汉
语
颜
词
的
象
征
意
义
34
CULTURAL
CONNOTATIONS
OF CHINESE
COLOR TERMS
青、赤、黄、白、黑，作为中国传统五
大正，除其本义外，还表示不同的象征意
义。这些象征意义是汉语颜词在人们使用
中积淀而成的，体现了古典中国的文化深韵
与审美意趣。
Qing, Chi, Huang, Bai, and Hei are
traditionally deemed the five pure
colors in China. Each having its unique
cultural implications and connotations,
they showcase the charm of Chinese
culture and aesthetics.
颜的意义—————
作者：慕文萍  Mu Wenping
翻译：汤敏  Tang Min
Chinese literati have long been passionate masters of appreciating and presenting the beauty of language. They carefully choose the words in their literary works, essays, anecdotes, and poems, thus never failing to amaze the readers. For instance, the Tang poet Zhang Wei wrote in his Qiuzuige  (“Tipsy at an Autumn Night”) that “The mountain forest glows with a unique jade green of the ancient drinking vessels, the moss has turned magenta, the color of the rosy, misty clouds (翠微泛樽绿，苔藓分烟红)”. His refined diction enables the readers to feel the foggy but refreshing environment of an autumn night, imagine the subtlest differences in the color hues, and better appreciate the beauty of the Chinese language and the poetic imagery.
特别是历代中国文人，他们擅于把玩言语的乐趣，将汉
语的颜词置于掌故、诗文之中，令读者见“”起意。譬如，张为的《秋醉歌》有句“翠微泛樽绿，苔藓分烟红”，其中的颜词饱含葱蔚洇润之气，彰显不同的值和古典美，
衍生出丰沛的情境意象。
The first of the five pure colors in ancient China,
Qing  describes the natural blue­greenness of plants, mountains, and crystal clear waves. In the beginning, it only referred to the colors of grasses and trees; later, it is also used to represent the colors of other shades of green and black. According to the Theory of the Five Elements, Wood is the essential element of the Oriental East. Therefore, Qing , the color of the woods, is the Oriental color. Qing  is a bright, refreshing color symbolizing youth and vitality in Chinese. It’s worth mentioning here that Qing  is a generic term that can be further categorized into yalv  (bud green), qingcong  (fresh green), douqing  (pea green), cuipiao  (light green), and so on. The last one,
cuipiao , describes a light, quiet, and misty shade of green. It is like the hazy glistening of freshness from the greengage plums with their tiny, tender hairs bathed in water after a drizzle.
作为先秦五之首，体现人们对草木树植或山岚碧波等自然物事的原始视觉辨识。“青”的本义就是指草木的颜，后延伸至绿、黑。在古人“五行说”中，木为东方之行，青是东方之，所以“青”可以表示东方之义。“青”是一抹让人轻松愉悦的明快彩，象征青春洋溢、朝气勃发。青又分“芽绿、青葱、豆青、翠缥”等颜，其中“翠缥”
一词描绘出一种淡青而轻盈的“绿”，仿若雨后的青梅，细软的绒毛被雨露所浸，透着一层朦朦胧胧的湛清新意。
“青”
35
Chi, or red, is the most symbolic color of Chinese aesthetics. It is associated with joy, luck, and happiness, hence the auspicious term “Chinese Red”. Chi  symbolizes the Chinese people’s wishes for spiritual and material wellbeing. In ancient China, people had a variety of terms to refer to different shades of red, including yin , dan , fei , he ,
chi , jiang , and zhu , as well as compound words such as qindan , zhuyin , and daizhe . In China, the color red is everywhere. Pieces of jewelry and items on the dressing table can be in red, giving out a sense of celebration and prosperity; banners and flags can also be in red, bringing out strong passion and patriotism in people.
即红，已然嬗变成为中式美学的底。在中国文化中，但凡表达喜气、福气和美好之意，都离不
开这一抹红，遂有了“中国红”的叫法，它体现了
中国人在精神和物质上的美好追求。古代文人还常用“殷”“丹”“绯”“赫”“绛”“朱”来表示红，复合词“檎丹、朱殷、岱赭”等也指红。无论是宝石、旌旗，还是妆奁镜台上的梳妆染具，红或表示喜庆、光明之意，或传达激情奔放、赤诚浓烈的心绪。
“赤”
36
Huang , or yellow, originally referred to the color of the gold or the sunflowers. It also represents the land. Since land is of utmost significance for the Chinese people in ancient times, this color  has long been closely connected with power and prestige. In ancient China, Huang  was an imperial color used exclusively by the authorities in royal palaces, altars, and temples. While Huang  symbolizes prosperity and nobility, there are multiple hues of it, and they each have their own connotations. For instance,
jinhuang  (gold­yellow), the color of the grown wheat in autumn time, stands for harvest in China’s rural culture. Minghuang  (bright yellow), the color of the imperial robe and throne, stands for solemnity and authority. Yaohuang  (light yellow), the elegant color of a blooming peony flower, stands for wealth and
grace. Nonetheless, not all connotations of Huang  are good. In fact, Huang  is sometimes associated with pornography in China.
本义是指金子或向日葵花的颜，古时贵为“官”，平民百姓不能使用。土地被奉为万物中心，其代表黄也极具声望。之后，黄日渐演化为皇家宫殿、祭坛庙宇等场所的御用建筑。“黄”的主要象征义是指华贵、尊荣。“黄”可细分为不同层次。例如，“金黄”在民间农事中指代麦浪翻涌时的农桑丰收之；“明黄”昭示帝王龙袍冕旒上
的气运之；“姚黄”则对应牡丹花瓣层层绽开时的明亮绚烂、华荣逸雅之。当然，在现代汉语里，黄并不总是表示美好寓意，有时还用来指称带有明显情的东西。
“黄”
37
Bai , or white, was initially used to describe the color of the sky at sunrise or sunset. It symbolizes purity, elegance, and unworldly transcendence. Ancient Chinese were ardent admirers of Bai , creating a large number of alternatives for it, such as yuping ,
bailian , and shuangse . In his poem, Shanfanhua  (“The Caudate Sweetleaf Flower”), the Song poet Zhang Zhilong wrote, “The white, beautiful caudate sweetleaf flowers are in full bloom in the mountains in late spring, giving out refreshing, elegant fragrance in the wild  (漫山白蕊殿春华，多贮清香野老家)”. The color white is also used to highlight a person’s integrity and uprightness. For instance, the
Chinese would say baibiwuxia  (as flawless as a white jade), baishouyijie  (remain a person of integrity even when one’s hair has turned white), and baidiaotongxin  (not affected by vanity, like baidiao  the wild grass).
Bai  is also associated with death and funeral in the Han culture. The Han people would use hongshi  (the red event) to refer to the weddings, and the baishi  (the white event) to refer to the funerals.
最初之义指“日出或日落时的天”。白代表纯洁，
象征圣洁优雅、超凡脱俗。中国古人尤爱白，有相关词
“玉頩、白练、霜”等记录在典，不胜枚举。张至龙在《山矾花》中有云：“漫山白蕊殿春华，多贮清香野老家”。在称赞他人品性高洁或处世清白时，中国人常借“白璧无瑕、白首一节、白藋同心”等含有“白”字的溢美词语。在汉民族文化中，白还与死亡、丧事相联系，如“红白喜事”中的“白”指的就是丧事。
“白”
38