The Translation of Colors

Ⅰ. Classification of Colors 赤橙黄绿青蓝紫，谁持彩练当空舞？ 雨后复斜阳，关山阵阵苍。 — 毛泽东《菩萨蛮.大柏地》 Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet— Who is dancing, waving this colored ribbon against the sky? The sun returns slanting after the rain And hill and pass grow a deeper blue.

Red There are over forty words about 红 in Chinese, such as 金红，绛红，朱红，枣红，烟红，血红… There are more than a hundred words about red and above 20 words about pink, such as cardinal, carnation, scarlet, copper red, crimson.

deep red dark red; dull red 深红 暗红 fresh red/blood red/ bright red 鲜红 light red pink vermeil 淡红 粉红 朱红

red ruin red battle pink slip red tape red meat 火灾 血战 解雇职工通知单 red tape red meat 官僚作风 牛肉、羊肉 Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight, Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning. 朝霞不出门，晚霞行千里。 （red sky 彩霞）

In Chinese, red means good luck. In English, A fine old… gentleman, with a face as red as a rose. The maxim was that when a married couple saw red lawyers saw green.

A fine old… gentleman, with a face as red as a rose. 一位红光满面，精神矍铄的老绅士。（Red can refer to “healthy”） The maxim was that when a married couple saw red lawyers saw green. 俗话说，夫妇吵得脸红耳赤之时，便是律师招财见宝之日。（see red 大发脾气）

1) red :积极的含义：可表示喜庆、热烈、幸运 red letter day 指日历上用红字表示的纪念日或喜庆日子 red carpet 喻指热烈的欢迎，隆重接待 paint the town red （俚语）指酗酒狂欢，大玩一阵

It was a red-letter day for us when Paul came home. 保罗回来的那一天是我们值得庆贺的日子。 Mary's family rolled out the red carpet for her teacher when she came to dinner. 老师来玛丽家吃饭时，全家都表示热烈欢迎。 He's painting the town red in celebration of his good luck at the track. 他为庆祝自己在田径场上运气好而 狂欢痛饮。

2) red：消极含义：可表示流血； 暴力、危险； 赤字、亏损、负债等 have red hands red ruin 犯杀人罪 火灾 red battle red scare 血战 红色恐惧 red alert red light (空袭) 紧急警报 危险信号

see the red light 觉察危险逼近 red figure， red ink 赤字 in the red 亏损、负债 better red than dead 用于表示美国人民宁可受共产党的统治，也不要死于核战争。

A large number of factories operate in the red. 许多工厂都是负债经营。 My bank account is $50 in the red. 我的银行帐户有50美圆的亏空。

3) 汉语的红色还可表示：革命、成功、受到宠信、喜庆等 红军 红卫兵 又红又专 red Army red Guard red and expert 红灯 red lantern (中国表示喜庆、吉祥，西方表示红灯区) 红灯区 red-lit district

汉语着有些“红”字并不用red来翻译： 红运 红利 good luck dividend 红颜 红运 红利 good luck dividend 红颜 a beautiful girl/ a pretty face 红糖 红茶 brown sugar black tea 红榜 红豆 honor roll love pea

红歌星 popular singer 红尘 human society/the world of mortals 红人 a favorite with sb in power 红娘 match maker/go between 红火 flourishing，prosperous

红白喜事 weddings and funerals 红光满面 to be healthy and energetic 满堂红 success in every field 开门红 to begin well，to make a good start，get success at the very beginning， get off to a good start

Green 深绿/墨绿 浅绿 dark green light green 淡绿 豆绿 pale green pea/bean green 茶绿 苹果绿 tea green; plantation apple green 碧绿 azure(苍天, 碧空) green

green house green room 温室 演员休息室 green thumb green light 园艺技能 绿灯，许可 green table in the green 赌桌 青春期 the green years a green old age 青春年华 老当益壮

as green as grass green stuff 无生活经验的 蔬菜，草木 green wound in the green tree (或wood) 未愈合的伤口 处于佳境 green power green card (美) 金钱的力量 绿卡 green meat green power 鲜肉 “金钱的力量”或“财团” green back 美钞（因为美元背面为绿色）（用于口语）

green-eyed monster/green eyed monster/ green with envy/green as jealousy 嫉妒 to look through green glasses 对..感到嫉妒

In English，green refers to jealousy In English，green refers to jealousy. Alice’s friends were green with envy when they saw her new dress. 爱丽丝的女友们看到她新买的裙子时，心中充满了嫉妒。 When John's brother got a new bike, John was green-eyed. 约翰妒忌哥哥买了一辆新自行车。

Green refers to rich. In American political elections the candidates that win are usually the ones who have green power backing them.

