The symbolic meaning of color words in Chinese and western culture 英语颜色词的不同意义

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1、 中西文化中颜色词的象征意义分析 The symbolic meaning of color words in Chinese and western culture Abstract: The said of different color or color words are very rich in human language . These color words also showed a unique charm. The Chinese and western culture color words are endowed with different emotiona

2、l and cultural symbol. We should not only know the basic meaning of their own, more should profoundly understand its deep symbolic significance. Because the color symbolic significance in different languages often have different characteristics, some characteristics and even constitutes the extensio

3、n, people to escape through the advocate after color. In order to further understand Chinese and western culture color words, we are very necessary study of color words. In this paper, we mainly through specific lists, contrast and analysis of Chinese and western culture in the symbolic meaning of c

4、olor words that we in the practical life better appropriate and application of words of color in Chinese and western culture. Key words: study; research; English language teaching 摘要: 在人类语言中，表示各种不同颜色或色彩的词很丰富。这些颜色词语也表现出了独特的魅力。中西文化中的颜色词都是被赋予不同的情感和文化象征。我们不仅要了解它们本身的基本意义，更要深刻地理解其深远的象征意义。因为颜色的象征意

5、义在不同语言中往往有不同的特点，有些特点甚至构成了人们对经过引伸、转义以后颜色的崇尚。为了深入的理解中西文化中颜色词，我们很有必要对颜色词汇进行研究。在本文中，我们主要通过具体罗列、对比和分析中西文化中颜色词的象征意义，以至于我们在实际生活中更好的恰当和应用中西文化中颜色词。 关键词：颜色词; 中西文化; 象征意义; 罗列； 对比；分析 Introduction Owing to unique fascination of the words denoting colors, they have been extraordinarily favored by pe

6、ople. There are numerous words expressing various colors or hues in both English and Chinese. While keeping in mind their basic meanings, we should pay much closer attention to their more profound symbolic connotations, which display different characteristics among various native languages. There ar

7、e differences in the use of colors and color words between Chinese and English cultures. The different cultures bring different attitudes toward the same color because of different language habits, historical backgrounds, traditional customs and so on. Although the meanings of color words are restra

8、ined by cultures, they reveal wide connotation of cultures. We should pay attention to observing not only their basic meanings, but also the deep and broad symbolic meanings. The symbolic meanings of color words often have different features in different language cultures. And some of them even have

9、 become taboos and adornments since the meanings of the color words are extended and transferred. Meanwhile, the cultural exchanges and the color views have similar phenomenon and coincidence in the languages. 由于颜色词语在人类语言中表现出的独特魅力，往往是令人刮目相看的。在汉语和英语中，不同颜色或色彩的词都有着各种很丰富的含义。不仅我们要注意观察它们本身的基本意义，而且我们更要留心它

10、们含义深广的象征意义，因为颜色的象征意义在不同民族语言中往往有不同的特点，有些特点甚至构成了人们对经过引伸、转义以后颜色的崇尚和禁忌。还有在色彩和颜色词中英文化之间的差异使用。对不同文化带来的，因为不同的语言习惯，历史背景，传统习俗等相同颜色的不同态度。虽然颜色词的意义是由文化的制约，他们揭示广泛的文化内涵。我们要注意观察不仅是他们的基本含义，也是深刻和广泛的象征意义。颜色词的象征意义往往在不同的语言文化不同的特点。其中有些甚至成为禁忌，因为颜色词的含义装饰的延伸和转移。同时，文化的交流和颜色观有相似的语言现象与巧合。 In this paper, we try our best to il

11、lustrate the different symbolic meanings of color words in Chinese and English cultures by list、 comparison and analysis of them. Generally speaking, in Chinese culture, the symbolic meanings of color words are related to influences of feudal system, feudal superstition, primitive science, and poor

12、education. In English culture, the symbolic meanings of color words are affected by the Western nationality openness, science, education degree. The colors are of a few mystery meanings. The symbolic meanings of color words have been formed in the development of society and historical precipitation.

