白牌車

Chinese

		white; empty; blank white; empty; blank; bright; clear; plain; pure; gratuitous	cards; game pieces; signboard cards; game pieces; signboard; plate; tablet	vehicle on land; car; machine vehicle on land; car; machine; to shape with a lathe
trad. (白牌車)		白	牌	車
simp. (白牌车)		白	牌	车
Literally: “car with a white number plate”.

Etymology

From the fact that number plates of private vehicles in Hong Kong were with white background and black text before the 1980s, contrary to legal taxis with black background and white text, and buses with red background and white text.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): báipáichē

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄞˊ ㄆㄞˊ ㄔㄜ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): baak⁶ paai^4-2 ce¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: báipáichē
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄞˊ ㄆㄞˊ ㄔㄜ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: báipáiche
    • Wade–Giles: pai²-pʻai²-chʻê¹
    • Yale: bái-pái-chē
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bairpairche
    • Palladius: байпайчэ (bajpajčɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /paɪ̯³⁵ pʰaɪ̯³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: baak⁶ paai^4-2 ce¹
    • Yale: baahk páai chē
    • Cantonese Pinyin: baak⁹ paai^4-2 tse¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: bag⁶ pai^4-2 cé¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /paːk̚² pʰaːi̯²¹⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɛː⁵⁵/

Noun

白牌車

1. (chiefly Hong Kong) car used as an illegal taxi; pak pai; white card (sometimes may also include car sharing services such as Uber)

Synonyms

• 野雞車／野鸡车 (yějīchē)

See also

• 紅牌車／红牌车
• 泥鯭的 (“share taxi”)