In American political elections the candidates that win are usually the ones who have green power backing them. 在美国政治竞选中获胜的候选人通常都是些有财团支持的人物。

Green refers to “lacking training or experience”. green hand greenhorn “My eyes, how green!” exclaimed the young gentleman! (C. Dickens Oliver Twist) You cannot expect Mary to do business with such people. She is only eighteen and as green as grass.

green hand 新手 greenhorn 没有经验的人，刚到一个地方不了解当地习惯的人 “My eyes, how green!” exclaimed the young gentleman! (C. Dickens Oliver Twist) “哎唷，多么幼稚！”小绅士喊道！ You cannot expect Mary to do business with such people. She is only eighteen and as green as grass. 你别指望玛丽同这样的人做生意，她只有十八岁还毫无经验。

The youth was new to the ways of the city and being green as grass, he soon fell into bad company. 那个青年不熟悉城市的情形，又无生活经验，不久就结识了一伙坏人。

He said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, May we all live a green old age and be prosperous and happy.” 他说，女士们先生们，祝我们大家都有一个幸福的晚年，富裕而安康。 (a green old age : a happy old age)

汉语中的“青色”还可表示年轻的、新的、未成熟的、健壮的、永恒的等 青山 green hills/ green mountains 青史 the history book 名垂青史 leave a glorious name in the history

青出于蓝而胜于蓝 the new coming from the old is better than the old 绿帽子 green hat (turban,穆斯林的头巾): being a cuckold

Yellow 深黄 浅黄 deep yellow light yellow 米黄 蛋黄 cream ; pale yellow yolk yellow; egg yellow 金黄 golden yellow; gold

1）英语中“yellow”除表示黄颜色外还可表示胆怯的、卑鄙的、靠不住的、妒忌的、(报刊等) 采用耸人听闻手法的、作低级渲染的等 yellow dog 野狗/杂种狗/卑鄙的小人，忘恩负义之徒 have a yellow streak 懦怯、胆小、卑鄙的行为

yellow belly 可鄙的胆小鬼 Yellow Book 廉价小说/黄皮书（法国等国家的政府报告，用黄封面装帧） the yellow press 低级报刊 ，追求低级趣味和耸人听闻的报刊 yellow looks 可怕的脸色，诧异的眼神

In English, yellow refers to “timid”. He is too yellow to stand up and fight. 他太软弱而不敢站起来反抗。 You don’t want to fight, do you? You are yellow. 你不想打架是吗？你太胆小！

2) In Chinese , yellow often refers to “dirty, filthy, vulgar”. 在汉语中“黄色”是帝皇的象征： 还可以表示低级趣味、色情庸俗、下流猥亵等： 黄色笑话 黄色影片 黄色录象 blue jokes blue films blue video 黄色书刊 obscene books “黄页”，即电话簿 yellow pages

扫黄 to eliminate pornography /to blow or get rid of the obscene things 黄道吉日 the lucky day to do something important 黄毛丫头 a silly little girl

黄泉 the Yellow Spring: the place where the dead were buried 黄梁梦 a fond dream, or illusory joy

Blue 深蓝 浅蓝 dark blue /deep blue light blue 天蓝,蔚蓝 海洋蓝 深蓝 浅蓝 dark blue /deep blue light blue 天蓝,蔚蓝 海洋蓝 sky blue ; azure ocean blue 海蓝 海军蓝 sea blue navy blue 靛青,靛蓝 indigo