13、 Thus the symbolic meanings of color between Chinese culture and western culture will be quite different from each other. This paper focuses on the words of color and the symbolic meanings of these words between Chinese culture and western culture, it also shows us the comparison between them. We ca

14、n know that the use of color terms varies from language to language, from culture to culture. 在本文中，我们主要试图通过罗列、比较说明和分析了其中不同象征意义的颜色词在中英文化。在中华文化，颜色词的象征意义是关系到封建制度，封建迷信，原始科学，教育落后的影响。在英语文化，颜色词的象征意义是受西方民族开放，科学，教育程度。颜色是几个神秘的含义。颜色词的象征意义已形成在社会发展和历史沉淀。因此，对中华文化和西方之间的文化色彩的象征意义将是相当各不相同。本文对色彩的词语和中华文化与西方之间的文化象征意

15、义的这些话的重点，这也表明我们之间的比较。我们可以知道，不同的颜色词的使用从语言到语言，从文化到文化。 I. Background A. Color Words and Their Historical Backgrounds in Chinese culture and western culture: Color words are used for describing different things in whatever languages. The statistics show that there are more than 7 million kinds of c

16、olors can be recognized in the nature. However, the color names are very limited in the languages because there are only dozens of colors expressed in single-morpheme word. 在任何语言,颜色词被用来描述不同的事情。据统计显示，有超过700万多种颜色可在大自然中确认。但是，颜色名称是非常有限的语言，因为只有在单纯词表示颜色为数不多的人。 A number of color words are expressed by a

17、dding modifiers. The symbolic meanings of color words have different features in different cultures. History, background, aesthetic and psychology are different because of our country’s geography. So, the feeling of the color words will not be the same, and the symbolic meanings of color words will

18、be various. It is clear that color is a vision phenomenon aroused by the reflecting and radiating of objectaccording to the definition of color. The definition of color is blurry in China feudal society. In Western, it is easily accepted for its development of education and science. At the beginning

19、, the Western people pay attention to things rationally. They often display the basic meaning of color words to the objective world, so the symbolic meanings of the color words are very direct in Western culture. The Western people express some abstract cultural meaning with the concrete color of ob

20、jective things. 颜色词的数量表示，加入改性剂。颜色词的象征意义在不同的文化不同的特点。历史，背景，美学和心理学是因为我们国家的地理差异。所以，颜色词的感觉不会是一样的，颜色词的象征意义将是多方面的。从颜色的定义，很明显的，颜色是一种视觉现象的反映和辐射引起的对象。色彩的定义是在中国封建社会的模糊。在西方，这是很容易的接受教育和科学的发展。一开始，西方人们关注的事情合理。他们往往显示颜色词的基本意义的客观世界，那么在颜色词的象征意义是非常直接的西方文化。西方一些人表达对客观事物的具体颜色抽象的文化内涵. B. Colors in Chinese culture and w

21、estern culture: 1.Red Red mainly indicates blood in western cultures, which, in westerners’ minds, is the “liquid of life” running in human bodies. Once blood runs up, the blossom of life dies. Consequently, the red color brings about a taboo which is associated with “violence” and “danger”. I

22、n China, it is a quite different picture. After a long feudalist history, its modern education and science is far behind the West. Thus, the formation and development of color connotations has been hidden beneath a highly mysterious veil. The words of colors had associated with the world views and p

23、hilosophy of the ancient people as early as before the Qin Dynasty, and eventually were hooked with politics. So the symbolic color connotations in Chinese culture are exuberant and diversified. From the viewpoint of cultural anthropology, red color in Chinese culture derives from the Sun out of its

24、 heat and fire. Everything on the Earth flourish and grow in the sun, and showed their tender feelings towards the sun because it was inspiring. 西方文化中的红色（red）主要指鲜血（blood）颜色，而blood在西方人心目中是奔腾在人体内的"生命之液"。一旦鲜血流淌下来，生命之花也就凋谢。所以red使西方人联想到"暴力"和"危险"产生了一种颜色禁忌。在中国文化中，颜色的生成具有强烈的神秘色彩，它的发展受到中国社会文化发展的较大影响。在先秦，颜色词

25、就已经与古人的世界观、哲学思想联系在一起，后来又与政治挂钩。所以中国文化中的颜色内涵和象征意义十分丰富，而且颜色词的象征意义是多元的。中国文化中的红色源于太阳，因为烈日如火，其色赤红感。到阳光下万物繁茂，生机勃勃，令人振奋，因而对代表太阳的红色产生了特别亲切的感情。 2. White In the Chinese culture, white and red opposite, is a basic taboo word, has manifested the Chinese and loathes in material and spiritual abandoning. There

26、fore the white is the depletion does not have the scarlet, the lifeless performance, symbolic death, ill omen. Also symbolizes decayed, is reactionary, is backward, also symbolizes the defeat, stupidly, not to have the advantage to be possible to result, it also symbolizes the grafty and evil person

27、, sinisterly, "like sings the white face ", “the white face " the greatvillain; Finally, it also symbolizes the knowledge superficially, not to have the academic honor. In the western cultures white symbolic significance mainly focuses on itself color, like new under snow, fresh milk and lilys color

28、. The westerner thinks the white loftily chaste, therefore it is in the Western culture advocation color. derives from the Sun out of its heat and fire. Everything on the Earth flourish and grow in the sun, and showed their tender feelings towards the sun because it was inspiring. 在中国文化中,白色与红色相反,是一

29、个基本禁忌词,体现了中国人在物质和精神上的摈弃和厌恶。所以白色是枯竭而无血色、无生命的表现，象征死亡、凶兆。又象征腐朽、反动、落后，也象征失败、愚蠢、无利可得，它还象征奸邪、阴险，如"唱白脸"、"白脸"奸雄；最后，它还象征知识浅薄、没有功名.西方文化中的白色象征意义主要着眼于其本身色彩，如新下的雪、新鲜牛奶及百合花的颜色。西方人认为白色高雅纯洁，所以它是西方文化中的崇尚色。它象征纯真无邪。 3. Black In the Chinese culture only then the serious mystical feeling, is one kind grave and the

30、serious tone, its symbolic significance as a result of appears more complex the Western cultures influence. On the one hand it symbolizes is serious, is just, on the other hand it because its darkness does not have the light to the human by sinister, sinister and the terror feeling. It symbolizes is

31、 evil, is reactionary, it also expresses the crime, illegally, The black is in the Western culture basic taboo color, has manifested in westerner spirit abandoning and loathes. It drafts the death, the ill omen, the disaster likely. 在中国文化里只有沉重的神秘之感，是一种庄重而严肃的色调，它的象征意义由于 受西方文化的影响而显得较为复杂。一方面它象 征严肃、正义，

32、另一方面它又由于其本身的黑暗无光给人以阴险、毒辣和恐怖的感 觉。它象征邪 恶、反动，它又表示犯罪、违法,黑色（black）是西方文化中的基本禁忌色，体现了西方人精神上的摈弃和厌恶。它象征死亡、凶兆、灾难。 4. Yellow In Chinese culture, “yellow” originally represents the colors of the soil. In book《说文》: “Yellow is the color of the earth.” In Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, yellow is

33、 explained as the colors of gold, butter, and ripe lemon. The Yellow Highlands, lying by the Yellow Riverside is one of the most important cradle lands of the Chinese people. It is from Yellow River that the Chinese ancient culture came into being. The ancient Chinese people mainly depended on the l

34、and to live and breed from generations to “power and honor”. In China, “yellow” is an honorable color. In the Chinese culture only then the serious mystical feeling, is one kind grave and the serious tone, its symbolic significance as a result of appears more complex the Western cultures influence.

