英语毕业论文Culture-in-Color-Terms-between-China-and-the-West

PAGEPAGE第1页共14页从颜色词看中西方文化CultureinColorTermsbetweenChinaandtheWestAbstract:BothinChineseandEnglish,therearemanycolorwords,whichexpressmentalityandemotionsofpeopleunderdifferentculturebackgrounds.Bymakingacomparisonofthesewords,peoplecanunderstandtheircultureimplications.Asanunusualgroupofthelexicalsystem,colorterms,comparedwithotherwordcategories,havetheiroutstandingpeculiarities.Studyingthecultureimplicationsofthewordsisofgreatimportanceforsuccessfulcommunication.FocusingonthedifferentculturalconnotationsofcolorwordsinChineseandEnglish,thispaperpresentsacomparativeanalysisoftheirstructuralcharacteristics,semanticevolution,andgrammaticalfunctions,etc.TheauthoristryingtomakeananalysisonbasiccolortermsinEnglishandChinesebycomparingtheirsemanticmeaningsandculturebackgrounds.Inthesecontraststudy,wecanknowthattheimplicationofcolorsinChineseandEnglishisbasedonthenationalculturalpsychologyandthenaturalreaction.Thewordsofcolorplayanimportantroleinnationalcommunication,wecanexcavatethemutualaffectionofChineseandEnglish,it’simportantforourstudy.Keywords:colorwords;culturalimplications;translation;comparison摘要：在中文和英文中，有许多表达来自不同文化背景下人们的感情和思想的颜色词。通过对这些颜色词的比较，我们就会明白隐藏在这些词之后的含义。作为词汇学里一个不寻常的群组，与其他词类相比，颜色词有他自己重要的特色。学习这些含义对我们的交际有很大的帮助。这篇论文对比分析了这些颜色词及短语在中西方的发展史，语法和其含义。作者通过在语义和文化背景两方面的对比对中西方的基本颜色词做了详细分析。在这些对比中，我们可以得知在民族心理和自然反应下中西方的不同颜色词的含义。颜色词在国际交际中扮演着重要的角色，我们可以发掘出中西方的互相作用力，这对我们的学习有很大帮助。关键词：颜色词，文化寓意，翻译，对比ContentsI.Introduction………………..……1II.ReviewofBasicColorTermsinEnglishandChinese………….……………1A.Historicalreviewofcolor……………1B.People’sscientificviewoncolor……………………..2C.TheoreticreviewofbasiccolortermsinEnglishandChinese……….…………...2III.SemanticComparisonandContrastofColorTermsinEnglishandChinese……………………..2A.SemanticcomparisonofcolortermsinEnglishandChinese……….……………21.Black………………….…………..32.White…………………..…………43.Red……………………..…………54.Blue……………………...…….….65.Yellow……………………..……………..………7B.Comparisonoftheassociativemeanings………..…8IV.CulturalComparisonandContrastofColorTermsinEnglishandChinese……………………..………………8A.Colortermsandreligions……………8B.Colortermsandtaboos………………9V.Conclusion…..………………...…………9WorksCited…..……….………..…………11CultureinColorTermsbetweenChinaandtheWest第12页共11页I.IntroductionPeoplearelivinginabeautiful,wonderful,andcolorfulworld:thereisbluesky,whiteclouds,redflowers,greengrassandsoon.Itisobviousthatthelifeissocloselyconnectedwithcolorsthatcolorsareplayingaveryimportantroleinthelife.Forcenturies,people’sresearchoncolorshasneverbeenstopped.Onthecontrary,people’sutilizationofthemhasbecomemoreandmoreefficient.Colorisanaturalbroadspectrumtocertainsituations,conditionsandpresenceofthecertainmoments.Everythinghasitsowncolor.Asweknow,thedevelopmentofhumancognitionandlanguagecannotbeseparatedfromapperceiveandexperiencewhichwegetfromtheexternalsource.Differentlanguagesmakedifferentculture.Whatdoes“greenwithenvy”mean?Dopeopleturngreenwhentheyhavefeelingsofenvy?IfPaulisinabluemood,inwhatkindofmoodheis?Ishejoyful,excited,orsad.Intheexpressionsabove,greenandblueobviouslydonotmeanjustthecolor.Eachhasadditionalmeanings—certainculturalassociation—thatarenotevidencefromthewordsalone.Thispaperholdsthatamongvariousdefinitionsofculture