*The Chinese section of this article is the transcript of the podcast episode 《 中国语言与文化中的颜色》. For the full experience, please visit the episode in English and in Chinese.
大家好，欢迎收听今天的节目，我是小月。我们今天的话题是：颜色。
Hello, welcome to today’s episode! Xiaoyue’s here. Today, we’re going to talk about colors.
想象一下，你去参加一场婚礼。你会看到什么呢？
Imagine you’re at a wedding. What might you see?
没错，如果是一场西方婚礼，你可能会看到新娘穿着白色的婚纱。而如果是一场传统的中国婚礼，新娘穿的则可能是红色的喜服。
Right! At a Western wedding, you might see the bride wearing a white wedding dress. But at a traditional Chinese wedding, the bride might wear a red one instead.
可见，在不同的文化中，颜色所代表的意义也不相同。今天，我们就来看看中国文化中一些颜色的意义，以及与颜色有关的有趣表达。
As we can see, colors can have different meanings indifferent cultures. So today, let’s look at the meanings of some colors in Chinese culture and explore some interesting Chinese expressions related to colors.
我们先从红色开始。
Let’s start with red.
中国人喜欢在婚礼上穿红色，因为红色代表着喜庆、好运和祝福。不仅是婚礼，春节的时候，我们也会用红色来庆祝：挂红灯笼、贴红色的春联、发红包。
Chinese people like to wear red at weddings because red represents celebration, good luck, and blessings. And it’s not just about weddings. We also use red to celebrate festivals like Chinese New Year. We decorate the house with red lanterns, put up red Spring Festival couplets, and give red envelopes.
我们也会用红色来表示受欢迎。比如，走红。这个词的意思是变得受欢迎，受到很多人的关注。如果你说：“这位歌手最近走红了。” 意思就是最近越来越多人喜欢听他的歌。
We also use red to talk about becoming popular. One exampleis 走红.This expression means to become popular and attract a lot of attention. For example, if you say, “这位歌手最近走红了,”it means that more and more people have been listening to and enjoying this singer’s music recently.
当然，红色有时候也会出现在一些带有负面意思的表达中。比如：眼红。它的意思不是眼睛变红了，而是看到别人拥有自己没有的东西，觉得羡慕，有时候甚至有点嫉妒。比如：“看见同事升职了，他有点眼红。”
Of course, red can also appear in expressions with negative meanings. For example, 眼红. It doesn’t mean that your eyes have turned red. It means feeling jealous when someone has something you don’t have. For example: “看见同事升职了，他有点眼红。” This means that he feels a little jealous when he sees his colleague get promoted.
接下来是白色。
Next, let’s talk about white.
虽然现在受到西方文化的影响，中国人在结婚的时候也常常穿白色婚纱，但是在传统中国文化中，白色常常与哀悼和死亡有关。这也是为什么我们会把与丧葬有关的事情叫作“白事” 。
Today, influenced by Western culture, many Chinese peoplealso wear white wedding dresses when they get married. However, in traditional Chinese customs, white is often associated with death and funeral. That’s why we call funeral-related matters “白事,” which literally means “white events.”
当然，白色并不总是和悲伤有关。比如这个词：清白。清白的意思是一个人没有做对不起别人的事情。比如，如果有人误会你拿了他的钱，你就可以说：“我没有拿你的钱，我是清白的。”
Of course, white is not always associated with sadness. Takethe word 清白, for example. It means that someone has done nothing wrong and is innocent. For example, if someone wrongly accuses you of taking their money, you can say, “我没有拿你的钱，我是清白的。” “I didn’ttake your money. I’m innocent.”
还有一个有意思的词，叫作白莲花。白莲花本来是一种花，但在现代网络语言中，它常常用来讽刺这样的人：看起来单纯、善良，但实际上可能是在装无辜，或者故意让自己显得很无辜。比如：“他每次做错事都说自己不知道发生了什么，真会装，简直像一朵白莲花。”
There’s another interesting expression: 白莲花. A white lotus is originally just a kind of flower. But in modern Chinese internet slang, this expression is often used to describe someone who seems innocent and kind but may actually be pretending to be innocent or deliberately trying to look that way. For example: “他每次做错事都说自己不知道发生了什么，真会装，简直像一朵白莲花。”“Every time he does something wrong, he says he doesn’t know what happened. He’s so good at pretending to be innocent. He’s just like a white lotus.”
第三种颜色是黑色。
The third color is black.
黑色有时候让人想到严肃、神秘，甚至是负面的事情。不过，黑色也可以很时尚、很有个性。
Black can sometimes make people think of serious,mysterious, or even negative things. However, black can also be fashionable and stylish.
先来看一个有趣的词：黑马。比如：“这支球队成了今年比赛的一匹黑马。”也就是说，一开始大家可能觉得这支球队不会赢，没想到它最后表现得特别好，取得了出人意料的成绩。
Let’s look at an interesting expression: 黑马. For example: “这支球队成了今年比赛的一匹黑马。” “This team has become the black horse of thisyear’s competition.” In other words, people may not have expected the team to win at first, but it ended up performing very well and achieving unexpected results.
