‘漂白’ (piǎo bái) is a verb meaning ‘to bleach’—that is, to remove color or whiten something using chemical agents or natural processes like sunlight. The character 漂 (piǎo) here carries the meaning of ‘to wash away’ or ‘to rinse out,’ while 白 (bái) means ‘white.’ Together, they literally express the action of making something white by washing away pigments or stains. This term is commonly used for household cleaning (e.g., whitening clothes), water treatment (removing impurities and microbes), and cosmetic procedures (e.g., teeth whitening).

It’s important to note that 漂白 is not used for general lightening of color (like hair dyeing), nor does it mean ‘bleach’ as a noun—though the noun form ‘漂白剂’ (piǎo bái jì, ‘bleaching agent’) is derived from it. The word appears frequently in health, hygiene, and environmental contexts, especially where sanitation and disinfection are involved.