,ourconcernshouldbeitsanthropologicalsense—thedepositofknowledge,experience,beliefs,values,actions,attitudes,meanings,hierarchies,religion,notionsoftime,roles,spatialrelations,conceptsoftheuniverse,andartifacts(tools,pottery,houses,machines,worksofart)acquiredbyagroupofpeopleinthecourseofgenerationsthroughindividualandgroupstriving.Inthispaper,theculturalassociationofcertaincolorswillbediscussed,with“colorful”phrasesandexpressionsinbothChinaandtheWestusedasillustration.II.ReviewofBasicColorTermsinEnglishandChineseA.HistoricalreviewofcolorAttheverytimewhenhumanbeingsappeared,theyfoundthemselvesintheworldwhichwasfullofcolors.However,people’srecognitiononcolorwentthroughafairlyhardandlongprocess.Inancienttime,colorwasregardedasakindofmagic.Thus,itwascommonforpeopleofthattimetopaintthedeadpeoplewithdarkercolor.Moreover,thatfunerarycustomcanstillbefoundinmanyracesofAsiaandSouthAmericanow.Peoplewouldliketodrawsomepicturesonthedead’sfacesandbodies,whicharemostlyinred,whiteorblack,especiallyinred.Anthropologistspointoutthatbloodisthesymboloflife,thustocolortheredisawayforthepeopletoexpresstheirhopeofthedead’sreviving.Obviously,colorwasonceconsideredasakindofmagic.However,atthattimecolorwasonlyusedasatoolforpeopletoexpressorlongforthehappinessoflife,thesadnessofdeath,thejoyofvictory,andsoon.Afterwards,withthedevelopmentofcognition,ancientpeoplebeganusingcolortodecoratesomecertainkindsofobjects.Thus,littlebylittle,colorlostitsmagic,andbecameakindofsymbolinstead.Asthetimegoes,colorbecameakindofspecialsymbol,whichwascloselylinkedwithhuman’slife.However,people’sscientificviewoncolorcameoutfarlaterthantheirdevelopingandutilizingonit.B.People’sscientificviewoncolorInancientGreece,aphilosophercalledZenon(342–270B.C.)oncepointedoutthatcolorwastheoriginalformofsubstance.Also,Aristotle(384–322B.C.)madeagreatdealofstudyoncolorandclaimedthatdarknesswascausedbythelackoflight.However,someoftheirfindingswerepartialandverylimited.ForBacon,therainbowheldthekeynotonlytoanexplanationofvisionbutalsotothewholeofscienceitself.Thoughmoderncolorscienceislessconnectingwithitsgoals,itsambitionsaresimilar.Againstthisbackground,NewtoneradicatedthelasttracesofAristoteliandistinctionsbetweenlightsandsurfacesbydemonstratingthatthecolorarespecialdispositionsintherays,thatis,theelementaryconstituentsoflightaremonochromaticbeams.In1666,Newton,fortheresttimeinhislifeaswellasinhuman’shistory,distinguishedsevencolorsintheorder:red,orange,yellow,green,blueandpurple,thatpushedforwardthestudyofcoloragreatdeal.Afterthat,manyotherscientistscontinuedtheirstudyoncolorandmademanyprogresses.Thereisonethingforsurethatfromtheveryancienttimetonowcolorhasbeencontinuouslyandeverlastinglydecoratingourplanet.C.TheoreticreviewofbasiccolortermsinEnglishandChineseAsanelement,whichisusedtoconveytheconceptofcolor,colortermsareinthelanguagesystem,agroupofspecialwords.Thecolor-termsystemhasverydistinctiveculturalconnotation,whichmakesitselfaspecialwindowfortheresearcherstostudythewholesystemofwords.Peoplealwaysuselanguagetoexpresstheirunderstandingsandthought.III.SemanticComparisonandContrastofColorTermsinEnglishandChineseA.SemanticcomparisonandcontrastofthecolortermsinEnglishandChineseInstudyingthesubjectofcolors,asearlyas1952,KroeberandKluckhohnlisted164definitionsofculturethattheyfoundintheanthropologyliterature.And,manynewdefinitionshaveappearedsincethen.AccordingtoBatesandPlog,“Cultureisasystemofsharedbeliefs,values,customs,behaviors,andartifactsthatthemembersofasocietyusetocopewiththeirworldandwithoneanother,andthataretransmittedfromgenerationtogenerationthroughlearning”(1953).Becauseofdifferenthistory,geography,ideology,economics,politics,culture,language,lifestyle,socialcustoms,etc.,peopleindifferentpartsoftheworld,especiallythoseintheEastandthoseintheWestdodifferentmeaningintheirculturalpatternsororientations.Differentcolorshavedifferentimplications,sometimes,becauseoftheculturebackground,thesamecolorhasdifferentimplicationsinChinaandtheWest.TheauthorofthispaperanalyzesimplicationofcolorstoillustrateculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheWest.Suchexamplesofcoloraswhite,black,blue,yellow,redaregivenasfollows.1.BlackThecolorblackisoftenassociatedwithnegativequalities,whichistrueinbothEnglishandChinese.Forexample,“blackhearted”meansevil,withanegativemeaning.Itisthebasictaboocolorinthewesternculturetobeblack,havereflectedwesterner’sspiritualabandoninganddisgust.Itsymbolizesthedeath,illomenanddisaster.FurtherexamplesinEnglishmayinclude“ablackday”,“ablackspot”,“ablacksheep”,“ablackmood”,“ablackcomedy”and“ablacklook”.“Ablacksheep”referstomember(ofafamilyorothergroups)whoisthoughttobeadisgracetoothermembers,justlikein“Noweveryprofessionhasgotitsblacksheep”.“Ablackmood”referstoakindofdepression,badtemper,etc.Justlikein“Hehasbeeninablackmoodeversincetheboardmeeting”.“Ablackcomedy”referstoaplayinwhichcomicelementsarecombinedwithmoretragicorabsurdlyevilones.“Ablacklook”isalookofstrongdislike,disapproval,etc,asin“Isawhiswifegivinghimablacklookwhenhebroughtoutthesecondbottleofwhisky”.BlackinEnglishisalsoassociatedwithmelancholy,pessimism,sorrowandunluckiness.Forexample,“Blackart”,whichreferstomagicormonstrousskill.“Blackball”meansavote,whichisagainstsomeoneorsomething,orarefusaltosomeoneistakingpartin.“Blackdeath”referstoadeadlydiseaseinthefourteenthcentury,whileblacklegreferstoacheat.“Black-letterday”,whichisoppositeto“Red-letterday”,meansanunluckyday.“Ablacklie”meansalie,whichisfullofevilintentions.Since1960’s,“Black”hastakentheplaceof“Negro”,whichmakestheblackpeoplefeelproud.Accordingly,thereappearedsomenewwordssuchasblackculture,blacknationalism,blackEnglishandblackstudies.Interestingly,inbusinessEnglish,runningabusinessprofitably,“intheblack”hasagoodmeaning,runningabusinessprofitably.Forexample,“Sincehebecameamanager,thecompanyhasbeenrunningintheblack”.BothinChineseandEnglishtherearevarioustermsindicatingthatblackisoftenassociatedwithnegativequalities:blacklist,blackmarket,black-heartedandsomeofothers.InChineseculture,blackisamysteriouscolorwithseveraldifferentassociations.“玄”isoneformtorefertothecolorblack,andthischaracterconveysasenseofpuzzlementormystery,forexample“玄机”,“玄术”,“玄要”.Anotherformissimply“黑”,whichmainlyconveystheideaofdarkness,danger,rebellion,orunlawfulness.Forexample,“黑”in“黑咕隆咚”,“黑压压”meansdark,whilein“黑帮”,“黑手”,“黑”meansrebellious,whichisincontrastwith“红”inChinese.