英汉基本颜色词寓意对比研究

A Comparative Study on the Different Implications of Basic

Color Words in English and Chinese

英汉基本颜色词寓意对比研究

Abstract

We live in a world full of colors and the colors play an important role in our life. This paper will highlight the differentimplications of color words both in English and Chinese, and will carry out a comparative study from several aspects.

Mainly, the paper will classify the basic English and Chinese colors. With several methods, such as black and blue are cool colors while red and yellow are warm colors.Besides, the paper will analyze the different implications of basic English and Chinese color words. Some examples of basic color words will be given, such as black and hei, white and bai, red and hong, green and lv, blue and lan, yellow and huang, to find out the different implications of these color words in English and Chinese.

So, from this study, we will get to know that the basic English and Chinese color words have different implications, which is hoped to be beneficial for translation, our cross cultural communication and international development.

Key words: comparativestudy; English color words; Chinese color words; implications

摘要

我们生活在一个有着丰富多彩的颜色的世界里，颜色在我们的生活中扮演着很重要的角色。本文将从若干个方面来完成英汉基本颜色词的寓意对比研究。

论文将以多种方法将英汉基本颜色词进行分类，例如黑色和蓝色是冷色系的词语，红色和黄色是暖色系的词语。同时会通过列举几个英汉基本颜色词来分析它们的不同寓意，比如黑和black，白和white，红和red，绿和green，蓝和blue，黄和yellow。

综上所述，通过此文的研究将会了解英汉基本颜色词语具有不同的寓意，并且希望有助于翻译，跨文化交际以及国际发展。

关键词：对比研究；英语颜色词；汉语颜色词；寓意

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction (1)

2. Literature review (1)

3.Classifications of the color words (2)

3.1 Methods of classification (2)

3.2 Results of classifications (2)

4. Comparison of the different implications of basic English and Chinese color words (3)

4.1 Hei and black (3)

4.2 Bai and white (4)

4.3 Hong and red (5)

4.4 lv and Green (5)

4.5 Lan and blue (5)

4.6 Huang and yellow (7)

5. Conclusion (7)

References (9)

1. Introduction

Since ancient time, people from China and west all have been using a variety of color words to describe the real world, such as Hei and Black, Bai and White, Hong and Red,Lv and Green, Lan and Blue, Huang and Yellow.

In fact, words of color are very abundant in both English and Chinese. On account of different customs, cultures, environments, religious beliefs and other factors, the meanings of color words in Chinese and Englishare distinct from each other.Different color words in different nations express and reflect different contents. Although people all have sound kn owledge of color words and the color is related to everyone’s life, there is still doubt about what the different implications of English and Chinese color words are.

Language is the carrier and reflection of culture, and color term is a partof language(Paul, 2004, P. 126). By the comparative study on different implications of basic color words in English and Chinese, we can know more about what is goingon in people’s mind, in their language and culture. At the same time it isexpected that this paper may be beneficial for translation, our cross cultural communication and international development.

2. Literature review

The comparison of basic English and Chinese color words is such a hot issue that there are a great number of literatures and materials about the comparison of basic English and Chinese color words.

The early perception of color can be traced back to ancient Greece (Harry, 1980, P. 129).The greatphilosophers, Plato and Aristotle were the forerunners whoinitially presented their options on color following the principles ofphilosophy and aesthetics (Marc, 1974, P. 225).Since Berlin and Kay published the Basic Color Terms:Their

University and Evolution, western researchers have studied the basic color words. They believe that all languages have about two to eleven basic color words, and among them the most basic color words are black and white (Berlin and Kay, 1969). At the same time, they also found that the most representative color in a color category can divide the scope of the color (George, 1973, P. 324).

Chinese researchers started the related study very late.In recent years, many of Chinese scholars are putting emphasis on study of theChinese basic color terms.Gui Yongxia centered on the fuzziness of the color words and analyzed the metaphor of color words (Gui, 2012, P. 45).I n “On Color Terms and Quality ofAmbiguity”by Pro. Tieping Wu, the author has done research onambiguity of color terms (Wu, 1979, P. 175).I n “Tentative Research on Imagination of Color Terms”byWangxi Zhang, the author has done some research onimagination of color terms, fully discovering the deeper reasons of complexity ofmeanings of color terms.

So, this paper will comparatively study the different implications of basiccolor words in English and Chinese .

3. Classifications of the color words

On account of different methods of classification, there will be different results of classification.So in this chapter,an analysis will be given from several aspects.

