On Comparison of Color Words

1 Introduction

Color is an impersonal existence of nature. So， in essence， it is the same to all the nations in the world. Even if you know the meanings of all the words in a phrase and understand the grammar of the phrase completely， the meaning of the phrase may still be confusing. Therefore， to communicate smoothly， people should have a good understanding of the different cultures and languages of different countries. And most of these differences are caused by the two language-speaking countries different national histories， social systems， religious beliefs， characteristics， literatures and arts， customs， values， ways of thinking， ways of living and their geographic differences and so on. And though there are quite a few color terms in both Chinese and English， there are only some common color words that are often used. And the text expresses some color terms and comparison of their connotations in English and Chinese.

2The comparison of cultural connotations of color words

Colors may convey different messages to people of different cultures. Owing to the respective cultural backgrounds， historical backgrounds and natural environment in each country， some phrases containing color words have far surpassed their original meanings， forming different connotations. In order to state it clearly， the following part will be devoted to the discussion of cultural differences of certain color words.

2.1 Red

Whether in Chinese and English-speaking countries， the “red” is usually associated with “celebrations， and joyful occasions”.

In China ，We usually find that the red couplets are stuck on both sides of doors during the Spring Festival， the bride often wear red clothes in weddings， and when people meet their animal years every twelve years， they frequently wear red belts or red underwears so as to be lucky and dispel misfortunes. We have a very famous trademark “紅雙喜”（double red happiness） which is symbolic of good fortune.

Similarly， westerners also like the red color to celebrate their occasions. They often regard the Christmas and other holidays as “red-letter days”（紀念日，吉日）. The day is important or memorable because there is something good on it. When they invite the leading leaders of other nations for visits， they use “the red carpet” in the airport as the most courteous reception.

Meanwhile， the “red” color can symbolize “health and emotion” in both Chinese and English. E.g.： A fine old gentleman， with a face as red as a rose. The word “red” in this sentence implies being healthy. The Chinese meaning is 紅光滿面.

The words “red”， however， sometimes may give us different connotations between Chinese and English. In China， we often use “紅” to signify the “happiness， fortune， success， women” and good things. For example：“紅運” （good luck），“開門紅”（get off to a good start） ，“紅顏”（ beautiful girl ）. “紅” also stands for revolution. “紅旗” became a symbol of revolution in China. To English speaking people， however， the “red flag” is a sign of warning for some danger ahead.

Compared with Chinese， the “red” in English has the different meanings. It symbolizes “ violence， anger， become short of money，” For example：

When you spoken of the defendant seeing red， what exactly did you mean？ Here we should pay more attention to “see red”. English words “see red” express the meaning of getting extremely angry or lose ones temper. Its quite different from Chinese characters 見紅， which suggests the bleeding before childbirth or in the first sexual intercourse. Here “see red” refer to “狂怒”， stemming from the case that a bull becomes wild with anger when it sees the red things.

2.2Black

In China， “黑” stands for the “dark， shady， illegal， evil”. For example： 黑燈瞎火 （pitch-dark） ， 黑幕 （shady deal）， 黑話 （malicious words）， 黑市 （black market）， 黑心 （blackheart）， 黑貨 （smuggled goods）， 黑幫 （reactionary gang）. In some special occasion， people often wear black suit or clothes to take some formal activities in China.

But as for the English-speaking countries， “black” symbolizes the “death， rage， misfortune， bad”. “Black Friday” means Jesus Christ was hanged on this day. Later it has its extended meaning“unhappy day or someone suffered some bad things. More examples are listed below： in a black mood（情緒低落），black deed （惡劣行為），

black eye（丟臉的事）， black fortune（暗淡前程）， a black-letter day（倒霉的一天），

the black art（妖術）. Now lets look at the following sentences：

I got some black looks from the shopkeeper when I cancelled my order. The “black” here indicates “rage”， which can be translated into面帶怒容和怒視. And in the sentence “Im glad for my own sake， that he is not so black as he is painted，” said Agatha. （B.Shaw. An unsocial Socialist） . “Black” means “bad person”. “Not so black as one is painted”， originating from the proverb： “The devil is not so black as he is painted”， can be translated into “并非如人們所說的那種壞人”

2.3White

whose associative meaning is sometimes very similar in both English and Chinese， figuratively connotes “purity or innocence”. We often say 清白無辜 （white innocence） ， 白璧無瑕 （flawless white jade）.

But sometimes they have connotations on account of the cultural influence . In Chinese， “white” is usually associated with “death， funeral”. At funerals， Chinese pay respect to the dead and express their sorrow by wearing white clothes and writing couplets in white paper. Such as “白事”， it means “funerals”， not the “white thing”. Sometimes， it indicates “anger， sorrow， bad mood”. Such as：

他氣得臉色煞白。 This sentence can be translated into “He was white with fury.” “白” emphasizes a person who looks angry as a result of emotion.

In the west， however， “white” is the traditional color for the brides at weddings. “White” symbolizes the “purity， luck， innocence”. See some following phrases：

a white day（吉日）， white hands（誠實）， a white war（不流血的戰爭）， white soul（純潔的心靈）.

