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 “红双喜”（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”（纪念日，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 红光满面.

The words “red”， however， sometimes may give us different connotations between Chinese and English. In China， we often use “红” to signify the “happiness， fortune， success， women” and good things. For example：“红运” （good luck），“开门红”（get off to a good start） ，“红颜”（ beautiful girl ）. “红” also stands for revolution. “红旗” 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 见红， 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： 黑灯瞎火 （pitch-dark） ， 黑幕 （shady deal）， 黑话 （malicious words）， 黑市 （black market）， 黑心 （blackheart）， 黑货 （smuggled goods）， 黑帮 （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（情绪低落），black deed （恶劣行为），

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

the black art（妖术）. 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面带怒容和怒视. 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 “并非如人们所说的那种坏人”

2.3White

whose associative meaning is sometimes very similar in both English and Chinese， figuratively connotes “purity or innocence”. We often say 清白无辜 （white innocence） ， 白璧无瑕 （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：

他气得脸色煞白。 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（诚实）， a white war（不流血的战争）， white soul（纯洁的心灵）.

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（脑力劳动者）， white elephant（大而无用的东西）， white feather（胆怯）， white hope（令人寄以厚望的人）， white magic（善意的法术）， white slavery（拐卖妇女的行业）， white night（不眠之夜）， white sale（床上用品大减价）， white man（有教养的人）， a white lie（善意的谎言）.

Similarly， “白” in Chinese phrases also does not denote “white” in English. You can find “白” is different from “white” in the following expressions. 白开水 （plain boiled water） ， 白菜 （Chinese cabbage） ， 白费事 （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）， 白痴 （idiot）， 白手起家 （build up from nothing）， 一穷二白（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 ： 绿色食品 （green good）， 青菜 （green vegetables）. 绿色之肺 （green lungs）， it often refers parks which are called green lungs of the city.

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

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

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， “蓝” is a favorable word to us. The “蓝天” can arouse us to yearn for a better future. The “蓝色海洋” 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 “千载难逢的机会”. See another example：

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

——I am in holiday blue.

——你今天显得闷闷不乐，出什么事了吗？

——我得了假期忧郁症

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 “黄色电影”， and the Chinese version of “to make a blue joke” is 讲黄段子 or开下流玩笑. 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（贵族血统）， blue book（蓝皮书）etc.

2.6 Yellow

In Chinese， “黄” is used to denote something “pornographic， vulgar”. So there appear some expressions like “黄色电影” “黄色书刊” in Chinese. But we should know that “黄” was treated as the “holiness， high position” in ancient China. It is pronounced the same as “黄” ，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 黄金周 （golden week）， 黄金时代（golden age）， 黄道吉日（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（胆小鬼）， yellow journalism（哗众取宠的杂志）， 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 黄页（电话号码簿，用黄纸印刷）

Yellow Book 黄皮书（法国等国家的政府报告，用黄封面装桢）

yellow boy 金币

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.

Bibliography：

[1]杨红艳.中英颜色词的差异 [J]. 湖南科技学院学报.July.2005. 26（7）， p189

[2]黎昌友.汉英颜色词及其文化内涵比较 [J].长春师范学院学报.Jan.2005， 24（1）， p95

[3]陈蕾，陈培蕾.英汉“颜色词”文化内涵比较 [J].中州大学学报.Jan.2005， 22（1）， p71

[4]胡建国.颜色词在英语与汉语中的习惯用法比较[J].郑州铁路职业技术学院学报.Mar.2005. 17（1）， p89

[5]孙丹.英汉基本颜色词的内涵对比[J].湖北汽车工业学院学报.Mar.2005， 19（1）. p73

[6]邓炎昌，刘润清.语言与文化[M].语言教学与研究出版社.1989， p207

[7]程玲.中英颜色词内涵意义的对比[J].辽宁行政学院学报.2005， 7（4）， p203-204

作者简介：

王志宏（1982～）男，甘肃省，西北师大外国语学院研究生，研究方向：学科教学（英语）。