白往黑归 — “White goes, black returns”
白往黑归 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to judge things by their superficial appearance rather than their true nature; to be deceived by outward changes”. Literally, “White goes, black returns”.
白往黑归 Pronunciation and Pinyin
白往黑归 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 白往黑归
Origin and Story of 白往黑归
During the Warring States period, the philosopher Yang Zhu believed that all people were inherently selfish. His younger brother, Yang Bu, once boasted that his small white dog was exceptionally affectionate towards him. Yang Zhu, however, cynically retorted that the dog was merely feigning affection to get food.
One day, Yang Bu went out wearing white clothes. Due to an unexpected rain shower, his clothes became soaked and appeared black. When he returned home, his own dog barked furiously at him, unable to recognize its owner.
Puzzled, Yang Bu questioned why his dog reacted this way. Yang Zhu then sarcastically commented on Yang Bu's 'white going, black returning' situation, implying that the dog was fooled by the superficial change in appearance and failed to recognize the essence of its master.
Idioms Related to 白往黑归
More idioms starting with 白
- bái白dīng丁sú俗kè客Unlettered commoners; boorish people
- bái白yún云qīn亲shè舍missing one's parents, like white clouds over home
- bái白yún云gū孤fēi飞Longing for parents while away from home
- bái白yún云cāng苍gǒu狗worldly affairs change unpredictably
- bái白yún云qīng青shě舍yearn for distant family or hometown
- bái白tù兔chì赤wū乌the moon and sun; passage of time
- bái白dāo刀zi子jìn进，，hóng红dāo刀zi子chū出fight to the death
- bái白huá华zhī之yuàn怨lament of a discarded woman
- bái白fà发dān丹xīn心loyal and true-hearted in old age
- bái白fà发xié偕lǎo老grow old together as a loving couple
- bái白fà发qiān千zhàng丈extreme grief or worry ages one rapidly
- bái白fà发pó婆suō娑flowing white hair
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Open the tool →Questions about 白往黑归
What does 白往黑归 mean?
白往黑归 (bái wǎng hēi guī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to judge things by their superficial appearance rather than their true nature; to be deceived by outward changes”.
How do you pronounce 白往黑归?
白往黑归 is pronounced bái wǎng hēi guī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 白往黑归 literally mean?
Literally, 白往黑归 means “White goes, black returns”. It is used to mean “to judge things by their superficial appearance rather than their true nature; to be deceived by outward changes”.
Where does 白往黑归 come from?
白往黑归 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 白往黑归?
比喻只看表面不看本质