Color in Chinese culture - wikipedia Color in Chinese culture Red paper lanterns for sale in Shanghai, 2012. The color red symbolizes luck and is believed to ward away evil. Color in Chinese culture refers to the certain values that Chinese culture attaches to colors, like which colors are considered auspicious ( 吉利 ) or inauspicious ( 不利 ). The Chinese word for `` color '' is yánsè ( 顏色 ). In Classical Chinese, the character sè ( 色 ) more accurately meant `` color in the face '', or `` emotion ''. It was generally used alone and often implied sexual desire or desirability. During the Tang Dynasty, the word yánsè came to mean all color. A Chinese idiom which is used to describe many colors, Wǔyánliùsè ( 五颜六色 ), can also mean colors in general. Contents 1 Theory of the Five Elements 2 Black 3 Red 4 Green 5 White 6 Yellow 7 See also 8 References Theory of the five elements In traditional Chinese art and culture, black, red, qing ( 青 ) ( a conflation of the idea of green and blue ), white and yellow are viewed as standard colors. These colors correspond to the five elements of water, fire, wood, metal and earth, taught in traditional Chinese physics. Throughout the Shang, Tang, Zhou and Qin dynasties, China 's emperors used the Theory of the Five Elements to select colors. Element Wood Fire Earth Metal Water Color Green / blue Red Yellow White Black Direction east south center west north Planet Jupiter Mars Saturn Venus Mercury Heavenly creature Azure Dragon 青龍 Vermilion Bird 朱雀 Winged Snake 螣 蛇 White Tiger 白虎 Black Tortoise 玄武 Heavenly Stems 甲, 乙 丙, 丁 戊, 己 庚, 辛 壬, 癸 Phase New Yang Full Yang Yin / Yang balance New Yin Full Yin Energy Generative Expansive Stabilizing Contracting Conserving Season Spring Summer Change of seasons ( Every third month ) Autumn Winter Climate Windy Hot Damp Dry Cold Development Sprouting Blooming Ripening Withering Dormant Livestock dog sheep / goat cattle chicken pig Fruit plum apricot jujube peach chestnut Grain wheat beans rice hemp millet Black Black, corresponding to water, is a neutral colour. The I Ching, or Book of Changes, regards black as Heaven 's color. The saying `` heaven and earth of mysterious black '' was rooted in the observation that the northern sky was black for a long time. They believed Tian Di, or Heavenly Emperor, resided in the North Star. The Taiji symbol uses black and white to represent the unity of yin and yang. Ancient Chinese people regarded black as the king of colors and honored black more consistently than any other color. Lao Zi said that five colors make people blind, so the Dao School chose black as the color of the Dao. In modern China, black is used in daily clothing. White is associated with death and mourning and was formerly worn at funerals, but depends on the age of passing. Red Contemporary red envelopes See also : Vermilion § Chinese Red Red, corresponding with fire, symbolizes good fortune and joy. Red is found everywhere during Chinese New Year and other holiday celebrations and family gatherings. A red envelope is a monetary gift which is given in Chinese society during holiday or special occasions. The red color of the packet symbolizes good luck. Red is strictly forbidden at funerals as it is a traditionally symbolic color of happiness ; however, as the names of the dead were previously written in red, it may be considered offensive to use red ink for Chinese names in contexts other than official seals. In modern China, red remains a very popular color and is affiliated with and used by the Government. Green Generally green is associated with health, prosperity, and harmony. Green is also the color of jade. Separately, green hats are associated with infidelity and used as an idiom for a cuckold. This has caused uneasiness for Chinese Catholic bishops, who in ecclesiastical heraldry would normally have a green hat above their arms. Chinese bishops have compromised by using a violet hat for their coat of arms. Sometimes this hat will have an indigo feather to further display their disdain for the color green. White White, corresponding with metal, represents gold and symbolises brightness, purity, and fulfilment. White is also the color of mourning. It is associated with death and is used predominantly in funerals in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese people wore white clothes and hats only when they mourned for the dead. Yellow A Peking glass vase in Imperial Yellow, a shade of yellow so named for the banner of the Qing Dynasty. Yellow, corresponding with earth, is considered the most beautiful and prestigious color. The Chinese saying, Yellow generates Yin and Yang, implies that yellow is the center of everything. Associated with but ranked above