On the Cultural Connotations of Color Words in English and C

不同文化对颜色的理解

On the Cultural Connotations of Color Words in English and Chinese

Abstract:

There are different kinds of colors. Color is closely related to people’s life. In human language, the color words are frequently used, and endowed with plentiful emotion and cultural connotation. In both Chinese and English, the words of different colors are abundant. We should pay attention to not only their own basic meaning but also their deeper symbolic meaning. Due to the respective cultural background and tradition, people's feeling and expression to the color are not the same, so the symbolic meaning of color can produce great difference between Chinese and Western culture. Therefore it is essential to grasp the difference and similarity between the literal meaning and associative meaning. This paper is to compare and contrast the cultural connotations of color words in Chinese and English.

Key words: color words, similarity, difference, background

Contents:

1 the definition of color.

2 similar cultural connotation of different color in Chinese and English 3 different cultural connotation of different color in Chinese and English 4 conclusion.

不同文化对颜色的理解

1 The definition of color

From the scientific definition, color is a visual phenomenon launched, reflected or caused through certain light wave by the object; it is one kind of visual essential features of human eye.

2. Similarities of color words

Color words are frequently used in Chinese and English.

Color cognition, is the most basic human cognitive categories. People share great similarities in terms of color perception. as a reflection of language, although a variety of language expression of color are distinguished, the expression of the basic vocabulary of color among many languages, such as black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, are the same and very consistent. Due to the commonness of the language, some color words may have the same meaning in two specific cultures.

2.1 Red

Red symbolizes happiness, pleasure, blessedness and blessing both in China and the English-speaking countries. So there are lots of similarities in using it. It often connects with success and importance. The phrase “give somebody a red carpet of reception” means make a warm welcome to some important person. When the Spring Festival is coming, Chinese often put the red couplets on doors and windows. Red also means that someone is healthy and

不同文化对颜色的理解

sanguine both in China and the English-speaking countries. For example: a fine old gentleman, with a face as red as a rose. This sentence means that the old gentleman is very healthy and sanguine. Red is often used to show some emotions in English. For example, become red-faced, turn red, and see red. The phrase “become red with anger/shame” is the same as the phrase “脸红” in Chinese.

2.2 Black

Black is not a good word both in Chinese and in English-speaking countries. It is often used to express one’s anger or some evil things. When black is plus with a noun, it often means bad things and something without any hope, as in black market(黑市), a black heart(黑心), black money(黑钱), black guard(恶棍), a black sheep(害群之马), and black eye(丢脸),etc. All these new phrases can be directly translated into Chinese.

2.3 Green

Both green light in English and “绿灯”in Chinese are associated with authoritative permission to go ahead with some project. Apparently, they are derived form traffic regulations.

3. Differences of color words

The vocabulary of color words are very rich. Attention needs to be paid not only to their own observation of the basic meaning, but also symbolic meaning, in that their symbolic meanings in different languages often have different

不同文化对颜色的理解

characteristics.

3.1 Red

Red is the basic color people cherish in Chinese culture, it embodies the spirit of the Chinese people and material pursuits. It is a symbol of good fortune, joy, and also revolution and progress. it means the smooth going, success, and beauty. While red in Western culture differs greatly from that in china, it symbolizes a brutality, bloodiness. It is symbolic of the radical, violent revolution, danger, and tension .It also symbolizes debauchery, obscene.

3.2 White

In Chinese culture, white, on the contrast, is a basic taboo words. It reflects the Chinese people’s abandon and disgust in material and spiritual world. White is exhausted without blood, without the performance of life, symbol of death, ill omen. White psychological functions in their development process due to the impact of political functions, symbol of corrupt, reactionary, backward.it also symbolized the failure, stupid, no profits available, it also symbolizes catawampus, insidious. Finally, it also symbolizes knowledge shallow, no fame.

White symbolic significance in Western culture mainly focus on their own colors, such as the new snow, fresh milk and the color of lily. Westerners think white shows grace and purity.so it is the color in respect of Western culture. It symbolizes pure and innocence, it also a symbol of integrity, honesty.

不同文化对颜色的理解

3.3 Black

In Chinese culture, black has a heavy sense of mystery, a solemn and serious tone. And its symbolic significance is more complex due to the influence of Western culture. On the one hand, it symbolizes a severity and justice. On the other hand, because of its own people in the dark matt giving people insidious, sinister and terrifying feeling, It symbolizes evil, reactionary.

Black is the basic taboo color in Western culture with the spirit of the rejection of the West and obnoxious. It symbolizes the death …… 此处隐藏：8607字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……