Chinese cardinal and intermediary colors

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...

attaches certain values to

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

s, such as considering some to be auspicious () or inauspicious (). The Chinese word for 'color' is (). In

Literary Chinese Classical Chinese is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from . For millennia thereafter, the written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary ...

, the character more literally corresponds to 'color in the face' or 'emotion'. It was generally used alone and often implied sexual desire or desirability. During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907), the word came to mean 'all color'. A Chinese idiom meaning 'multi-colored', (), can also refer to 'colors' in general. In

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...

, the goddess

Nüwa Nüwa, also read Nügua, is a mother goddess, culture hero, and/or member of the Three Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. She is a goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. She is credited with creating humani ...

is said to have mended the Heavens after a disaster destroyed the original pillars that held up the skies, using five colored stones in the five auspicious colors to patch up the crumbling heavens, accounting for the many colors that the skies can take on.

''Wuxing''

Traditionally, the standard colors in Chinese culture are green or (azure ), red, white, black or Blue, and yellow. Respectively, these correspond to wood, fire, metal, water, and earth, which comprise the 'five elements' ('' wuxing'') of traditional Chinese metaphysics. Throughout the Shang, Tang, Zhou and Qin dynasties, China's emperors used the ''Theory of the Five Elements'' to select colors. Other colors were considered by

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

to be "inferior".

Yellow

Yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

is considered the most beautiful and prestigious color. The Chinese conception of yellow ( ) is inclusive of many shades considered tan or

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

in English, and its primary association is with the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

rather than the sun. It was formerly inclusive of many oranges, although speakers of modern

Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese ( zh, s=现代标准汉语, t=現代標準漢語, p=Xiàndài biāozhǔn hànyǔ, l=modern standard Han speech) is a modern Standard language, standard form of Mandarin Chinese that was first codified during the Republic of ...

increasingly map their use of to shades corresponding to English yellow. 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. The

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

is the cradle of Chinese civilization. In imperial China, yellow was the color of the emperor, and is held as the symbolic color of the five legendary emperors of ancient China, such as the

Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch, or Huangdi ( zh, t=黃帝, s=黄帝, first=t) in Chinese, is a mythical Chinese sovereign and culture hero included among the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He is revered as ...

. The

Yellow Dragon The Yellow Chinese dragon, Dragon () is the zoomorphic incarnation of the Yellow Emperor of the center of the universe in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chinese mythology, mythology. The Yellow Emperor or Yellow Deity was conceiv ...

is the zoomorphic incarnation of the Yellow Emperor of the center of the universe in Chinese religion and mythology. The

flag of the Qing dynasty The flag of the Qing dynasty was an emblem adopted in the late 19th century (1889) featuring the Azure Dragon on a plain yellow field with the red flaming pearl in the upper left corner. It became the first national flag of China and is usually re ...

featured golden yellow as the background. The Plain Yellow Banner and the

Bordered Yellow Banner The Bordered Yellow Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu people, Manchu military and society during the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. The Bordered Yellow Banner was one of three "upper" banner armies u ...

were two of the upper three banners of Later Jin and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. Yellow often decorates royal palaces, altars and temples, and the color was used in the dragon robes and attire of the emperors. It was a rare honor to receive the imperial yellow jacket. 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 color with cowardice. File:Yellow River - panoramio.jpg , The

Sanmenxia Sanmenxia ( zh, s= , t= , p=Sānménxiá; Postal romanization, postal: Sanmenhsia) is a prefecture-level city in the west of Henan, Henan Province, China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Henan, Sanmenxia borders Luoyang to the east, Nanya ...

File:Ma Yuan - Water Album - The Yellow River Breaches its Course.jpg, ''The Yellow River Breaches its Course'' by Ma Yuan (1160–1225),

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

File:Flag_of_China_(1889–1912).svg, The 1889–1912 flag of the Qing Empire File:Flickr - archer10 (Dennis) - China-6184.jpg, Yellow tiles and figures on the roof the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City File:Imperial Yellow Peking Glass Vase.jpg, A Peking glass vase in Imperial Yellow, a shade of yellow so named for the banner of the

Black

Black ( ), corresponding to water, is generally understood as a neutral color, though it appears in many negative contexts in ''

chengyu ''Chengyu'' ( zh, t=, s=, first=t, p=chéngyǔ, tr=set phrase) are a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expressions, most of which consist of four Chinese characters. ''Chengyu'' were widely used in Literary Chinese and are still common in ...

'' and common names. "Black cult" ) is the usual name for Chinese organized crime and the '' Thick Black Theory'' of the late Qing

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

(, 1879–1943) is an exhortation to

opportunism 300px, ''Opportunity Seized, Opportunity Missed'', engraving by Theodoor Galle, 1605 Opportunism is the practice of taking advantage of circumstances — with little regard for principles or with what the consequences are for others. Opport ...

