黑白

• 拼音: hēi bái
• 汉字拆解: 黑 = 里 (inside) + 灬 (fire) — dark inner cavity; 白 = 日 (sun) + 丿 (ray of light piercing outward)

含义

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.

例句

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。
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。
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。

用法指南

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

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 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.)

错误说法

• 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

起源与历史

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

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal