pai-hua

American

[bahyhwah] / ˈbaɪhwɑ /

noun

a colloquial form of written Chinese based on the spoken language, in use especially since 1917.

Etymology

Origin of pai-hua

< Chinese báihuà, equivalent to bái plain, pure, white + huà word, talk

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So Jimmy set out to create a plain people's literature in Pai-hua.

From Time Magazine Archive

To give a sample of what present-day Chinese are reading, Journalist Edgar Snow last week published a translation of 24 pai-hua stories.

From Time Magazine Archive

Editor Snow admits his translations are very free, admits also that he has freely used his blue pencil, because even pai-hua is too discursive for occidental taste.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023