brown, yellow signifies neutrality and good luck. Yellow is sometimes paired with red in place of gold. Yellow was the emperor 's colour in Imperial China and is held as the symbolic color of the five legendary emperors of ancient China. Yellow often decorates royal palaces, altars and temples, and the color was used in the robes and attire of the emperors. Yellow also represents freedom from worldly cares and is thus esteemed in Buddhism. Monks ' garments are yellow, as are elements of Buddhist temples. Yellow is also used as a mourning color for Chinese Buddhists. Yellow is also symbolic of heroism, as opposed to the Western association of the colour with cowardice. Yellow also means pornography in modern Chinese. For example, yellow movie ( 黄片 ) means blue movie, decimates yellow ( 扫黄 ) means wipe out pornography. See also Chinese art Culture of China Culture of the People 's Republic of China Fashion of China Luck Numbers in Chinese culture References Jump up ^ see Funeral # Funerals in East Asia Jump up ^ Norine Dresser, Multicultural Manners : New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society, ISBN 0 - 471 - 11819 - 2, 1996, page 67 ^ Jump up to : Psychology of Color : Does a specific color indicate a specific emotion ? By Steve Hullfish July 19, 2012 Chinese New Year Culture of China Topics Nian Lion dance Dragon dance New Year picture Red envelope Reunion dinner Fireworks Firecracker Chinese dragon Fu Food Nian gao Spring pancake Jiaozi Bakkwa Buddha 's delight Fa gao Fat choy Yau gok Kralan Kuih Lotus seed Pineapple tart Squab Taro cake Turnip cake Yusheng Melon seed Mandarin orange Fish Other CCTV New Year 's Gala Chinese calendar Chunyun Color in Chinese culture San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade Golden Week Culture portal China portal Color topics Red Orange Yellow Green Cyan Blue Indigo Violet Purple Magenta Pink Brown White Gray Black Color science Color physics Electromagnetic spectrum Light Rainbow Visible Spectral colors Chromophore Structural coloration Animal coloration On Vision and Colors Metamerism Spectral power distribution Color perception Color vision Color blindness Achromatopsia test Tetrachromacy Color constancy Color term Color depth Color photography Spot color Color printing Web colors Color mapping Color code Color management Chrominance False color Chroma key Color balance Color cast Color temperature Eigengrau Color psychology Color symbolism Color preferences Lüscher color test Kruithof curve Political color National colors Chromophobia Chromotherapy Color philosophy Color space Color model additive subtractive Color mixing Primary color Secondary color Tertiary color ( intermediate ) Quaternary color Quinary color Aggressive color ( warm ) Receding color ( cool ) Pastel colors Color gradient Color scheme Color tool Monochromatic colors Complementary colors Analogous colors Achromatic colors ( Neutral ) Polychromatic colors Impossible colors Light - on - dark Tinctures in heraldry Color theory Chromaticity diagram Color solid Color wheel Color triangle Color analysis ( art ) Color realism ( art style ) Color terms Basic terms Blue Green Red Yellow Pink Purple Orange Black Gray White Brown Cultural differences Linguistic relativity and the color naming debate Blue -- green distinction in language Color history Color in Chinese culture Traditional colors of Japan Human skin color Color dimensions Hue Dichromatism Colorfulness ( chroma and saturation ) Tints and shades Lightness ( tone and value ) Grayscale Color organizations Pantone Color Marketing Group The Color Association of the United States International Colour Authority International Commission on Illumination ( CIE ) International Color Consortium International Colour Association Lists List of colors : A -- F List of colors : G -- M List of colors : N -- Z List of colors ( compact ) List of colors by shade List of color palettes List of color spaces List of Crayola crayon colors history pencil colors marker colors Color chart List of fictional colors List of RAL colors List of web colors Related Vision Image processing Multi-primary color display Quattron Qualia Lighting Local color ( visual art ) Portal Index of color - related articles Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Color_in_Chinese_culture&oldid=832352431 '' Categories : Chinese culture Wu Xing Color in culture Hidden categories : Articles containing Chinese - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bahasa Melayu Nederlands ไทย 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 25 March 2018, at 13 : 29. 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Question: what does the color red mean on new years
Answer: good fortune