白发人 (bái fà rén) — white-haired person; elderly person

Definition

Literary phrase for a 'white-haired person,' used poetically for the elderly, often paired with 黑发人 (young person) in contrast. Most common in the set phrase 白发人送黑发人 ('parents burying their children'), a deeply sorrowful expression.

noun
white-haired personelderly person
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 白发人。
    Nà wèi bái fà rén zuò zài gōng yuán cháng yǐ shàng kàn zhe xī yáng.
    That white-haired person sat on the park bench watching the sunset.
  • 白发人，。
    bái fà rén Sòng hēi fà rén, lìng rén wú xiàn gǎn kǎi.
    The elderly burying the young is truly heart-wrenching.
  • 白发人。
    Cūn zi lǐ jǐ wèi bái fà rén zhèng zài shù xià liáo tiān.
    A few white-haired elders in the village are chatting under the tree.

Origin

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.

白发white hair
白báiwhite发fāhair
偏正Modifier + head
人rénperson

白发 gives white hair, and 人 is a person, referring to someone with white 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.

Open 白 →

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.

Open 发 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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