1) 英语中的“blue”除表蓝色外，还可表示高压和忠诚，以及禁律严的、下流的、猥亵的、沮丧的、忧郁的、(脸色)发灰的、发紫的等 In English, blue refers to “gloomy/ depressed”. 英语的blue常用来喻指人的“情绪低落”、“心情沮丧”、“忧愁苦闷”

in a blue mood 情绪低沉 a blue Monday （倒霉的星期一），指度过快乐的周末后，星期一又要上学或上班，所以情绪不好。 the blues 忧郁、烦闷

sing the blues 垂头丧气 to have a fit of the blues 沮丧的、低沉的 look or feel blue 沮丧的 be blue in the face (由于愤怒或过分费力) 脸色突变

It was blue Monday and he just did not feel like going back to work. 又是倒霉的星期一，该上班了，可他不愿意。 They felt rather blue after the failure in the football match. 球赛踢输了，他们感到有些沮丧。

She looks blue today. What’s the matter with her? 她今天显得闷闷不乐，出了什么事？ —— She is in holiday blue. 她得了假期忧郁症。

blue 还常用来表示社会地位高、有权势或出身名门贵族或王族 blue blood 贵族血统，贵族出身 blue ribbon 蓝绶带（优胜者荣誉） blue book 名人录/蓝皮书(英国议会报告书) bluestocking 女才子,女学者,对知识和文学有很强兴趣的妇女

He is a real blue blood. 他是真正的贵族。 blue-eyed boys 受到管理当局宠爱和特别照顾的职工 a blue moon 千载难逢的机会

blue 在英语中有时指“黄色的、下流的”意思： blue talk 下流的言论 blue jokes/ blue gag 下流的玩笑 blue video 黄色录像 blue films/movie 黄色电影

Brown 在英语中“brown”除指褐色外，还可与其它词词语搭配组成新词汇表示不同的涵义，使用也较广泛。 brown bread brown paper 黑面包 牛皮纸 brown sugar brown rice 红糖 糙米

brown nose brown stoners 马屁精 贵族气派的人 brown stone district brown polish 富人住宅区 (美) 黑白混血儿 When I saw him, he was in a brown mood (心事重重).

White snow-white 雪白 silver white 银白 milky white; ivory white 乳白

whitesmith white coal 银匠 煤（水力发电） the white way 白光大街（指城里灯光灿烂的商业区） white money white sale 银币 大减价

1) 英语中的“white”其涵义可表示纯洁、 美好、善意、合法、公平、幸福的等 white coffee white room 加牛奶的咖啡 绝尘室 a white lie white day 无恶意的谎言 吉日 white list 白名单(指守法人士、合法机构等) white man white sheep 正直高尚的人 坏人中的好人

white wedding a white war 吉祥的婚礼 不流血的战争 white night white room 吉祥的婚礼 不流血的战争 white night white room 不眠之夜 清洁的房屋 white hope 为某团体(或) 城镇带来荣誉的人 white light 公正无私的裁判

white market 指的官方市场 days marked with a white stone 幸福的日子 the white bird 人的知觉与灵魂

Sometimes we are forced to tell a white lie. 有时我们被迫讲些善意的谎言。 The foreign aid to the country was believed to be nothing but a white elephant. 那个国家得到的外援不但无益而且成了沉重的负担。 Mr. White is a very white man. 忠实可靠

2) 汉语中的“白色”其涵义表示清楚、明白、陈述、纯净、无代价的、无效的、政治上反动的等 真相大白 the fact made clear 黑白不分 confound right and wrong 一穷二白 poor and blank 不分皂白 not tell right or wrong

表白 explain sth for oneself 白丁 very common people 白眼 白痴 dirty look idiot 红白喜事 wedding and funeral

白费力的事 a bad job 白做 get small thanks for something 白干 work without any good result

白吃 eat sth without pay 白给 give sb sth for nothing 白送 give away, free of charge

白菜 白熊 Chinese cabbage polar bear 白蚁 白开水 termite plain boiled water 白卷 unanswered examination paper 白纸 a blank sheet of paper

