白人
bái rén/paɪ̯³⁵ ɻən³⁵/
In Mandarin, 'caucasian' is expressed as 白人 (bái rén).
白人 is the standard, neutral term used to describe people of European descent in mainland China and Taiwan.
Meaning: of a person: having a white complexion and European ancestry (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 白 (white) and 人 (person).
How does it change in a sentence?
The term 白人 functions as both a noun and an adjective in Mandarin.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is bái rén. The IPA is /paɪ̯³⁵ ɻən³⁵/.
Did you know?
- In some historical texts, people of European descent were referred to as 红毛番 or 'red-haired barbarians' before the modern term 白人 became standard.
- In traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy, 白 (white) is the color associated with the lungs and the element of metal.
- The phrase 白人 is a linguistic 'calque', meaning it was created by translating the English concept of 'white person' word for word into Chinese.
Examples in context
- 嫌疑人是一位白人女性。The suspect is a caucasian female.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 白人 to describe a person's identity.Tatoeba #8842856 by crescat, translation #1779777 by Spamster
- 他是个白人He is a Caucasian.
- 我和一位白人朋友一起旅行I traveled with a Caucasian friend.
- 我认识一个澳大利亚的鬼佬I know an Australian guy (Caucasian).
- 那是一个白人男孩。Nà shì yīgè báirén nánhái.That is a Caucasian boy.
- 他看起来是个白人。Tā kàn qǐlái shì gè báirén.He looks like a Caucasian.
Example conversation
志强 and 雨婷 are looking at a photo of a new neighbor.
- 志强 Zhiqiang新搬来的邻居是白人吗？Xīn bān lái de líjū shì báirén ma?Is the new neighbor Caucasian?
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，他是个白人。Shì de, tā shì gè báirén.Yes, he is a Caucasian.
- 志强 Zhiqiang他长得很高大。Tā zhǎng de hěn gāodà.He is very tall.
- 雨婷 Yuting没错，很有精神。Méicuò, hěn yǒu jīngshén.That's right, he looks very energetic.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 白人, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 白人, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