35、 On the one hand it symbolizes is serious, is just, on the other hand it because its darkness does not have the light to the human by sinister, sinister and the terror feeling. The black is in the Western culture basic taboo color, has manifested in westerner spirit abandoning and loathes. It drafts

36、 the death, the ill omen, the disaster likely generations. Chinese and English countries use different colors to express. But in English countries, it is “purple” not “yellow” that is usually associated with “high rank” or “imperial” or “power” in particularly. Meanwhile, many of the roofs such as t

37、he Imperial Palace, Shrines and royal buildings chose yellow color for decorations. 在中华文化，“黄”原指土壤的颜色。在书“说文”：“黄色是大地的颜色。”韦氏词典的英语语言词典，黄色是解释为金，奶油颜色，和成熟的柠檬。黄河高原，地势由滨江黄河是中华民族的摇篮最重要的土地之一。正因为如此，中国古代文化的形成来自黄河。中文和英文的国家使用不同的颜色来表示“权力和荣誉”。 在中国，“黄色”是一个光荣的颜色。它总是与“荣誉”，“光彩”，它是“权力”和“崇高”的象征。但在英语国家，它是“紫色”而不是“黄”，也就是通常与

38、“高级别”或“皇”或“权力”特别相关。同时，如皇宫，神社和皇家建筑的屋顶装饰许多选择了黄色。 5. Green In the Chinese traditional culture, Green ranks the first in the Five Colors, signifying everything grows. In the feudal society, the dress of the government official on a lower level was regularized to be green, so it also symbolizes humbl

39、e. In English there is a term green-eyed or green with envy, both of them mean jealous and envious. No matter in English or Chinese, this symbolic meaning of green is all identical. Green in the western culture is mainly related to the color of the plants, it is the symbol of vigor and energy. In so

40、me certain phrases, green has different meanings. 在中国传统文化，绿色位居第一五色，象征一切增长。在封建社会中，对下级政府官员连衣裙正规化是绿色的，所以它也象征着谦逊。在英语里有个术语绿眼或嫉妒，他们都表示嫉妒和羡慕。英文或中文，这种绿色象征意义的问题是所有相同。在西方文化绿色是主要与植物的颜色，它是生机和活力，在一些特定的短语，绿色有不同的含义。 Conclusion Through the analysis above, this paper shows that the symbolic meanings of color word

41、s between English and Chinese cultures have divergences; both of them have some common features in some aspects. The symbolic meanings of color words are affected by traditional culture, so different nations have formed their own unique color view in precipitated long-term history. The cultural conn

42、otations of color words differ greatly because of different cultural issues, traditions and cultural psychology. In Chinese cultures, the symbolic meanings of color words are related to the feudal past, feudal superstition, primitive sciences and education. So the symbolic meanings of color words ha

43、ve strong inclination of politicizing and mystifying. In Western culture the symbolic meanings of color words are affected by the Western nationality openness, science, education degree. The symbolic meanings are a few mysteries. The symbolic meanings of color words are very direct; especially the e

44、ducation plays an important role in the color culture. And the color words are deep-rooted in the social culture. Actually, every kind of color words has different culture feature in different nation. Every nation shows its own culture and value in different way. In a word, it is very important for

45、us to comprehend and grasp the symbolic meanings of color words in both English and Chinese. 通过上述分析，本文表明，英汉文化中颜色词的象征意义有差异，其中在某些方面都有一些共同的特点。颜色词的象征意义是传统文化的影响，因此不同的国家形成了自己独特的色彩查看沉淀长远的历史。颜色词的文化内涵差异较大的问题，因为不同的文化，传统和文化心理。在中国文化中，颜色词的象征意义都与过去封建，封建迷信，原始科学和教育。所以颜色词的象征意义有强烈的政治化和神秘倾向。在西方文化中颜色词的象征意义是受西方民族开放，科学，

46、教育程度。的象征意义是一些奥秘。颜色词的象征意义是非常直接的，特别是在教育中起着重要作用的文化色彩。字和颜色深的社会文化根源。其实，每一种颜色词在不同民族不同的文化特色。每个国家在不同的方式显示自己的文化和价值。总之，这是非常重要的，我们理解和把握中，英文和汉语颜色词的象征意义。 Bibliography [1]Palmer, P.R. Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983. [2] Seidl, J. and McMorde, W. English Idioms and How to Use Them.

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