当然，黑色也有一些负面的表达，比如黑心。这个词用来形容一个人没有良心，只顾自己的利益，甚至做出伤害别人的事情。如果一家商店为了赚钱，故意把过期的食品卖给顾客，你就可以称它为“黑心商家”。
Of course, black also appears in some negative expressions,such as 黑心.This expression describes someone who has no conscience and only cares about their own interests, even if their actions hurt others. If a shop deliberately sells expired food to customers just to make money, you can call it a “黑心商家,” meaning a dishonest seller.
接下来是黄色。
Next, let’s talk about yellow.
在中国历史上，黄色，尤其是明黄色，曾经与皇帝和皇权紧密联系。在特定的历史背景下，明黄色是皇帝专用的颜色，普通人不能随便使用，一旦使用，就有可能会被杀头。我们经常在古装剧中听到“黄袍” 这个词。黄袍就是黄色的长袍，是皇帝身份的象征。你听到电视剧里的人说 “等我黄袍加身” 意思就是 “等我当了皇帝……”
In Chinese history, yellow, especially bright yellow, was closely connected with emperors and imperial power. In certain historical periods, this shade of yellow was reserved for the emperor. Ordinary people were not allowed to use it freely, and doing so could even lead to the death penalty. You may often hear the word “黄袍” in Chinese historical dramas. A 黄袍 is a yellow robe and a symbol of the emperor’s status. So, when you hear
someone in a TV drama say, “等我黄袍加身,” they mean something like, “Just wait until I become emperor…”
那么，除了皇帝，黄色也可以和我们普通人扯上关系吗？
So, can yellow also be connected to ordinary people?
当然可以。比如，飞黄腾达。这个词比喻一个人的官职、地位迅速上升，或者事业取得巨大的成功。你可以对朋友说：“祝你早日飞黄腾达！”
Of course! One example is 飞黄腾达. This expression describes someone whose career becomes very successful. You can say to a friend, “祝你早日飞黄腾达！” This means, “I hope youachieve great success soon!”
不过，另一个词就没有那么让人开心了。这个词是：黄了。意思是，没有成功了，实现不了了。如果你本来计划了去旅行，但是老板临时叫你加班，你只好取消了旅行计划，这时候，你就可以说：“我的旅行计划黄了。”
However, another expression is not quite so happy. It’s 黄了. This means that something has fallen through or can no longer happen. Imagine you’ve planned a trip, but your boss suddenly asks you to work overtime, so you have to cancel your plans. In this situation, you can say, “我的旅行计划黄了。” “My travel plans have fallen through.”
最后，我们来看看绿色。
Finally, let’s look at green.
绿色通常让人想到自然、环保和健康。比如，骑自行车或者乘坐公共交通工具被称为“绿色出行”，有机食品也常常被叫做“绿色食品”。
Green usually makes people think of nature, the environment,and health. For example, traveling by bike or public transport is called “绿色出行,” meaning eco-friendly travel. Organic food is also often called “绿色食品,”or green food.
除此之外，绿色也可以和方便、帮助别人联系在一起。比如：绿色通道。绿色通道指的是为了方便某些人或特殊情况而设立的快速通道。比如：“医院里有绿色通道，病情严重的患者可以优先接受治疗。”
Besides that, green can also be connected with convenience and helping people. One example is 绿色通道.This expression refers to a fast-track service. For example: “医院里有绿色通道，病情严重的患者可以优先接受治疗。” “The hospital has a fast-track service, so patients with serious conditions can receive treatment first.”
不过，绿色也有一个非常特别的表达：绿帽子。如果有人担心自己被戴绿帽子，意思就是他担心自己的伴侣对自己不忠，和别人发生亲密关系。所以，如果你想送朋友一份礼物，一顶绿色的帽子可能不是一个好的选择！
However, green also appears in a very special expression: 绿帽子. If someone is worried about being “戴绿帽子,” itmeans they’re worried that their partner is cheating on them. So, if you want to buy a friend a gift, a green hat might not be the best choice!
好了，今天我们认识了五种颜色，也学习了十个有趣的中文表达。有些词和传统文化有关，有些词来自日常生活，还有一些词在现代社会中有了新的意思。
So today we’ve learned about five colors and ten interesting Chinese expressions. Some are connected to traditional culture, some come from everyday life, and others have taken on new meanings in modern society.
那么，在你的文化中，有没有一种颜色代表着特别的意义？你的语言里，有没有和颜色相关的特别表达？欢迎留言告诉我！
Is there a color with a special meaning in your culture? Are there any interesting expressions related to colors in your language? Leave a comment!
Wordlist
红色- hóng sè-red
走红- zǒu hóng - to become popular （lit. to walk red）
眼红 – yǎn hóng - to feel jealous (lit. eyes red)
白色 – bái sè -white
清白 – qīng bái - to be innocent (lit. clear white)
白莲花 -bái liánhuā - an apparently innocent person who is seen as pretending to be virtuous (lit. white lotus)
黑色 – hēi sè - black
黑马 – hēi mǎ -an unexpected winner or success (lit.black horse)
黑心 – hēi xīn - to act without conscience (lit. black heart)
黄色 – huáng sè - yellow
飞黄腾达 – fēi huáng téng dá - to achieve great success (lit. fly uplike Feihuang and rise high)
黄了 - huángle - to fail (lit. turned yellow)
绿色 – lǜ sè -green
绿色通道 – lǜ sè tōng dào - a fast-track channel for priority access (lit.green passage)
绿帽子 - lǜ mào zi - a symbol of being cheated on by one's partner (lit. green hat)
