DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

兩鬢斑白

简两鬓斑白 · 繁兩鬢斑白

Mandarin · pinyin liǎng bìn bān bái

(idiom) to have gray hair at the temples

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
鬢: Look up this written character
斑: bān · mottled, striped, freckle
白: bái · white; pure, unblemished; bright
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
鬓: bìn · hair on temples

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–4–1–2 · liang3 bin4 ban1 bai2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

兩鬢斑白 · find source passages ↗ · 两鬓斑白 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to have grey hair at the temples; to be old-aged or have overworked oneself

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack