【龙腾网】中国文化中的颜色：它们的含义和象征意义

　　Colours are here and there, everywhere. In Chinese culture, certain colours play a more prominent role than others, some colours more auspicious than others.

　　到处都是各种颜色。在中国文化中，有些颜色比其他颜色起着更突出的作用，有些颜色比其他颜色更吉祥。

　　Growing up, this sentiment was what my parents taught me – that some colours we should see more, and other colours we shouldn’t pay too much attention to.

　　在我成长的过程中，我的父母一直教导我，有些颜色应该多看看，而有些颜色我们不应该太关注。

　　Each colour has different meanings in each culture. Different cultures perceive different colours differently. Different colours speak differently to each community and individual over time, past and present.

　　每种颜色在每种文化中都有不同的含义。不同的文化对不同颜色的理解是不同的。随着时间的推移，过去和现在，不同的颜色对每个社会和个人也都有不同的含义。

　　The Five Elements Theory historically underpinned colours and their symbolism in Chinese culture. Originating around 700-460 BC, the philosophy describes the relationships between elements and their corresponding colours: wood (green), fire (red), earth (yellow), metal (white), water (black). These traditional five colours tend to be the more popular and are seen as the luckier colours among Chinese people:

　　五行理论在历史上为颜色及其在中国文化中的象征意义奠定了基础。这种哲学起源于公元前700-460年，它描述了各种元素和它们对应的颜色之间的关系:木(绿色)、火(红色)、土(黄色)、金(白色)、水(黑色)。这五种传统颜色在中国人中更受欢迎，也被视为更吉利的颜色:

　　Red

　　红色

　　Red has also long been associated with the notions of fight and victory in Chinese history. During the Zhou Dynasty, a red raven was symbolic of the dynasty; the Red Eyebrow Rebellion restored the Han dynasty, led by peasant rebels who painted their eyebrows red to distinguish their tribe.

　　在中国历史上，红色也一直与战斗和胜利的概念联系在一起。在周朝，红乌鸦是那个王朝的象征；赤眉起义恢复了汉朝，他们是农民起义军，把眉毛涂成了红色。

　　I’ve always been rather ambivalent about the colour red. It’s never a colour I like to wear or decorate my space with. As a kid, I thought a bright red shirt on me was hideous and screamed and I still do today.

　　我对红色的看法一直比较矛盾。我从来都不喜欢用它来装饰我的空间。小时候，我觉得穿亮红色衬衫很难看，直到今天我还是这么想。

　　Yellow (and Gold)

　　黄色(金色)

　　Green

　　绿色

　　Green is commonly tied to nature’s surrounds among the Chinese community: growth, spring, harvest and health. In short, it’s symbolic of new beginnings and renewability.

　　在华人社会中，绿色通常与自然环境联系在一起:成长、春天、收获和健康。简而言之，它象征着新的开始和可再生性。

　　Notably, the greenish coloured stone jade is highly popular among the Chinese, a stone often used to make jewellery and dragon sculptures, and used in exchange for 15 cities during the Warring States period. Confucius likened this stone to virtue and representing purity, loyalty and justice.

　　值得注意的是，绿色的玉石在中国人中非常受欢迎，这种玉石经常被用来制作珠宝和龙形雕饰，在战国时期一块玉甚至可用于交换15个城市。孔子把这种玉石比喻为美德，代表纯洁、忠诚和正义。

　　Green is one of my favourite colours. Not only is it the colour of my star sign Taurus, it’s a colour along with blue that immediately pulls me in visually and emotionally, making me feel a sense of peace.

　　绿色是我最喜欢的颜色之一。它不仅是我的星座金牛座的颜色，而且这种颜色和蓝色一起，能立刻吸引我的视觉和情感，让我感到平静。

　　White

　　白色

　　On one hand white symbolises purity and innocence in Chinese culture. In line with feng shui, white cranes are often thought to fly high over dusty Chinese towns. On the other hand it’s symbolic of mourning, death and the colour worn at funerals and associated with ghosts festivals.

