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白月光

Mandarin · pinyin bái yuè guāng

(slang) the one that got away

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Characters in this entry

白: bái · white; pure, unblemished; bright
月: yuè · moon; month; Kangxi radical 74
光: guāng · light, brilliant, shine; only

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Mandarin tones

2–4–1 · bai2 yue4 guang1

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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.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 白, 月光 (yuèguāng).
(originally Internet fiction) a cherished memory of the first blush of love, pure and unsullied by reality

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

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