白班 day shift 白手起家 to build up from nothing 白匪 white bandits 白色恐怖 white terror

汉语里“白手”是“一无所有”，而英语的white hand则有“pure”(纯洁)、或“unstained/innocent”(清白)之意。 要说“白手起家”，只能用start from scratch或build up from nothing表示。 而He has white hands绝不是说“他的手白”，而是指“他是清白无辜的”。

Black carbon black 炭黑 dull black 漆黑 The Black Friday unlucky days/ inauspicious days

black coffee 浓咖啡 , 不加牛奶或糖的咖啡 black tea black strap 红茶 红葡萄酒 红茶 红葡萄酒

black mail black flag 敲诈 海盗旗 black smith a black mood 铁匠 情绪低落 the black art black sheep 妖术 害群之马/败家子 black leg black man 骗子 恶魔

black heart black list 指奸恶、阴险的人 黑名单 black dog black look 忧郁、不开心的人 怒视/恶狠狠的神色 black despair a black letter day 大失所望 不吉祥的日子，倒霉的一天 black Friday 指复活节前的星期五，耶稣在此日受难, 指大灾大难、凶险不祥的日子

black and blue 青一块、紫一块 black eye 指被打得发青的眼睛，口语中指挫败；不好的名声，不体面 black spot 交通事故多发地段，事故、犯罪焦点 black house 指军营中的牢房

black money 黑钱（指来源不正当而且没有向政府报税的钱） black market 黑市交易或黑市；由此派生出black market price黑市价格 black figure / in the black 盈利、赚钱、顺差 black figure nation 国际收支顺差国

The committee gave him a black eye; they turned down his proposal. 委员会使他大受挫折；他们断然拒绝了他的提议。 Jim has a few black marks against him, but in general he is O.K. 吉姆有一些过失，但一般说来，他是不错的。 Poor Tom, who is always the black sheep of the family, is always in disgrace. 可怜的汤姆，他是这一家的 不肖之子，总是不受人尊重。

black in the face 脸色铁青 to look black at sb 对某人怒目而视 I got some black looks from the shopkeeper when I cancelled my order. 当我取消订单时，老板对我怒目 而视。

2) 汉语中的“黑色”也多表示贬意，如“阴暗的、非法的、秘密的、坏的、狠毒的等 黑市 黑哨 unlawful market black whistle  黑心人 the very cruel people 黑幕 the evil inside of something 黑手 the reactionary power having some evil activities secretly  

黑社会组织 the unlawful social organization doing some illegal activities as their job 黑货 the unlawful carrying or selling goods 黑帮 the reactionary gangs

黑户 unregistered household 黑店  gangster inn  打黑  crack down on speculation (做投机卖卖) and profiteering(牟取暴利)

Exercise: Mr. Brown is a very white man. He was looking rather green the other day. He has been feeling blue lately. When I saw him he was in a brown study. I hope he will soon be in the pink again.

Mr. Brown is a very white man Mr. Brown is a very white man. He was looking rather green the other day. He has been feeling blue lately. When I saw him he was in a brown study. I hope he will soon be in the pink again. 布朗先生是个非常忠实可靠的人。那天，他脸上颇有病容，近来他闷闷不乐，我看到他时，他在沉思之中。希望他早日恢复健康。

Ⅱ. Color and Society 1. Color and Class In China, yellow represents the color of royal family while in western countries, purple does it. 紫罗兰色 墨紫 violet violet black 浅紫 淡紫 grey violet pale purple ;lavender 浅绛红 purple light

purple wine 红葡萄酒，不是“紫色酒” to raise to the purple 升为红衣主教 to be born in the purple 生于帝王之家 to marry into the purple 与皇室或贵族联姻

2. Color and Economy red ink in the red black market white goods brown goods green food green power green field project gray area 黑货 灰色收入 生意红火

red ink 赤字 in the red 亏本 in the black 盈利 black market 黑市 white goods 白色货物，指冰箱、洗衣机等家用电器，外表是白色的 brown goods 棕色货物，指电视机、录音机、音响等电子产品，外壳多为褐色

green food 绿色食品 green power 金钱的力量 green field project 新开发的项目 gray area 指工人失业严重的灰色地区 黑货 smuggled goods 灰色收入 grey income 生意红火 prosperous/flourishing business