　　一方面，白色在中国文化中象征纯洁和清白。白鹤与风水相呼应，常被认为能在中国城镇上空翱翔。而另一方面，它象征着哀悼、死亡，也是葬礼上的服装的颜色，与鬼节有关。

　　Black

　　黑色

　　When I was a teenager, my fashion sense was ‘punk edgy’ (and it still is today). I wore black jeans and a black shirt and had choppy black layered hair. Not only did I think the colour was cool, it was a colour which I felt made me blend into the background. My mum disliked this, complaining I looked like I was ‘going to a funeral all the time’ and I ‘dressed like a dead person’ with my long black fringe sweeping across my face.

　　当我十几岁的时候，我的时尚品味是“前卫朋克风”(现在仍然是)。我穿着黑色牛仔裤和黑色衬衫，头发蓬乱，但有层次感。我不仅觉得这个颜色很酷，而且我觉得这个颜色能让我融入背景。我妈妈不喜欢这样，抱怨我看起来就像“去参加葬礼”，而且“穿得像个死人”，长长的黑色刘海遮住了我的脸。

　　Blue

　　蓝色

　　Like the colour black, blue has contrasting connotations among the Chinese. Blue symbolises immortality, healing and calmness. Blue represents heaven: the Temple of Heaven’s roof consists of blue-glazed tiles, a place of peace, symbolic of heaven in the sky.

　　和黑色一样，蓝色在中国人心中有着截然不同的内涵。蓝色象征着不朽、治愈和平静。蓝色代表天堂:天坛的屋顶由蓝色琉璃瓦组成，象征着在天空中的宁静的天堂。

　　As for other colours: brown represents the ground, similar to the earthly connotations of yellow in Chinese culture. Purple is a mark of healing, romance and associated with Chinese astrology. Orange is symbolic of strength, change and continuity.

　　至于其他颜色:棕色代表地面，和中国文化中黄土的含义相似。紫色是治愈、浪漫的象征，与中国占卜术有关。橙色是力量、变化和连续性的象征。

　　The Yin and Yang philosophy – black and white Yin and Yang symbol – is steeped in Taoism and Chinese culture, dating back to around 3 BCE. According to the philosophy, everything in the universe consists of two opposing forces that complement each other, and life happens in cycles. For where there is yang, there is yin and vice-versa: just like how there is day and night and vice-versa.

　　阴阳黑白的哲学深深植根于道教和中国文化中，可以追溯到公元前3年左右。根据这一哲学，宇宙中的一切都由两种对立的力量组成，它们相互补充，生命循环往复。因为哪里有阳，哪里就有阴，反之亦然:就像白天和黑夜，反之亦然一样。

　　Consequently, some colour combinations are luckier than others. Red and yellow are side by side, staple colours of Chinese New Year decorations, doubling one’s wealth and prosperity in the metaphorical sense. In the five elements chart, red (fire) is directly opposite black (water) – in typical Chinese homes, it’s auspicious to have the colour red representing invigoration and also earthlier, neutral colours to represent stability – generating good fengshui.

　　因此，有些颜色组合会比其他的组合更吉祥。红色和黄色并列是中国新年装饰的主要颜色，在隐喻意义上倍增财富和兴旺。

　　These days, blue is my favourite colour. Everywhere I go, I gravitate towards the colour blue and want to be surrounded by blue. At home, my bedsheets are blue. The clothes I usually wear to work and for running errands are blue top and blue jeans. I like taking notes on a blue coloured notebook at work. I like writing with a blue coloured pen.

　　最近，蓝色是我最喜欢的颜色。无论我走到哪里，我都被蓝色所吸引，希望被蓝色包围。在家里，我的床单是蓝色的。我工作和出差通常穿的衣服是蓝色的上衣和牛仔裤。工作时，我喜欢在蓝色的笔记本上做笔记。我喜欢用蓝色的钢笔写字。

　　Maybe the colours I like and dislike says something about how I feel about Chinese culture. When I was a kid, around 3-5 years old, my mum was fond of dressing me up in a bright red jumper and matching bright red pants for pre-school. I hated this. While I think red is an ugly colour on me, it doesn’t feel ugly or out of place at all come Chinese New Year. There’s something very inviting about the colours red and yellow whenever I pass by a Chinese temple.

　　也许我喜欢和不喜欢的颜色说明了我对中国文化的看法。当我还是个孩子，大约3-5岁的时候，我的妈妈喜欢给我穿上一件鲜红色的套头衫和搭配鲜红色的裤子去上学前班。我讨厌这个。虽然我认为红色对我来说是难看的颜色，但它并不会让我在庆祝春节时感到不舒服。每当我经过中国寺庙时，红色和黄色都是很吸引我的。

　　What is your favourite colour and why?

