魔力宝贝咒术就职:英汉颜色词及其文化内涵比较

Color Terms and Comparison of Their Connotations
in English and Chinese

[Abstract] Color terms are impersonal existence of nature, so it is beyond human beings’ category to learn about colors. And color not only has some objective attributions, it also contains various cultural connotations and extending meanings. And it will make language livelier to properly use color terms. As man can see color with their own eyes, it seems that people have the same description of color words. However, because different peoples have different geographic environments, customs, ways of thinking, religious beliefs, regimes, literature and arts and ways of living, there is no surprise that colors are described diversely in different countries. They show the particular personalities of each nation. And language is not only the carrier of culture, but also it is an important part of culture. In other words, culture includes and influences language. People could know culture through language. So only to combine culture with language can people success in communicating with each other. There are various color terms in both Chinese and English, and almost all of them have similar and different associations, indications and connotations in both the two languages. So to have a good master of the differences and similarities of these words and their associations, indications and cultural connotations is a prerequisite for a better understanding of the different cultures of Eastern and Western countries, which will make the communication between Eastern and Western countries easier.
[Key Words] color terms; cultural differences; comparison; connotation

英汉颜色词及其文化内涵比较

【摘要】 颜色是自然界客观存在的事物，因此对色彩的认识是人类最基本的认知范畴之一.色彩不仅具有物理属性，还有着丰富的文化内涵和延伸意义，恰当地使用颜色词能使语言生辉添色。颜色词作为一种视觉效果，人们对它的感知应该是一致的。但是，由于世界各民族语言表达受地理环境，民俗风情，思维方式，宗教信仰，社会制度，文学艺术及其生活方式的差异的影响，不同民族语言表达颜色词语多寡不一，分类各异，颜色词也表现各民族独特的“个性”。而语言不仅是文化的载体，也是文化的一个重要组成部分。换句话说，文化包含语言并影响语言，通过语言可以更好的了解文化。因此，必须把语言与文化知识结合起来才能顺利地进行交际。在英汉两种语言中，表示颜色的词汇占据了很大的一部分。而且，英汉两个民族对各种颜色词在视觉上和心理上所产生的联想，象征意义，蕴含的寓意不尽相同，同中有异，异中有同。因此，了解这些颜色词及其它们的联想象征意义和蕴涵的寓意在中西方的异同点，有利于我们更好地了解中西方的文化，并促进中西文化交流。

【关键词】颜色词；文化差异；比较；内涵

1.Introduction
Color is an impersonal existence of nature. So, in essence, it is the same to all the nations in the world. And there are various words in the world to describe colors, which take up a great part in language. Every language has phrases or sentences that cannot be understood literally. 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.[1] So it is the case of color terms. And culture and language have a close relationship. Therefore, to communicate smoothly, people should have a good understanding of the different cultures and languages of different countries. And there exist a great deal of color terms in both Chinese and English. In some sense,they express the same meaning in both Chinese and English-speaking countries, but, there are also many differences. 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.[2] Ignorance of these dissimilarities would cause inconveniences in communication. 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. So it is necessary to understand the differences of these common color words and their cultural backgrounds. And the text expresses some color terms and comparison of their connotations in English and Chinese.

2. Red
Red is one of the oldest colors in the human society, and it reminds people of blood at first sight. In the process of timeless fighting against nature, human gradually knew of blood, and came to realize that blood was the source of live. So, no matter in English-speaking countries or in China, the color red always has something to do with celebration. And in all the countries, the dates of celebration or festivals are always printed red in the calendar. China is a country that is typically fond of red and tries to avoid black. Chinese pay special attention to red, which was dated back to their worship to the sun. They firmly believed that dressing in red could help keep them away from the evil. Hence, in the custom of China, red is the symbol of prosperity, festival, safety and success. Chinese believe that red will bring happiness and good luck to them. In the old China, when there was a wedding, the bridegroom always carried red ribbon, and the bride must dress in red, and wear red cover. And the whole wedding should be decorated with the red character “喜”(xi) and red couplets. In the festivals, people hung red lantern, lit red candles and stuck red couplets. And the models of workers and heroes usually wore a red flower in the front. Even today, in the Capital of China, the door of “天安门”（tiananmen）is red. So there are many terms, phrases, and idioms related to red in China. For instance, “开门红”(to get off to a good start), “红榜”(honor roll), “红白喜事”(weddings and funerals), 红娘(matchmaker) and so on. In the western countries, red stands for some happy events, too. On Christmas day, Father Christmas always dresses in red, wears a red hat. Or on ceremonious situations, the host always rolls out the red carpet to show his welcomes to the honored guests, which means the host’s sincerity.

2.1The similarities of expressing red in English and Chinese
Not only are the similarities of expressing happiness in China and the western countries, there are other sameness of the meanings of red, too.
There are some similarities in expressing people’s mood. English-speaking countries tempt to use “to become red faced” when they are embarrassed or when they are shy or feel shame. This is the same as “脸红”(lianhong) in China. Chinese people always use “脸红”(lianhong) to refer to embarrassment .
Because red is an eyes attracting color, it indicates danger in both the west and the east, especially in traffic, red is used as a signal of alarm. So there are some phrases about red in this area in both Chinese and English. Such as “红灯”(hongdeng), “红色警报”(hongsejingbao), “红牌”(hongpai) which means“a red card that is given to the people who break the traffic rules as a punishment” and so on in Chinese. And red traffic lights, red alert and etc in English.

Red has a close relationship with revolution in China and western countries. The phrase “red communist” in English has the same meaning as “红军”(hongjun), “红色政权”(hongsezhengquan) in China.
Both the two languages use red to show something unsatisfied. For example, “to be in red” in English means “to be in debt”, which has the same meaning as “赤字”(chizi), “亏空”(kuigong), “负债”(fuzhai) in China. And both “the red light district” in English and “红灯区”(hongdengqu) in Chinese convey the same connotation. In China,” red light district” is the symbol of whorehouse in the ancient times. And “红杏出墙”(hongxingchuqiang) was used to refer to those women who were not loyal to their husbands. So in both the languages, red has the connotation of pornography.
2.2The dissimilarities of expressing red in English and Chinese
Though English and Chinese have some sameness in the expressing of red, there are also a lot of dissimilarities between the languages of Chinese and English in their connotations of red

In China, red always indicates some satisfied things or events, especially in the wedding. However, in western countries, people always avoid wearing red clothes when they take part in a wedding. As red in English-speaking countries has the connotation of devil, it is not a suitable color for a wedding, which is completely different from that in China. So it is more suitable and sensible not to dress in red when attending a wedding party in western countries, and it is beyond Chinese people’s understanding.
Red sometimes is the omen of hoodoo in western countries. In the concept of English nations, red has a closed relationship with blood, sacrifice and martyrdom. And the word red will remind them of something terrible. Such as “red hands”, “red battle”, which can not be literately interpreted as “红手”(hongshou) and “红色战争”(hongsezhanzheng) in China. But they mean hands that are full of blood, and a furious battle. That people feel horrific of red has its root in the masterpiece the Bible. As it is known that the Bible is the authority of Christianism. It has enormous effects on the whole western cultures. And according to the Bible, when Jesus had the last dinner with his twelve apostles before his death, he asked them to drink his blood, which bled when he made a convention with the God to save the world. And at last he was willing tobe hanged to the cross, and bled to death. He saved the world at the cost of his life.[3]
And in the culture of bullfight, battle always gets mad at the sight of red things. So there is no surprise that red usually reminds people of something horrible in the western countries. And the red flag or the red rag the matador use is always referred as something which makes people angry. Such as “like a red rag to a bull”, which means the reason of making people angry. And, gradually，red becomes the sign of “the Random House Dictionary” in western countries. [4] Yet, in China “red rag” only means a rag in red color—“红布”(hongbu).
Though red in both the two languages of Chinese and English has something to do with revolution. It expresses different emotions. For Chinese people, red means revolution, proletariate and socialism. There are a large quantities of color terms, such as “红军”(hongjun)—“red army”, “红色政权”(hongsezhengquan)---“red political power”, “红卫兵”(hongweibing)---“red guard”, “红广场”(hongguangchang)---“red square” and “红旗”(hongqi)---“red flag”. And all of these phrases have positive effects in Chinese. But they convey a negative emotion in English. This is because most of the western countries are capitalistic countries. And it is the bourgeoisie that take the power of the country while communists always stand for the benifits of the working class. They fight against the upper class. So the upper class always sees them as the rebel. And “Red Army” and “Red Brigades” are both terroristic groups in western countries. The word red means blood in the two groups. English-speaking countries use the capital term “RED” to indicate left wing political affirmation, communists and those that have something to do with Soviet and any other communistic countries. And “reds under the beds” refers to  “the thought of communists are hidden among the masses and they have threatened the safety of the nation. “red-hunter” refers to those who persecute communists:. And “get red” is the phrase the rebel groups use to refer to communists. So, in a sense, red becomes the sign of radicalness in politics in western countries.
No matter in China or western countries, red always means some satisfied events. However, red in English have more connotations rather than happiness. It implies excitement, activeness, fervor and bravery. “Red letter day” not only means a day that is worth celebrating, but also it means that during these days, people could enjoy themselves and live it up. And “to paint the town red” often refers to some excessive binges and so on, especially those revels in the bars and night clubs.
There also exist many other differences of the connotations of red in the western and eastern countries. They can not be literately transferred. For example, “red tape” means “红带子”(hongdaizi) in China, but in the west it is connoted as trivial details or some other unnecessary and overlaborate formalities in the office. “Red cap” means”红帽子”(hongmaozi) inChins while in England it refers to military policemen. But in America, it indicates the hammals in the station, because they always wear red hats. And “red brick” in England has the meaning of the newly built universities, because such universities are always made of red bricks, which are quite different from the old universities such as Cambridge and Oxford University.

