英语中颜色的表达
Cultures
Color
terms
Chinese Culture English-speaking Cultures
RED/ 红色Connotations:
①festive, j u bilant,
celebrate
e.g.红娘，红火
②advancing, bright
e.g.红军，红色政权
③successful, smooth
e.g.红人，走红
④beautiful, nice
e.g.红颜，红妆
Connotations:
①violent, cruel
e.g. red revenge; a red battle
②armed revolution
e.g.: a red revolution;
③danger, tension
e.g. a red adventure story;
red alert; a red flag
③profligate, immoral
e.g. a red waste of his youth;
GREEN/ 绿色Connotations
①young,
e.g.绿窗(指少女闺阁)；红
男绿女
②knightly, chivalrous,
feral
e.g.绿林好汉；绿林大盗
③low-classified, shameful
e.g.:戴绿帽子
Connotations
①young
e.g. in the green; a green ole
age
②fresh, new
e.g. a green wound;
green recollection;
keep the memory green
③lack of experience
e.g.: a green hand; green
recruits
④wealth, money
e.g.: In American political
elections the
candidates that win are
usually the ones
YELLOW/ 黄色Connotations
①royalty, power
e.g.黄袍，黄马褂，黄榜
②erotic, base, sensual
e.g.黄色书刊
Connotations
①erotic, sensual, base
e.g. yellow journalism; yellow
back;
yellow press
②funk, sneak, spiritless
e.g. yellow lived; yellow dog;
yellow streak
BLUE/ 蓝色Few connotations Connotations
①erotic, sensual, base
e.g. blue video; blue talk
②depressed
e.g. holiday blue; a blue
Monday
③nobility
e.g. blue blood
④others hardly categorized
e.g. out of blue; once in a
blue;
WHITE/ 白色Connotations
①funeral, sadness
e.g.红白喜事
②failure, unvalued, foolish
e.g.白干，白旗，白搭，白
痴
③tricky, crafty
e.g.白脸
④politically reactionary
e.g.:白专道路，白匪
Connotations
①pure, bright, happy,
cleanness
e.g. whit soul; a white
wedding
②faithful, honest
e.g. a white spirit; white hand
white man
③good luck, fortune
e.g. a white day;
days marked with a white
stone
④legal, no harmful
BLACK/ 黑色Connotations
①sadness, funeral
e.g.葬礼上所佩带的黑纱
②serious, solemn
e.g.“黑脸”包公
③secretly, tricky
e.g.黑幕，黑名单
④illegal, crimes, evil
e.g.黑手，黑店，黑市，黑
货
Connotations
①death, disaster, unfortunate
e.g.: Black Mass; black world
black death
②evil, crimes
e.g. black deed; Black Man
black guard; B-hands
③angry, depressed
e.g. black dog; a black look
PURPLE/ 紫色Connotations
①nobility, dignity
e.g.紫气东来，紫禁城
Connotations
①nobility, dignity
e.g. be born in the purple;
marry in the purple;
be raised to the purple
PINK/ 粉红Connotations
①symbolized for girls
e.g.六宫粉黛无颜色
人面桃花相映红
②illegal or unusual sensual
relationships
e.g.桃色事件
Connotations
①homosexual
e.g. a product developed for
the pink
customer
②upper class
e.g. pink lady
pink tea