　　你最喜欢的颜色是什么?为什么?

　　Lani

　　Never been a fan of red, myself, too. I used to be obsessed with blue, until I realized my wardobe was filled with blue and then I decided I needed some variety and change. So I decided green would be my favorite.

　　But when it comes to clothes, I no longer have a blue-dominated wardrobe or even a green one, it’s colorful. And my home is too.

　　我也从来不喜欢红色。我曾经痴迷于蓝色，直到我意识到我的衣柜里充满了蓝色，然后我决定我需要一些变化和改变。所以我决定把绿色当作我的最爱。

　　但说到衣服，我的衣柜里不再以蓝色为主，甚至也不再以绿色为主，而是色彩丰富的，我的家也是。

　　Mabel Kwong

　　I have never heard of this colour and wrist watch superstition at all. That said, I have never seen anyone in my family wear a wrist wach that has a black strap – it’s usually brown or some other color.

　　我从来没有听说过。不过我家里从来没有人戴过黑色的腕带——通常是棕色或其他颜色的。

　　Mabel Kwong

　　It is interesting to hear your perception of colour and how you dress.’they just don’t fit in with my style’ Very honest right there. True that some colours go well with our skin, compared to other colours. It sounds like you know what works for you, and I suppose your closet changed some colours over the years. I also like wearing jeans. Generally I prefer dark blue jeans, or mid-blue. I find light blue jeans are harder to match with clothing.

　　听听你对颜色的看法和你的穿着风格是很有趣的。“它们不符合我的风格”，非常坦诚。的确，与其他颜色相比，有些颜色与我们的皮肤很相配。听起来你知道什么对你有用，而且我猜这些年你的衣橱里变了一些颜色。我喜欢穿牛仔裤。我一般比较喜欢深蓝色或中蓝色的牛仔裤。我发现浅蓝色牛仔裤很难和衣服搭配。

　　shreyans

　　I need to ask you that have you felt the different powers or you may say effects of these colours. And do they really leaves such an impact as you mentioned.shreyans

　　我需要问你，你感觉到了这些不同颜色的力量带来的影响。它们真的像你所说的那样产生了巨大的影响吗？

　　Mabel Kwong

　　To answer your question, yes. The colour blue leaves a big impact on me and calms me in many ways each and every single day.

　　是的。蓝色给我带来了巨大的影响，每天都在很多方面让我平静下来。

　　shreyans

　　blue is my fav colour too..i dont have any reasons.. i just like it..

　　蓝色也是我最喜欢的颜色。没有理由…我就是喜欢它…

　　Mabel Kwong

　　Me too. I just like blue all the time. It is a colour that speak to me. No words needed.

　　我也是。我一直都喜欢蓝色。这是一种能打动我的颜色。不需要言语。

　　Aquileana

　　Some people might say that Feng shui is a fad… But I firmly believe in the power of colors when it comes to a space (wher you live: such as an office).

　　I have recently read that Blue is the best color for Instagram… It was a youtuber who said so… she basically recommended that to follow the trend you could just use a blue filter… in case you weren′t posting pics including blue…

　　I was surprised to learn from your post that Yellow symbolises royalty, power and wealth among the Chinese. I would nod in agreement as to “Gold” though… But, do you know what?. Yellow is associated here withh Envy… and the color which neutralizes it is… supposedly Red…That′s why among actors, rich people, celebrities sometimes wear a red ribbon in their wrists

　　Thank you for sharing, linda…. sending love across the miles!

　　有些人可能会说风水只是一种时尚……但我坚信色彩在空间(你生活的地方:比如在办公室)中的力量。

　　我最近读到蓝色是Instagram上最受欢迎的颜色，是一个youtube用户这么说的，她建议要紧跟潮流，你可以使用蓝色滤镜，以防你上传的照片没有带蓝色的。

　　我很惊讶地从你的帖子中得知，黄色在中国人中象征着皇权、权力和财富。我同意你关于“黄金”的说法……但是你知道吗?黄色在这里与嫉妒联系在一起，而能中和嫉妒的颜色是红色....这也是为什么很多演员、富人和名人有时在手腕上戴红丝带

