Differences in Connotation of Color Words between Chinese and Western Culture

陈裕 任曦航

Abstract：Color is an objective physical phenomenon in the objective world, and color words refer to words used to describe color. This provides a basis for understanding the cultural differences, and correctly grasping and using color words in the cultural exchanges.

Key Words: color; symbolic meaning; cultural exchange

1．The Causes of Cognitive Differences

Language is the product and result of culture and the carrier of culture. The differences between Chinese and Western cultures are the main reasons for the cognitive differences between Chinese and English color words. Cultural factors such as history, politics, religion and customs affect language and folk customs, resulting in different meanings and connotations of color words, especially yellow, red and white, which are closely related to the cultural factors of our nation.

2．The Connotation of Common Color Words in China and the West

（1）1 Bright colors, high-profile and strong visual impact make it easy to attract attention. When people see red, they often think of burning flames and blood. Therefore, red often symbolizes enthusiasm, joy or happiness. In addition, red also symbolizes danger and vigilance. For example, various danger warning signs often use red as the main element to warn people to avoid danger. There is not much difference between China and the West in this perspective, such as a red alert, which also means radical and violent revolution.

（2）White is the brightest and purest of all colors. But white is usually a derogatory term in Chinese culture. Emotional taboo words expressing Chinese people's material and spiritual abandonment and disgust. Therefore, white has always symbolized the exhaustion and death of life in Chinese culture, which is a bad omen. However, in western countries, it is just the opposite of China. White is considered as a symbol of elegance and purity in western countries, so white is highly respected in western countries.

（3） Black is the color with the highest darkness among all colors, and it is also a kind of achromatic color. In China, black always represents heavy mystery and solemnity, but under the influence of western culture, the symbolic meaning of black has become more complex. First of all, in Chinese traditional culture, black is a serious and just color word. In addition, there are some words, such as "taking the underworld", "black shop" and "black money", which represent crimes and breaking the law. In the west, the symbolic meaning of black is relatively simple. It is a taboo color that represents abandonment and disgust, and symbolizes disaster and death.

（4） Yellow, a lucky color, is derived from the development of red. In traditional culture, people put it suitable for large-scale work. Moving days are called "auspicious days". At the same time, yellow is also the noblest color used exclusively by emperors in Chinese history. There are three main colors of the Forbidden City in Beijing, namely red, white and yellow.

3．Results and Discussion

Color not only has physical attributes, but also has rich cultural connotations and extended meanings, so color is an important topic in the study of language, culture and translation. By understanding the identity and differences of the same color words in the cognitive background of Chinese and English, we can not only deeply understand their cultural connotations and deepen our understanding of western cultures, but also help promote the exchange and integration of Chinese and English cultures, promote the development of cross-cultural communication and have a positive impact on cross-cultural communication.

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作者简介：陈裕（1978-），女，硕士研究生学历，成都中医药大学副教授。