Chinese word

发黄

Pronunciation

Pinyinfā huáng

Meaning

  • verbturn yellow

Example

这件白衬衫发黄了。zhè jiàn bái chèn shān fā huáng le

This white shirt has turned yellow.

Illustration for 发黄 (turn yellow)

More examples

抽烟和喝咖啡会让牙齿慢慢发黄。chōu yān hé hē kā fēi huì ràng yá chǐ màn màn fā huáng

Smoking and drinking coffee can slowly turn your teeth yellow.

Core concept

A surface gradually takes on a yellow cast, either in spots or across the whole item.

Common phrases

  • 牙齿发黄yá chǐ fā huáng

    teeth turn yellow

  • 衣服发黄yī fú fā huáng

    clothes turn yellow

  • 纸张发黄zhǐ zhāng fā huáng

    paper turns yellow

Similar words

变黄biàn huáng: Become yellow through a change of color, whether the change affects part or all of an item.
泛黄fàn huáng: Take on an overall yellow cast over time, especially in old paper and photographs.

Definition in Chinese

物品由原本的颜色转为带黄的色调，既可指局部的黄斑，也可指整体的泛黄，多用于描述因年龄或污染导致的变色wù pǐn yóu yuán běn de yán sè zhuǎn wéi dài huáng de sè diào jì kě zhǐ jú bù de huáng bān yě kě zhǐ zhéng tǐ de fàn huáng duō yòng yú miáo shù yīn nián líng huò wū rǎn dǎo zhì de biàn sè

Word origin

发黄 (fāhuáng, "turn yellow") combines 发 (fā, "develop") with 黄 (huáng, "yellow"), framing yellowing as a color change that develops.

Usage tips

  • The changing item is usually the subject, which makes this word natural in descriptions of clothes, documents, walls, and other objects that change color over time.

Other meanings

  • discolorverb

Word lists with this word