3. Black
Black is a warm and dark color, and it indicates gloom in both the western and eastern countries. So black usually has a negative effect and is connected with something evil. And there are many similarities between the languages of Chinese and English in their connotations of black.
3.1Similar usages of black in English and Chinese
Black is a sad color in both Chinese and English, which stands for sadness. People in England and the USA always dress in black when they attend a funeral to show their mourning to the dead, which is the same as in China. Chinese people tend to wear black weeds to present at a funeral. And in English “black Friday” refers to the Friday that Jesus suffered from tribulation before the Easter day. It is a depressed day. And “black tiding” means doom or something unsatisfied. And English-speaking countries consider black to be misfortune and disaster. Such as “black box”, there is a black box in each plane. It is used to take a note of all the information of the flying. And if there is an air disaster, it could be used as a proof to analyze the causes of the disaster. So “black box” has the close relationship with evil and disaster, and it is called “黑匣子”(heixiazi) in China, which can be literately interpreted. And there are many other terms with black in both China and the west that could be literately translated because they convey the same meaning.

Black has something to do with anger, furtiveness and something unlawful. This is the same in both Chinese and English. Such as “black in the face”----“脸色铁青”(liansetieqing) and “to look black at somebody”---“怒目而视”(numuershi ), the two terms in both the west and east means “to be very angry”, and “to give somebody a dirty look”. And the words “black market”---“黑市”(heishi) means a market that is unlawful. There are quite a few such words in English that convey the same meaning as those of Chinese. Such as “blacklist”---“黑名单”(heimingdan), “黑户”(heihu), “黑钱”(heiqian)
In both the west and the east, black sometimes reminds people of something abhorrent and connects with stubborn, cheat and evil. Such as “black hearted”, which can be translated as “黑心肠”(heixianchang) in Chinese. And both in the two languages, it means people who not only has an evil mind, but also often does harm to others. And the word black in “black sheep”---“害群之马”(haiqunzhima), “a black deed”---“恶劣透顶”(elietouding) and “a black lie”---“不可饶恕的谎言”(bukeraoshudehaungyan) all contain the similar meaning as in the phrase “black hearted”. And “blackleg” refers to those people who cheat in the racecourse.

ost cases, black expresses a negative meaning, sometimes it conveys positive message. And this is the same in both Chinese and English. Because of its dull hue, black is always the symbol of gravity, humility and ceremony. In the medieval age of the west, many theologists excluded the fresh colors such as red, yellow, pink and so on. In their opinions, these colors stood for danger and vagueness. And they would weaken people’s attention.[5] Instead, people of that times were fond of black, because it meaned austerity and gravity. So there is no surprise that black suit and black dress is the most favorite conventional garment of the westerners. And on grand occasions, people such as high officials, famous businessmen and authoritative scholars are more likely to dress in black. The members of the symphony generally dress in black, too. And the judges in the court in both China and Western countries wear black garment to show the authority of the law. And, no matter in the west or in the east, people are likely to dress in black when they are present at a funeral to express their mourning and honors to the dead and their relatives.

3.2Diffreent usages of black in English and Chinese
Chinese and English are two different languages, but in the usages of black, they have something in common. However, because of their different cultures and other factors, there are some other differences. For example, in the art of heraldry in England, black replies wisdom and firmness. But in the works of art, black indicates evil, cheat and falsehood. And in English, “black guards” or “blacks” refers to the employed grave diggers who always wear black clothes. It also means hooligan or scoundrel. And “black coat” suggests those laborers who are different from those who work in the industries. And black has something to do with politics in the west. So in the English-speaking countries, there are various political parties and factions that are with the name of black terms. Take “black hand” in the USA for example, it is an Italian underground organization that is exclusively against the USA and committees crimes in America. And “Black Panther” refers to the party of the black. “Black Sash” is the organization in the Southern Africa set up by women to fight against segregation. And “black” refers to the black colored people in the west, too. “Black belt” is an area where the black dwell.

Black also contains some other connotations in English. They are beyond the understanding of Chinese people. It is usually applied in the area of economy. For example “on the black”, in the west, it means having profits. But in the sentence “Man has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands.” Here “blackest record” means the most shameful things in English. People who are ignorant of the meaning can hardly comprehend the sentence.

ere are many phrases like “as white as snow” in both English and Chinese. And it is the basic meaning of white. White has similar associations in both the west and the east. It has the meaning of purity and innocence. In the western culture, white stands for happiness and purity. For example, “a white spirit” refers to those who are green and innocent, especially girls. And, when people get married in the west, the groom always dresses in white, because white means the newly married couple’s loyalty to their marriage and their purity of love. And there are a lot of such phrases in Chinese, too, such as “洁白如玉”(jiebairuyu), “清白无辜”(qingbaiwugu), “一清二白”(yiqingerbai) and so on. They all have something to do with innocence and purity.