“黑市”meansanillegalmarket,and“黑心肠”meansanevilheartorintention.2.WhiteTonativespeakersofEnglish,whiteconnotespurityandinnocence.Thatiswhythebridesaredressedinwhiteinwesterncountries.“Whitespirit”referstoapureheart,andtomakeone’snamewhiteagain,meanstovindicatesomeoneandrecoverhimagoodfameagain,like“Hestruggledfortwentyyearsjustinordertomakehisnamewhiteagain”.InsomeEnglishexpressions,whitehassomeotherassociations.“AwhiteChristmas”meansitsnowedatChristmastime,like“ThewomanrubbedherhandsandobservedthatitwascoldenoughtohaveawhiteChristmas”.Thisexpressionisincontrastwith“agreenChristmas”whichreferstoaChristmaswithoutsnow.“Awhite-collarjob”isaprofessional,businessorclericalemployment,like“Theexpansionofhighereducationleadanincreasingnumberofpeopletoexpectingwhite-collarjobs”.“Awhitehope”referstoatalentedpersonwhoisthoughtlikelytobringsuccessorvictory,like“Ourwhitehopewreckedhiskneeontheeveofthematchsoweweredoomedfromthestart”.TomostChineseandWesterners,whitehascertainsimilarconnotations:purity,innocence.ButdoesthisapplytotheEnglishterm“whitelie”?Canaliebeinnocent?Theanswerisnegative,“awhitelie”issupposedtobeaharmlessone.“Awhitelie”isaliethatdoesnoharmandtellingalieismerelymoreconvenientorpolitethantellingthetruth,forexample,Isaidtherewasnomoredrinkinthehouse,“awhitelie”amplyjustifiedbytheneedtogethimsoberedup.Foranotherexample,anoldersistermightsaytoayoungersisterandherboyfriend:“Youtwogoaheadtothemovie.I’vegotalotofworktonight.Thanksanyway.”Sheknowsthatthetwowanttogooutaloneandthatshewasinvitedjustforthesakeofpoliteness.Soshemakesuptheexcusethatshehasalotofworktodo.Thisisawhitelie,onebywhichnoharmordeceitisintended.Thecolorwhiteisnotnecessarilyassociatedwithsomethinggood.“Awhiteelephant”and“Awhitenight”,havebadorunpleasantconnotations.“Awhiteelephant”issomethinguseless,seldomused,ortoocostlytobemaintained,like“TherecentbudgethasofferedhundredsofmillionsofpoundstoshoreupprivateenterprisesandtofinancesuchwhiteelephantsasConcordeandtheChannelTunnel”.“Awhitenight”issimplyasleeplessnight,like“Iwasnotparticularlytiredorsleepyaftermywhitenight”.And“Awhiteslave”referstoawhite-skinnedprostitute,especiallyoneinveigledintoaforeigncountrybythepromiseofotheremployment,like“PeoplesaythatEarl’scourtisthecentreofthewhiteslavetrade”.Iwouldn’tdoubtit.Thereiscontinualsexualelectricityintheair.InChinese,theequivalenceofwhiteis“白”or“素”.TheChineseword“白”inthephrase“清清白白”isexplicitlyassociatedwithpurityandinnocence,whichhasthesamemeaningasthatof“洁白”and“白玉无暇”.InChineseculture,whiteisalsothesymbolofdeath,therefore,“白事”actuallymeansfunerals,andthevehiclesusedforthatpurposearecalled“白车”or“素车”.Inancientchina,“白衣”wasusedtorefertothecommonpeople,andthosewhodidn'tgetanypositionsinofficeswerecalled“白身”.InBeijingopera,thecolorsoffaceshaveprofoundmeanings,andwhiteisanunpleasantcolor,however.CaoCao’sface,forexample,whichisinwhitecolor,signifiesslyness.“小白脸”isalsoaderogatoryword,whichreferstothemanwhoishandsomebutinsincere,andalwaysreliesonwomen.InChinese,whiteisalsousedastheoppositesideofred,whichmeansrebellion,alwaysinaderogatorysense.