留白

liúbái

verb

Meanings

1 to leave blank space (in a painting or design)
2 blank space; negative space
3 to leave room (in one's schedule or life)

Characters

to leave; to keep

Examples

HSK 4

这幅山水画只画了一半，另一半都是留白。

Zhè fú shānshuǐhuà zhǐ huà le yíbàn, lìng yíbàn dōu shì liúbái.

Only half of this landscape painting is painted; the other half is all empty space.

HSK 7-9

周末别把日程排得太满，给生活留白也很重要。

Zhōumò bié bǎ rìchéng pái de tài mǎn, gěi shēnghuó liúbái yě hěn zhòngyào.

Don't pack your weekend too full; leaving some empty time in your life matters too.

Tips

culture

In Chinese ink painting the unpainted paper is part of the picture: it stands for sky, water, mist or snow and leaves room for the viewer's imagination, hence the saying 水墨画讲究留白 (ink painting values empty space). Designers and writers now use the word for negative space, and self-help advice for unscheduled time.

Stroke Order

留 liú

白 bái