白发 (bái fà) — white or gray hair | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

white or gray hair

Measure word · 根

，白发。
Tā nián jì bú dà, què yǐ jīng yǒu le bù shǎo bái fà.
He is not old, but he already has quite a bit of gray hair.
白发。
Nǎi nai de bái fà ràng tā kàn qǐ lái gèng jiā cí xiáng.
Grandma's white hair makes her look even more kind.
白发。
Tā jué dìng bǎ bái fà rǎn chéng hēi sè.
She decided to dye her gray hair black.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

The meaning comes from 白 specifying the color of 发, white or gray hair.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

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