“白军”,“白匪”,“白狗子”areallreferringtotheenemies,“白区”isthedistrictorplacewheretheenemyoccupies.3.RedTheredcolorisusuallyassociatedwithcelebrationsandjoyfuloccasions.ThisistruebothinEnglishspeakingcountriesandChina.Inwesterncountries,redisthecoloroflife,aswellasthecoloroffireandblood.Therefore,redcanbeusedtorepresentlife,birth,love,warmth,inspiredpassionandcelebration.Forexample,inEnglishwefindsuchexpressionsas“ared-letterday”,“holyred”,“paintthetownred”,and“rollouttheredcarpet”.“Ared-letterday”meansadayspeciallylookedforwardto,orremembered,whensomethingremarkableandusuallypleasurablewillhappen,orhappened,likein“TheNationalDayisared-letterday”.Theexpressionisprobablybasedonchurchcustoms.Itcomesfromthefactthatincalendarsallholidaysareprintedinredandotherdaysareprintedinblack.“Topaintthetownred”meanstoenjoyalively,boisteroustimeinpublicplaces,oftenattractthenoticeof,orcausesomedisturbancetoothers.“Torollouttheredcarpet”referstomakingarespectfulreceptionorattention,like“Theyneverexpectedtobegiventheredcarpetuntiltheyarrivedthere”.Ontheotherhand,redcolorisnotalwaysassociatedwithsomethingpleasant.Italsoconveysthemeaningofwar,lossofblood,thedestructivepoweroffireandhatred.Therefore,italsoactsasasignofwarning,danger,evendeath.Forexample,“inthered”meansatalotofprofit.“Redflag”conveysthemeaningofasignfordanger,whichwarnspeoplenottogoon.“Red-handed”isusedforthecriminalswhoarecaughtatthespot,forexample,“Thethiefwascaughtred-handedinthesupermarketwhenhetriedtoescape”.“Redtape”meanstherigidapplicationandobservationofrulesandregulationsinalltheirminutedetailswithoutregardfortheendtheyweredesignedtoachieve,asin“Susanisacasualgirlwhohatestheredtape”.Thisexpressioncamefromlawyersandgovernmentofficials’formerpracticeofkeepingtheirpapersandrecordsinbundlestiedwithredtape.Redisalsoassociatedwithcertainemotionssuchasembarrassment,excitementofanger.“Seered”means“togetextremelyangry”,while“wavingaredflag”meansdoingsomethingthatcouldcausequickangerinotherpeople,asin“Themerementionofhishatedcousin’snamewaslikewavingaredflaginfrontofhim”.Moreover,“redrag”conveysroughlythesamemeaningas“wavingaredflag”,asinthemerementionofthatincidentisaredragorsomethingtoteasethebull.“Redmeat”issimplybeefandmutton,incontrastwith“whitemeat”,whichreferstochickenandotherfowls,while“redcaps”refertoportersinAmericanEnglishormilitarypolicemeninBritishEnglish.InEnglishredisassociatedwithrevolutionandcommunism.Theword“Red”withacapital“R”,isoftenusedasasynonymforacommunist,usuallyinaderogatorysense.InChina,rediscalled“赤”,“朱”,“丹”orsimply“红”.ThecolorredplaysaveryimportantroleinChinesepeople’slife.Itisthecolorofluck,associatedwithwarmth,life,anddenotesgoodfortuneandhappiness.Itisusedespeciallyforfestivals.Redisalsothecolorofweddings.InChina,“双喜”iseitherwritteninredorwrittenonapieceofredpapertosymbolizeaneventofspecialjoy,suchasaweddingoropeningabusiness.“红喜事”specificallyreferstoawedding.“披红挂彩”isatraditionalwaytocelebrateaneventofhappiness.Similarlyin“开门红”，theredcoloristhesymbolicofgoodfortune.Probablybecauseoftheatmosphereinweddings,thecolorredgetsanotherassociativemeaning,whichconveysprosperityorpopularity,suchas“大红大紫”,“红人”,“走红”or“红火”whichmeanagoodbusiness.Redalsosymbolizesembarrassment,shyness,oranger,forexample,“脸红脖子粗”.ThecolorofredisalwaysassociatedwithrevolutioninChina,anditisthecolorthatChinesepeoplelike.