3.1 Methods of classification

The number of color words is huge and the classification is complicated, soit is important to choose a good method to get a good result of classification.

The methods of classification of the color words include the method of the etymon of the color words, the method of people’s feeling of the color words, the method of the meaning of the color words andthe method of the application in the industry of the color words.

3.2 Results of classifications

From the etymon of the color words, there are two kinds of color words including basic color words and objective color words. The basic color wordsrefer to colors from the sunshine, including red, yellow, green, purple,blue, black, brown, grey and white.The objective color words utilize the unique color of some objects. For example, ivory is defined by canary yellow or white of ivory.

From the people’s feeling of the color words, there are also two kinds of color words including cool color words and warm color words. The cool color words make people feel cold such as blue and black while the warm color words make people feel warm such as red and yellow.

From the meaning of the color words, two kinds of the color words will be given.One of them is figural color words and the other is abstract color words. The abstract color words always have strongly subjective moods, such as the word “sihui” (死灰)symbolizing gray ashes.

From the application in the industry of the color words, there are primary colors including red, green and blue. If two colors from the primary colors mix, the secondary color will be formed, such as purple and orange. In addition, intermediate colors are colors produced by mixing three primary colors or two secondary colors. Intermediate colors are a lot but tend to be black and dark.

4. Comparison of the different implications of basic English and Chinese color words

This part will focus on the comparison of the different implications of some basic English and Chinese color words. Each nation has its color term system in its particular language, and differs in qualities. The implications of basic English and Chinese color words are different because of the different customs, ways of thinking, environments, religions and so on (Sara, 1973, P. 458).

4.1 Hei and black

No matter in China or western countries, as a darker color, “ hei ” or “ black ” often has something to do with dirtiness, illegality, death, mourning, sadness, despair, anger and justice.

In China,“ wuheide shou ”(乌黑的手) is what we call dirty hands. “ H eishi” (黑市)implies the listed commodities trading allowed without government's approval, “heiche”(黑车) means the illegal taxi with a higher charge. In the funeral, Chinese will tie a black band around one arm to show the sad feeling. If people get angry, we see the expression “ta heizhe ge lian ” (他黑着个脸). Sometimes “ hei ” symbolizes the justice, because in ancient China, we had a famous rightous officer called “ Bao Zheng ”, who had black complexion.

In western country, “ a black sweet ”“ black water ” mean dirty. “Black money” indicates the income earned in an illegalway. Black is also a color for mourning dress in Western countries. “ A black dog ” and “ black mood ” both refer to the low spirit of people. When people get angry, they look “ black-browed ” or “ black in the face ”or “ as black as thunder ”, and they also have “ black passion ”.

4.2 Bai and white

The word “bai” in Chinese and “white” in English are the same in the meaning of being clean, pure and innocent. But they are not equal to each other sometimes.

In Chinese, the word “ b ai” is the symbol of death, depression and failure. In the funerals, traditional Chinese people always wear white mourning dress to express condolences to the dead. The funeral can also be called“baishi” (白事) in Chinese. What’s more, the word “bai” has the meaning of the civilian, such as“baiding” (白丁) represents the illiterate people or the uneducated common people. In traditional drama, the implications of the word “bai” is treachery.That is why the famous ancient politician, Cao Cao (曹操), was described as “bailian jianchen ”.

On the contrary, the word “white” refers to the chastity, hope, happiness, joy and naivety in English. “ A white lie” mean s a lie that you tell someone in order to protect

them or avoid hurting their feelings.If someone is said to be “white-handed”, it means he or she is honest or innocent. In the Bible, the Angels are always with a pair of white wings and a silver-white halo overhead. Fairy tales win widespread sympathy and love of children around the world, many figures in the tales are loved by children. Snow White is one of them, who is the incarnation of being smart, kind and beautiful. Moreover, the bride always dresses in a white wedding dress in the wedding as a symbol of pure and beautiful.

4.3 Hong and red

In Chinese, the word “hong” represents luck, happiness, success, celebration and festival. In traditionalChinese weddings, not only the decorations are full of red color, including red candle, red quilts, red words “xi”(喜) and so on, but also the clothing of the bride and groom, as well as the red veil of the bride, thus bringing a wedding atmosphere and implying the prosperous future of the newlyweds. Furthermore, the word “honghuo”(红火)represents exuberant and lively. The word “hongli”(红利), describes the enterprise division of profits to shareholders or bonuses to staff. The word “hongyan”(红颜) refers to a young and beautiful woman.