. In modern China, black is used in clothing, especially in professional contexts. Black has less association with

mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...

than white in traditional Chinese culture. Formal black jackets and slacks have become associated with international professionalism. The ''

I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...

'' regards black as Heaven's color. The saying "heaven and earth are black" was rooted in the observation that the northern sky was black. Ancient Chinese people believed Tiandi resided in the North Star. The ''

taijitu In Chinese philosophy, a ''taijitu'' () is a Character (symbol), symbol or diagram () representing ''Taiji (philosophy), taiji'' () in both its monist (''Wuji (philosophy), wuji'') and its Dualism in cosmology, dualist (yin and yang) forms in a ...

'' uses black and white or red to represent the unity of

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

. Ancient Chinese people regarded black as the king of colors and honored black more consistently than any other color.

Laozi Laozi (), also romanized as Lao Tzu #Name, among other ways, was a semi-legendary Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosopher and author of the ''Tao Te Ching'' (''Laozi''), one of the foundational texts of Taoism alongside the ''Zhuangzi (book) ...

said "know the white, keep the black", and Taoists believe black is the color of the

Tao The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...

White

White (, ) corresponds with metal among the ''wuxing'' and represents, transparency through to gold. It symbolizes brightness, purity, and clarity. White is also the traditional color of

. Ever since the

Chinese economic reform Reform and opening-up ( zh, s=改革开放, p=Gǎigé kāifàng), also known as the Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed socialism with Chinese characteristics and socialist marke ...

and influx of Western cultural values, white wedding gowns have become more popular.

Red

Red ( ),

vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

( ), and scarlet ( ) are associated with masculine yang

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

, good fortune and joy. Red is the traditional color used during

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

and other celebrations, including weddings and wedding gowns. Chinese reds are traditionally inclusive of shades that may be considered as orange or warm

in English. Writing in red ink was traditionally exclusive to an emperor's comments added to memorials. Writing someone's name in red ink is a traditional taboo. A '' hongbao'', a red envelope stuffed with money, now frequently red 100 RMB notes, is the usual gift in Chinese communities for

, birthdays,

marriages Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

bribes Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

, and other special occasions. The red color of the packet symbolizes good luck. Red is strictly forbidden at

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

s as it is traditionally symbolic of happiness.see In the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, red remains a very popular color and is affiliated with and used by the Communist Party and the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. File:Laisee.jpg, Contemporary

red envelope A red envelope, red packet, lai see (), hongbao or ang pau () is a gift of money given during holidays or for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, and birthdays. It originated Chinese culture, in China before spreading across parts ...

s File:Red paper lanterns, Shanghai, 2012.jpg, Red

paper lantern A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, alt ...

s for sale in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. The color red symbolizes luck and is believed to ward away evil. File:永福姜家.jpg, Chinese seal and red seal paste File:Ciudad prohibida-Pekin-China5527.JPG, One of the red gates to the Forbidden City

Blue and green

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...

did not make a blue-green distinction, having a single verdant color (, ) that encompassed both. The blue sky and green vegetables were considered shades of a single color which could even include black as its darkest hue in some contexts. Modern

makes the blue-green distinction using ( '

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

y') for green and ( '

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

') for blue. was associated with health, prosperity, and harmony. It was used for the roof tiles and ornate interior of the

Temple of Heaven The Temple of Heaven () is a complex of imperial Religious Confucianism, religious Confucian buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperor of China, Emperors of the Ming dynasty, Ming and ...

and in other structures to represent

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

. It is also the color of most

jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

as well as the greenware

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

that was developed to imitate it. Separately, green hats are associated with

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

and used as an idiom for a cuckold. This has caused uneasiness for Chinese

Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

s, who, in ecclesiastical heraldry, would normally have a green

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

above their arms. Chinese bishops have compromised by using a violet hat for their coat of arms. In modern scientific contexts, refers to

cyan Cyan () is the color between blue and green on the visible spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a predominant wavelength between 500 and 520 nm, between the wavelengths of green and blue. In the subtractive color system, or CMYK c ...

as a narrow range of color in between blue and green, and the modern color names are used when referring to other shades of blue or of green. File:Templeofheavenclose.jpg, Azure roof structure and name plaque of the Temple of Heaven File:Jade Bi Ornament, Dragon designs, China - Warring States period, Western Han dynasty, 4th-2nd century BC.tiff, A

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

green jade ''Bi'' disk, with dragon designs File:Porcelaine chinoise Guimet 241101.jpg, Green Longquan celadon from

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, 13th century

Intermediary colors

The five intermediary colors ( ) are formed as combinations of the five elemental colors. These are: * 'green': The intermediary color of the east, combination of central yellow and eastern blue * 'light red': The intermediary color of the south, combination of western white and southern red * 'emerald blue': The intermediary color of the west, combination of eastern blue and western white * 'violet': The intermediary color of the north, combination of southern red and northern black * 'horse-brown': The intermediary color of the center, combination of northern black and central yellow

References

{{color topics Chinese culture Color in culture Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)