“红心”meansafaithfulheart,and“红区”,“红色政权”,“红旗”,“赤卫队”areallrelatedtorevolution.OnemorethingthatneedsmentioningisthatinChina,redisalsocloselyrelatedtofemales,asin“红颜”,“红袖”,“红妆”，whichrefertoprettywomenorfairladies.4.BlueInEnglishblueisusuallyassociatedwithunhappyfeelings.“Hewasblueoverhisdismissal”simplymeans“Hewassadforhisdismissal”.Moreover,either“inabluemood”or“havingtheblues”meansasad,gloomyordepressedmood.“BlueMonday”hasthesamemeaning,asin“ItwasblueMondayandhedidn’tfeellikegoingbacktowork”.IninformalEnglish,“abluefit”meansextremeannoyance,alarmorirritation,asin“she’dtakenabluefitifshehadknownhewasoutinaboatalone”.Thebluesisakindofmusicthatismelancholy,andthustobeinthebluesandtosingthebluesrefertobeinginaverysadmood.However,“abluefilm”isnotasadfilm,itisafilm,whichcontainsobscenematerial,hasexplicitreferenceortoportrayalofsexualacts.“Bluejoke”meansthejokewithunpleasantandsexualcontents.Bluesisalsoassociatedwithhighsocialpositionorbeingaristocratic.Forexample,“blueblood”meansaristocraticlineage,like“theyboastedalineageofpureblueblood”.“Blueribbon”referstothehighesthonororchampionship.Itisabadgeindicatingthefirstprizeinacompetition,like“hisentryatthestatefairwonablueribbon”.Thephrase“bluestocking”whichcamefromthetraditionofLondoninthemiddleofthe18thcenturyreferstointelligentwomen,becausetheyworebluestockingsinsteadofblackones.Forexample,“Sheisaveritablebluestocking,hernosealwaysstuckinabookandherinterestsdevoidofwomanlypursuits”.Inaddition,inAmericanEnglish,“bluebook”isnotabookwithabluecover,itisabookwithnamesofwell-knownpersons,especiallygovernmentofficials.“Bluebeard”originallyreferredtothemaninbluebeard,andnowitmeansextremelycruelhusband.“Theblue-collarjobs”aremanualwork,orskilled,semiskilledorunskilledlabor,asin“Boysfromblue-collarhomesarestill4timeslesslikelytogettouniversitythanthechildrenofparentsareinnon-manualwork”.TheequivalenceofblueinChineseis“蓝”or“青”.Thecolorblueisextractedfromakindofindigoplant.ThereforeinChinesethereisafamousproverb“青出蓝而胜于蓝”(Bluecomesfromtheindigoplantbutisbluerthantheplantitself，whichconveysthemeaningof“thepupilsurpassesthemaster”.“青天”referstothebluesky,withadeepermeaningofacleanandfairauthority.And“青云”meansaveryhighpositioningovernment.Therefore,inChina,thecolorbluehasmanypositiveassociations,andmakespeoplepleasant,comfortableandimaginative.5.YellowInChinese,yellowistheappropriativecolorofempire.Itsignifyorthodoxy,grandeurandbright.“黄袍加身”means“tobedressedwiththeimperialyellowrobebyone’ssupportersandemperor”.Ithasthesamemeaningas“raisesb.thepurple”.Chineseemperor’s“黄车”isreferringtotheyellowcoachusedbytheancientChineseemperor.YellowappearsinsuchChineseexpressionsas“黄色电影”,“黄色书刊”,“黄色音乐”.HowshouldthesebetranslatedintoEnglish?Itisnot“yellowmovies”,“yellowbooks”,and“yellowmusic”.Suchtermswouldnotbeunderstood.For“黄色”,onemightusepornographic,trashy,obscene,filthy,orvulgar,asinpornographicpictures,obscenemovies,filthybooks,vulgarmusic.YellowdoesappearintheEnglishphrase“yellowjournalism”,itmeansakindofjournalismwithheavyemphasisonscandals,orpresentingordinarynewsinasensationalmanner,sometimesevendistortingthefactstocreateasensationaleffect.Inaddition,inmostAmericanhomes,onecanfindabigthickbookcalled“YellowPage”.Thisisabookwiththetelephonenumbersofdifferentshops,business,organizations,etc.,arrangedaccordingtodifferentcategories.Forexample,allthefoodstores,alltheradioshops,alltheamusementparks,alltheairlines,allthehospitals.Itisamostusefulbook.Itspagesareyellow,butitisnota“黄色书刊”inChinesesense.InEnglish,bluealsohavethiskindofmeaning,like“bluemovie”meansporn,“bluejoke”meansdirtyjoke,“blueballs”meanssexuallytransmitteddisease,“bluegrow”meansprostitute.B.ComparisonoftheassociativemeaningsAmongEnglishandChinesewords,colortermsaremadeupofagroupofwordsthatareparticularlyrichintheirsemanticmeanings.Thismeansthattheycanbeusedeithertorefertodifferentcolorsormetaphoricallytoconveytheirassociativemeanings,andthatindifferentlanguagesandculturestheymayconveydifferentassociativemeanings.TheconceptualmeaningsconveyedbycolortermsinEnglishandChineseareroughlythesame:colortermsinEnglishandtheirequivalentsinChineserefertoroughlythesamecolors.However,thesamecolortermsinthetwolanguagesmayhavedifferentculturalassociations.ItiscommonthatEnglishcolortermsmayhaveculturalassociationsthatarenottransparenttoChinese.ThefollowingpartsaremeanttohelpusattainabetterunderstandingoftheculturalassociationsofcolortermsinEnglishandChinese.IV.CulturalComparisonandContrastofColorTermsinEnglishandChineseA.ColortermsandreligionsTheassociativemeaningsofwordscandirectlyorindirectlyreflecttheculturalconceptofalanguagecommunity.LinguistAliMazuriclassifiedtheassociativemeaningof“black”intothreecategories:1.blackforevil.2.blackforemptiness.3.blackfordeath.BecauseofthewidespreadofChristianityinwesterncountries,andalsobecausetheoriginalChristianswereallwhitepeople,thereligioustraditionregardsblackasasymbolofevilordeath.InParadiseLost,Satanisablackdevil;InBible,blacksheepreferstoashamefulmembertothewholefamily.ChineseculturewasonceinfluencedbyBuddhism,whichcoincidentallyalsoregardsblackassomethingevil,meanwhileitregardsthecolorwhiteassomethingkind.Thiscanbetestifiedinthefollowingsentencesfrom“Sarvastivada-vinaya”:“若比丘以作行筹人，随僧多少应作两种筹:一分长，一分短;一分白，一分黑。说如法者作为长筹;说非法者，作为短筹。说如法者，作为白筹;说非法者，作为黑筹。”Inthequotation,“黑”,associatedwithdarkness,referstogreatwickedness,and“白”，associatedwithbrightness,referstokindness.B.ColortermsandtaboosPeoplehavedifferentattitudetowardsdifferentcolors,andthosecolorsthatconveynegativemeaningsareactuallytaboos.Differentnationsandpeopleregarddifferentcolorsastheirtaboos.InEnglish,redisanunpleasantcolor,becauseitcaneasilyirritateothers,anditsuggestsdanger,stoporwarning.Eventhecolorredisassociatedwithprostitution,asin“Redencompassesthewholepersonandeveryaspectofsociety”.Therefore,mostwesternpeopledislikethecolorred.AnothercolorthatisunpopularinEnglishisblack.Blackisanunluckycolorforwesternpeople.Theybelievethatifamanseesablackcat,somemisfortunewilltakeplaceonhimsoon.Ablack-letterdayisknownasanunluckydaywhensomethingbadhappens.InChineseculture,redisacolorthatsymbolizessomethinglucky,suchas“红双喜”,“红事”,“红利”,“红人”andsoon.However,itisforbiddentowritelettersinredink,foritmeansbreakinguptherelationship.Whiteisanunpopularcolorinchina.Itisthecolorforthedeadandfunerals,suchas“白事”.Yellowusedtobethecolorforemperorsandthusconveystheideaofuniquenessandsuperiorpower.However,nowadays,yellowisalwaysassociatedwithsomethingfilthy,suchas“黄毒”or“黄色录像”.Oneisgreen,whichsuggestslowerposition.Themanwhosewifeisnotloyaltohim