　　Somali K Chakrabart

　　Extremely interesting, Mabel. There is a marked similarity with the Indian perception of colours. Red is considered as auspicious. So brides wear read in Bengal (in the eastern part of India). In the one or two Chinese temples that I have been to, the decor was in red. Gold is again considered as auspicious all over India. Green is associated with harvest, prosperity, and blue with serenity. The blue glazed tiles in the Temple of Heaven look absolutely fabulous. Black is usually not worn during ceremonies or auspicious occasions. There is a debate on white. Since white is associated with purity (abstinence), widow women in many parts of India used to wear white. However in some parts of India, like in Kerela, brides wear white saree with a golden border. Interesting to know that blue happens to be the favourite colour in most parts of the world. It is a colour that one can wear on all occasions.

　　非常有趣,梅布尔。这与印度人对颜色的认知有明显的相似之处。红色被认为是吉祥的。所以孟加拉(印度东部)的新娘要穿红色婚纱。在我去过的一两座中国寺庙里，装饰都是红色的。在印度各地，金色被视为吉祥，绿色与丰收、繁荣联系在一起，蓝色与宁静联系在一起。天坛里的蓝色琉璃瓦看起来美极了。黑色衣服通常不在正式或吉祥的场合穿。不过有一个关于白色的辩论。因为白色与纯洁(禁欲)联系在一起，印度许多地区的寡妇过去都穿白色。然而在印度的一些地区，比如喀拉拉，新娘穿带有金色镶边的白色纱丽。有趣的是，蓝色恰好是世界上大部分地区最受欢迎的颜色。它是一种可以在任何场合穿的颜色。

　　Mabel Kwong

　　So interesting to hear that colours in Indian culture have their similarities. Gold I did not know was also auspicious among Indians and it is a significant part of some of the architecture in India.

　　The significance of white is also interesting to hear and its connection with purity. In Chinese culture, it can be quite the ambivalent colour.

　　有趣的是，印度文化中的颜色也有相似之处。我不知道的金色对印度人来说也是吉祥的，它是印度一些建筑的重要组成部分。

　　白色的含义听起来也很有趣，它与纯洁有关。在中国文化中，它是相当矛盾的颜色。

　　Forestwoodfolkart

　　Interesting post as always, Mabel. I guess many people do not give much thought as to why they are drawn to a particular colour or the associated contexts with it. I think previous generations did do that much more than we do. It seems to come down to personal preference these days. My mother would never let me wear black when I was growing up – and it is funny but now people say I suit black!!! ( my hair is blonde so black on me makes a good contrast!) And black is in fashion for corporate wear – is that right? I am not always keeping up with fashion. I do like a dark red in decor – but tend to like more white and blue these days – but still have a lot of black in my wardrobe.

　　我猜很多人都没有想过为什么他们会被一种特定的颜色所吸引，或者与之相关的背景。我认为前几代人确实在这方面比我们考虑得更多。如今，这似乎取决于个人偏好。在我成长的过程中，我的母亲从来不会让我穿黑色的衣服——这很有趣，但现在人们说我适合穿黑色的衣服!!(我的头发是金色的，所以黑色在我身上形成了很好的对比!)黑色是公司制服的流行款式，对吗?我并不是总能跟上潮流。我确实喜欢暗红色的装饰，但这些天更喜欢白色和蓝色，但我的衣柜里仍然有很多黑色的衣服。

　　Mabel Kwong

　　The idea of contrast is an interesting one. On one hand, you match two contrasting colours you’d think they’d come out garish. On the other hand, as you mentioned, black goes well with those with blonde hair, or Westerners. You are right in that black is the staple fashion for corporate wear. It is the norm at many places where I’ve worked, and no one bats an eyelid if you wear black all the time in the office.

　　Dark red is quite a common colour with many Chinese ornaments at home, and I’ve seen some Chinese houses with dark red patterned carpets too.

　　对比这个概念很有趣。一方面，你把两种对比色搭配在一起，你会认为它们看起来很花哨。另一方面，正如你提到的，黑色与金发或西方人很搭。你说得对，黑色是公司制服的主流颜色。在我工作过的许多地方，这是一种常态，如果你在办公室里一直穿黑色衣服，没人会感到惊讶。

　　暗红色是家里许多中国装饰品的普遍颜色，我见过一些中国房子里的地毯也是暗红色的。