common words for these 2 "blank" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 白 (bái) — so "blank" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "blank".
愣 lèng — to look distracted; to stare blankly; distracted; stupefied; blank
听到这个问题，他愣了一下，没有马上回答。Tīng dào zhè ge wèn tí, tā lèng le yí xià, méi yǒu mǎ shàng huí dá.Hearing this question, he paused for a moment and did not answer right away.
Common words: 发愣 (fā lèng)、愣说 (lèng shuō)、愣干 (lèng gàn)
All 2 characters
Open 白、愣 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.