But in English, the word “red”represents danger, violence and debauchery with strong derogatory meaning. When talking about the word red, people always imagine the fire a nd blood. For instance, “red-faced” represents embarrassed or angry; “red alert” is a warning that something very dangerous is likely to happen; “the red rules of tooth and claws” means tyranny or a cruel, harsh, and unfair control over other people.With t he cultural exchange, the word “red” in English comes to have some complimentary sense, such as “red carpet” used to welcome very important visitors as the special treatment when they arrive.However, in English “red ”has different meanings in economy, such as “ in the red ”“ get into the red ” both mean somebody is in debt. So “ red ” is really the word making people happy at some time, but upset at other time.

4.4 Lv and green

Green is a sort of color full of vigor and energy underlying life, youth, hope, peace

and energy both in Chinese and English.

In Chinese, there is another saying of “ lv ”, that is “ qing ”, so there exists such phrases as “ qingchun nianhua ”(青春年华), “ changqing shu ”(常青树). At present, the color “lv ”also means environmental protection, because modern industry civilization has threatened the nature to a serious degree. Human beings have much more sense of environmental protection. The phenomenon has brought many newly related phrases and connotations to the color “ green ”. So it makes people associate with protecting the countryside and atmosphere from modern industrial pollution, such as in the phrase: “the Green Party ”, “Green Revolution ”, “green food ”, “ green consumerism ” and so forth.

But comparatively speaking, green has more associative indications in English such as “ green hands ” and“be in the green ”, which mean being inexperienced. What’s more, the implications of green can also be envious and jealous, such as “green with envy”, “green as jealousy”and “green-eyed monster”.In Britain as well as in the United States, the color green is one of the favorite colors, and there are many places decorated with green color and even US dollars are green. Thus the color term “ green ” is often used to refer to money or fortune.

4.5 Lan and blue

In Chinese, the word “lan”represents the color of the sky and water, symbolizing calm, reflection, modesty and the intellect. In fact, the implications of Chinese word “lan” is less. To Chinese people, blue is the color of the dress worn by Confucian scholars in ancient times, and “lanshan ”(蓝衫) was once used to refer to “xiucai ”(秀才), who passed the imperial examination at the county level in Ming and Qing dynasties.

In English, the word “blue” commonl y is a metaphor of depression, frustration, sorrow and anguish. If somebody is “in a blue mood ”, he or she may feel sad, gloomy and depressed. Similar in meaning is “ a blue Monday ”, indicating the first day of work or school after a pleasant, happy weekend. Moreover, blue denotes high social position or being aristocratic. For instance, “blue-blooded” describes someone who have been born into a family which belongs to a royal or noble family or the highest social class. In contrast, an other meaning of “blue” in English is connected

with sex. “ B lue movie” means a movie showing a lot of sexual activity, and “blue talk” means a talk which is coarse.

4.6 Huang and yellow

“ Huang ” and “ yellow ” both have positive meanings and negative meanings.

In ancient China, the word “huang” is a kind of noble color because it signifies the color of the skin of the Chinese people. When it came to “huang”, the majority of Chinese people will be reminded of the yellow clothes which the emperor wore. So, there are a lot of words with “huang”, such as “huangdaojiri”(黄道吉日)with the meaning of the lucky day suitable to do things and “huangpaojiashen”(黄袍加身) with the meaning of acclaiming emperor. Nowadays, this word is associated with sex in Chinese. The word “saohuang”(扫黄)is the symbol of the elimination of the pornography.

As the color of gold and the sun, “ yellow ” is the symbol of wealth, honor and power in English. It’s a holy color in Christianity. The Father wears golden crucifix, and the holy cup used by Jesus in his last supper is also yellow. In English, there is a phrase “ a yellow ribbon ”, used as a symbol of welcome for those people who will return home. So “ to hang yellow ribbons for somebody ” is to give a warm welcome for one’s return. “ Yellow ” sometimes implies warning. “ A yellow card ” is a card held up by a football referee to show that a player has done something wrong. Later it is used generally throughout the world as a symbol of warning. “ A yellow line ” is a line of yellow paint along the edge of a street in Britain which means one can only park the car for a short time or in particular time; while “ double yellow lines ” are two lines of paint that means one cannot park there.

5. Conclusion

To conclude, the colors play an indispensable role in our life and it is effective to learn the different implications of basic English and Chinese color words.