Chinese word

惨白

Pronunciation

Pinyincǎn bái

Meaning

  • adjectivepale

Example

见到事故后，他整个人惨白了。jiàn dào shì gù hòu tā zhěng gè rén cǎn bái le

After he saw the accident, he went completely pale.

Illustration for 惨白 (pale)

More examples

听到噩耗，她的脸色惨白了。tīng dào è hào tā de liǎn sè cǎn bái le

After hearing the bad news, her face went pale.

Core concept

A face suddenly loses nearly all its healthy color, making shock or pain visible in a stark pallor.

Common phrases

  • 脸色惨白liǎn sè cǎn bái

    pale complexion

  • 面色惨白miàn sè cǎn bái

    pale complexion

Similar words

苍白cāng bái: Having a pale complexion with little visible blood color, whether naturally or from poor health.
面无血色miàn wú xuè sè: Having a bloodless, bluish-white face that looks tired or unwell.
发白fā bái: Becoming lighter in color and taking on a whitish appearance.

Definition in Chinese

脸色因惊吓、疼痛或受打击而迅速变得非常苍白，通常伴随强烈的情绪或生理反应。liǎn sè yīn jīng xià téng tòng huò shòu dǎ jī ér xùn sù biàn de fēi cháng cāng bái tōng cháng bàn suí qiáng liè de qíng xù huò shēng lí fǎn yìng

Word origin

惨 (cǎn, "distressing or severe") + 白 (bái, "white") forms a vivid compound in which harsh distress is linked to color drained from the face.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 惨白 (cǎnbái, "starkly white") normally describes a person's face after fright, pain, or a severe shock, so it is too dramatic for a naturally light complexion.

Other meanings

  • chalk-whiteadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word