Meanings
nounpak pai (plural pak pai or pak pais)
plural pak pais · alternative pak-pai
- historicalA car used as an illegal taxi in Hong Kong.First known use 20th c.
He took pak-pais, knowing they were less under the thumb of the police.
1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 471Synonyms: white card
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA car used as an illegal taxi in Hong Kong.
Similar
Origin
- Cantonese白牌車 /白牌车
- Englishpak pai
From Cantonese 白牌車 /白牌车 (baak⁶ paai⁴⁻² ce¹), literally ‘white numberplate’.
More words from Cantonese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
pak pai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pak%20pai
MLA
“pak pai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pak%20pai. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pak pai,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pak%20pai.
Source: pak pai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.