Sometimes， “white” in some English phrases does not denote “白” in Chinese. Because we use these words frequently in our daily life， they form regular collocations. From the following you can find their regular collocations. days marked with a white stone（幸福日子）， white collar（腦力勞動者）， white elephant（大而無用的東西）， white feather（膽怯）， white hope（令人寄以厚望的人）， white magic（善意的法術）， white slavery（拐賣婦女的行業）， white night（不眠之夜）， white sale（床上用品大減價）， white man（有教養的人）， a white lie（善意的謊言）.

Similarly， “白” in Chinese phrases also does not denote “white” in English. You can find “白” is different from “white” in the following expressions. 白開水 （plain boiled water） ， 白菜 （Chinese cabbage） ， 白費事 （all in vain） ， 白搭 （no use）， 白食 （eat without pay） ， 白卷 （unanswered examination paper） ， 白眼 （dirty look）， 白送 （free no charge）， 白癡 （idiot）， 白手起家 （build up from nothing）， 一窮二白（poor and blank）.

2.4 Green

“Green” has different associative meanings between Chinese and English. In Chinese， it means “ hope， plants， life， fresh”. Such as ： 綠色食品 （green good）， 青菜 （green vegetables）. 綠色之肺 （green lungs）， it often refers parks which are called green lungs of the city.

But in some degree， “綠” means “marriage failure”. “綠” is extended to imply that someones wife has adultery with other male， whose Chinese expression is “戴綠帽子”. If we translate it into “ to wear a green hat”， the native English-speaking may misunderstand it. Actually “戴綠帽子” should be translate into “ to be a cuckold” in English.

By comparison， in English， it is often used to express “ jealous and envy， money， short of knowledge， experience or training”.

She is green with envy because you have got that chance. In China， however this concept is expressed as 紅眼， which is really opposite to the English meaning. If we translate it into “red-eyed”， we indeed make a big mistake. The “green with envy” here means “jealous or extremely envious”. The translation is “十分嫉妒”. Another example is “In American political elections the candidates that win are usually the ones who have green power backing them.” In America， the banknotes are printed in green， so we usually use “ green” to state some persons who have a lot money. Therefore， the “green” in this sentence means “financial group， consortium”. The translation is “財團”

“Green” also means “ full of vigor or vitality”. Such as green old age （健康長壽）.

Though in the green， he may not be equal to task. Here the “green” means “full of vigor or very strong”.

2.5 Blue

In China， “藍” is a favorable word to us. The “藍天” can arouse us to yearn for a better future. The “藍色海洋” always induces boundless imagination.

In western culture， however， “blue” does not associate with dreams and imagination， the associative meanings of this word in English are more than in Chinese. In English， it is used to imply “sadness， gloom， hopelessness”. “ The blue moon” means “the chance is very slim”. The Chinese meaning is “千載難逢的機會”. See another example：

——You look blue today. Whats the matter with you？

——I am in holiday blue.

——你今天顯得悶悶不樂，出什么事了嗎？

——我得了假期憂郁癥

In the short dialogue above， the first “blue” means “sad”， the other is a phrase equal to “ winter holiday depression”， which refers to the sad and lonely mood before the Christmas.

In addition， the word “blue” in English is applied to denote “pornographic or vulgar”. The phrase “a blue film” is translated into “黃色電影”， and the Chinese version of “to make a blue joke” is 講黃段子 or開下流玩笑. A sentence can be listed here： By one survey， more than 20 million Americans now watch at least one blue video each week. Here the “blue” indicates “vulgar”.

Sometimes， “blue” can indicate “ high social status， authority”. Such as： blue blood（貴族血統）， blue book（藍皮書）etc.

2.6 Yellow

In Chinese， “黃” is used to denote something “pornographic， vulgar”. So there appear some expressions like “黃色電影” “黃色書刊” in Chinese. But we should know that “黃” was treated as the “holiness， high position” in ancient China. It is pronounced the same as “黃” ，which stands for an emperor. The emperor often wears yellow dragon robe. Everything is yellow in the imperial palace， so “yellow” is associated with “ golden， brilliance， healthiness”. You can find this meaning in 黃金周 （golden week）， 黃金時代（golden age）， 黃道吉日（golden day） and so on.

Instead， the associative meanings of “yellow” in English-speaking countries are “ timid， shy， cowardly， mean”. In such a yellow dog （卑鄙小人）， a yellow livered（膽小鬼）， yellow journalism（嘩眾取寵的雜志）， this meaning is implied. See another sentence： In the middle of the night， she began to turn yellow. “Yellow” also indicates “timid.

Sometimes， “yellow” is use to stand for the specific color. For instance：

Yellow Papers 黃頁（電話號碼簿，用黃紙印刷）

Yellow Book 黃皮書（法國等國家的政府報告，用黃封面裝楨）

yellow boy 金幣

Also， “yellow” color is painted on the taxi in many cities of America. All of the yellow cars are the taxies.

3Conclusion

According to the above comparison and analysis， we can see that there are distinct differences between the color words in Chinese and English. Sometimes， Chinese may not use the color words when they are used in English expressions .On many occasions， it is not the basic meaning of the color that functions， but the profound cultural associations related to the color that functions. That is to say， the differences in using color words between Chinese and English stand out when the color words themselves dont play an important part. So it is necessary for us to understand the different cultures.

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作者簡介：

王志宏（1982～）男，甘肅省，西北師大外國語學院研究生，研究方向：學科教學（英語）。