黑白

• Pinyin: hēi bái
• Hanzi breakdown: 黑 = 里 (inside) + 灬 (fire) — dark inner cavity; 白 = 日 (sun) + 丿 (ray of light piercing outward)

Meaning

Black and white; the stark contrast between two opposites; right and wrong; truth and falsehood. Used both literally and figuratively.

Literally describes the two extremes of the colour spectrum, used in photography, film, and print. Figuratively, 黑白 denotes moral distinctions: 颠倒黑白 means to deliberately distort right and wrong, while 黑白分明 means clear moral distinctions with no grey area. The phrase is a cornerstone of moral and legal discourse in Chinese, frequently appearing in political commentary and journalism.

Examples

1. 祖父珍藏着几张黑白老照片，每一张背后都记录着那个年代普通人家所经历的悲欢离合。 Grandpa treasures several old black-and-white photos, each one capturing the joys and sorrows ordinary families lived through in that era.
2. 他惯于颠倒黑白，将自己的责任推卸给无辜的下属，此等行径令周围同事深感不满与寒心。 He habitually twists right and wrong, shifting his own responsibility onto innocent subordinates; his behavior leaves his coworkers deeply dissatisfied and disheartened.
3. 法律的权威在于黑白分明、是非有据，不容任何人以权势或金钱模糊是非的界限。 The authority of the law lies in clearly distinguishing right from wrong and basing judgments on evidence; no one is allowed to blur the line between right and wrong with power or money.

Usage Guide

Context: morality, photography, media, law, social commentary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 那张黑白老照片虽然没有色彩，却清晰地记录下了祖父年轻时意气风发的神情，令家人倍感珍惜。(Although that old black-and-white photograph has no colour, it vividly captured the spirited expression of my grandfather in his youth, making it deeply cherished by the family.)
• 他在报告中蓄意颠倒黑白，将受害者描述成加害者，此举令在场的调查人员和旁听者义愤填膺。(He deliberately distorted the facts in his report, portraying the victim as the perpetrator — an act that infuriated both the investigators and observers present.)

Don't Say

• 黑白 to mean 'grey area' or ambiguity — 黑白分明 means the opposite, that distinctions are clear; for ambiguous moral zones use 灰色地带

Origin & History

黑 (black; dark) + 白 (white; clear; plain) — the two colour extremes representing all contrasts

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal