1、 學(xué)士學(xué)位論文題 目 the special meaning of color words in western and chinese culture學(xué) 生 指導(dǎo)教師 年 級(jí) 專(zhuān) 業(yè) 系 別 學(xué) 院 contentsabstracts4key words41. introduction52. color and culture53. different meanings of the same color in different cultures63.1 the special meaning of color words63.1.1 red63.1.2white83.1.3 black9

2、3.1.4yellow103.1.5blue103.1.6 green113.1.7 other colors124. reflection on the develop and change of certain color words135. conclusion14reference16中文摘要17prefacebecause of the geographical distance, the natural phenomena, history background, and aesthetic interest etc. are different between china and

3、 western countries, thus, people's feeling and expression toward color may be also different, and the special meaning of the color phrase will give rise to numerous differences. by contrasting chinese culture and western culture, this paper analyzes and investigates the special meaning of the co

4、lor phrase in each race.the purpose of writing this paper is to avoid culture shock, promote cross-cultural communication, and advance the world cultural mixture. to study the special meaning of the color words has great significance which not only making us to understand the chinese and western cul

5、ture more deeply ,but also still strengthening us to master the special meaning of color phrase rightly in learning english process, and enhancing the ability of english vocabulary usage, stimulating the students interest of study.studying the special meaning of color words may form some obstacles t

6、o comprehend context rightly, so exact and flexible master the special meaning of color words is conducive to better comprehend the english short composition and western culture. improving the ability of english context comprehension is the best way to learn special meaning of color words.前 言由于我國(guó)與西文

7、國(guó)家相隔萬(wàn)里，地理位置，自然現(xiàn)象，歷史背景，審美心理等千差萬(wàn)別，人們對(duì)于顏色的感受和表達(dá)不盡相同。這樣，顏色詞的特殊含義在中西文化之間自然又產(chǎn)生很大的差異。學(xué)習(xí)中西文化顏色詞的特殊含義具有重要意義，不僅可以避免中西文化沖突，促進(jìn)跨國(guó)際文化交流，加強(qiáng)世界文化的融洽，還可以讓我們對(duì)中西文化有了更深入的了解。本文試圖從中西文化對(duì)比的角度，去分析，探究顏色詞的特殊含義。所以正確，靈活地掌握中西文化顏色詞的特殊含義對(duì)理解英語(yǔ)短文以及了解西方文化，加強(qiáng)英語(yǔ)詞匯運(yùn)用能力，促進(jìn)學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)興趣都是很有幫助的。通過(guò)撰寫(xiě)這篇論文，我自身有了很大的收獲，同時(shí)希望這篇文章可以對(duì)英語(yǔ)愛(ài)好者學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)有所幫助，更希望這篇文章

8、可以起到拋磚引玉的作用，引發(fā)更多人關(guān)注“英語(yǔ)顏色詞的特殊含義”這個(gè)課題，激起更多人對(duì)它研究，使用的興趣。the special meaning of color words in western and chinese cultureabstracts: the colors we see are light waves absorbed or reflected by everything around us which is a kind of basic characteristic of eyes sense of vision. both chinese and western vo

9、cabulary are abound with color words. we not only need to notice their basic meaning, but also pay attention to their special meaning, because their special meaning usually has different characteristics in the different language. color is closely related to our life and it is a very important field

10、for human beings to recognize the world. colors may convey different messages to people of different cultures, which have a close relationship with national culture, the geography position, history backgrounds and aesthetic interests and so on are always influence local peoples modes of thinking. fo

11、r the differences of the national cultures, peoples natural feeling of the color and the methods to define the color words will also be different .even the same color, chinese and western people will think of it and feel it differently. this paper has discussed color words in two different cultural

12、backgrounds，and also the special meaning in special context.key words: color words; special meaning; culture; context1. introductionfrom the definition of science, the colors we see are light waves absorbed or reflected by everything around us which is a kind of basic characteristic of eyes sense of

13、 vision. the color of an object depends on how it absorbs or reflects light. color is closely related to our life and it is a very important field for human being to recognize the world. the color in our life is rich in cultural connotations. it represents one of the few areas of study that is well

14、defined as an area of multidisciplinary investigation, and is also a relevant domain of psychological inquiry across human culture. therefore, research on the special meaning of color words is particularly important to the study of culture and cross-cultural comparison. nowadays, with the developmen

15、t of cross-cultural communications, the meanings of many color words have changed greatly. from this special meaning of color words, we can find therere many things worth us thinking.2. color and culturewe are living in the colors, which may convey different messages to people of different cultures.

16、 on many occasions, it is not the basic meaning of the color that functions, but the profound cultural associations related to the color that functions. chinese have experienced thousand years feudal society and its development in education and technique is relatively backward. in chinese culture, c

17、olors appearance has strong mysteriousness, its development has been influenced by chinese social culture deeply, so the meaning of chinese words remains fixed. chinese is featured in standard, rigor and preciseness in choosing the words.but western society from the start of civilization relatively

18、has been paying attention to the reasonable education and scientific finding. they hold reality attitude towards objective world and objective understanding. therefore, in western culture colors symbolize the meaning directly, so english words are characterized by flexibility. one word is likely to

19、have different meanings in different contexts (meng jiangang). lets take the word “green” for example. green gains a certain new meaning when associated with the phrase green revolution and when it is used alone, it still carries that meaning. however, green in chinese loses the meaning unless it is

20、 combined with revolution or other words in similarity. the color words have a close relationship with national culture; different customs, traditions and cultural background etc. are always influence local peoples modes of thinking. for the differences of the national cultures, peoples natural feel

21、ing of the color and the methods to define the color words will also be different .even the same color, chinese and western people will think of it and feel it differently.  lets take a sentence for example: mr. smith is a very white (loyal) man. he was looking rather green (feel not good) the

22、other day. he has been feeling blue (gloomy) today. when i saw him, he was in a brown mood (worried). he made a mistake then. before i asked him, he had been red with embarrassment. i hope hell soon be in the pink (recover) again. what does “white man” mean? if he is in a brown mood, what kind of mo

23、od is he in? is he happy or sad? obviously, white and brown do not mean just the color. each has additional meanings that are hidden behind the color words. color words can produce various associations of ideas, which greatly influence a persons emotion and mood. so we can say that color words as a

24、part of language is a product of culture. they have a close relationship with their mother cultures, and always influence peoples thinking.if we dont understand these words and the social customs and culture background of it, it is even harder for us to communicate with each other. therefore, it is

25、significantly important for us to comprehend and grasp the color words in both western and chinese culture.3. different meanings of the same color in different cultures for the differences of the national cultures, peoples natural feeling of the color and the methods to define the color words will a

26、lso be different. just because the cultural backgrounds, social customs, living environments, religious histories and aesthetic interests between chinese and western nations are different, so even the same color, chinese and english people will think of it and feel it differently (xuyanhong, 2000:46

27、-48). the following part will discuss the special meaning of these color words.3.1 the special meaning of color words 3.1.1 red red is a basic promoting color in our nation culture, which embodies the chinese spirit and material pursue. it uses to express happiness, success, luck and prosperous etc.

28、 in china, red is a color that always appears in festive circumstances. for example, people use red paper to write spring festival scrolls. at red letter day hold wedding, the bride is often covered with a red veil on her head. and a red “喜字”(large chinese character, double happiness on a red piece

29、of paper) is always put where it must strike the eyes on a young couple's wedding. also red powder is always used to make up pretty girls in chinese. and those dressed up girls are always called “紅裝”or “紅妝” (clothed in red) by ancient chinese people. in china, red is also a symbol of revolution

30、and progress, it is the most political colorful phrase in the contemporary chinese language. for example, during the culture revolution, every one should keep one or two books about chairman mao. it was also called “red treasured book”. but in the western culture red is a color of the blood and fire

31、, “blood” in westerners minds is “in human bodys liquid of the life”. once the blood bleeds down, the flower of life also fades. so the red color makes westerners associate to extremeness, danger, indignation, and exigency which produces a kind of color taboo. the america financial institution enclo

32、ses the poor area with a red line and refuses to provide loan for this area, which made the area poorer. this was called “red lining”. during the america civil war, the british soldiers wore scarlet uniforms. they were called redcoat. red brigade is an italian terror organization. and red is also re

33、lated to dissolution. for example, (1) “a red light district” 花街柳巷（紅燈區(qū)）, (2) “a red waste of his youth” 他那因放蕩而浪費(fèi)的青春. it symbols violence and bloodshed, for example,（1）the red rules of tooth and claw殘殺和暴力統(tǒng)治（2）red revenge血腥復(fù)仇（3）a red battle血戰(zhàn)；it also symbols radical、violent revolution，for example,（1）r

34、ed hot political campaign激烈的政治運(yùn)動(dòng)（2）a red revolution赤色革命（3）red activities左派激進(jìn)活動(dòng)；it also symbols danger and nervous，如（1）red alert空襲報(bào)警，（2）a red adventure story一個(gè)令人緊張的冒險(xiǎn)故事,（3）a red flag危險(xiǎn)信號(hào)旗；some sentences about special meaning of red: (1) the president was treated to the red-carpet in rome. 總統(tǒng)在羅馬受到了隆重的

35、接待。 (2)it was a red-letter day in the history of chinese revolution. 這是中國(guó)歷史上值得紀(jì)念的日子。(3)a thief was caught red-handed in the act of breaking open lock. 一個(gè)竊賊在砸開(kāi)鎖時(shí)被當(dāng)場(chǎng)抓獲。(4)you said that i am very good. is my face red? 你說(shuō)我很好,真使我難為情了。 (5)when he started criticizing my work, i really saw red. 當(dāng)他批評(píng)我的工作時(shí),我就

36、冒火發(fā)脾氣。 (6)there is too much red-tape in obtaining an identity card. 領(lǐng)身份證的手續(xù)實(shí)在太繁瑣了。(7)they had to sell the firm because for years they had operated it in the red. 因?yàn)榻?jīng)營(yíng)這家公司幾年來(lái)一直虧損，所以他們只好把它賣(mài)掉。(8)we'll soon be out of the red. 我們很快就會(huì)扭虧為盈。(9)every time he comes to new york, he wants to paint the town

37、red. 每次來(lái)紐約,他都要痛飲一 番。3.1.2whitewhite is contrary to red in the chinese culture, which embodies the chinese discarding and disgusting in material and spirit and it is a basic taboo phrase. in chinese culture, the white color symbols dry up and has no bloody, lifeless, bad ominous and bereavement, so p

38、eople who lost relatives use white paper, and wear white clothes and white caps. thats said “白事”. in ancient china, white also refers to decadent, reactionary, backward etc ,so people who have no power were called “白布” or “白丁”. because white always makes people have the feeling of humbleness and poo

39、r.now in china, white is still commonly used for condolences to the death. and in tradition chinese brides wear red instead of white. but many young people have changed their views nowadays. many traditional activities can no longer be seen at a chinese wedding. on the contrary, most brides in china

40、 wearing a white wedding dress appear in their wedding. this is a typical example of the culture mixture between china and western.but in western, people love white very much. they mainly emphasize white color on itself basic color, such as lately-snow, fresh milk and lilys color. they think the whi

41、te represents elegant and pure, so white is a basic promoting color in western culture .they also believe white make one think of immaculacy. such as, “a white soul” 純潔的心靈, “white spirit”正直的精神 “white war ”沒(méi)有硝煙的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng) “a white lie”無(wú)害的謊言, “white men” 高尚、有教養(yǎng)的人. in the wedding, the brides wearing white skir

42、t, and express their happiness life pursuit. with chinese open policy, various things have rushed into our country. facing the totally new culture, some people regard western value and the manner of behavior as higher ones. so they follow the steps to imitate the activity of the western people. some

43、 sentences about special meaning of white: (1)they treated us white. 他們公正地對(duì)待我們。(2)my children have bled me white. 我的一切都為孩子花光了。(3)he said he didn't want to have a white-collar job and sit in an office all day. 他說(shuō)他不愿意做文職工作,整天坐在辦公室里。(4)although they got a lot of nice wedding presents, they also got

44、 one or two white elephants. 雖然他們收到許多很好的結(jié)婚禮品，但也得到幾件昂貴而無(wú)用的東西。 (5)don't show the white-feather fight for your beliefs. 不要怯懦,要為你的信念而戰(zhàn)。(6)he is the white-headed boy of the new generation. 他是新一代中的寵兒。(7)sometimes we are forced to tell white lies. 有時(shí),我們被迫要講些無(wú)惡意的謊言。 (8) don't fire until you see the

45、whites of their eyes.等他們非常靠近時(shí)再射擊。 (9)in his youth he was treated as the white hope of the american theater. 他在青年時(shí)期就被認(rèn)為是能為美國(guó)戲劇界帶來(lái)榮譽(yù)的人。3.1.3 blackin china ancient times black is “tianxuan”(天玄) ,which only has heavy mysterious feeling in the chinese culture and is a kind of solemn and strict color. now

46、 its symbol meaning because of under the influence of the west culture seem to be more complicated. one hand, black gives people a feeling of justice and strict, so in chinese opera “包公”has a black face. on the other hand, because of its blackness gives people a feeling of insidious, cruel and terri

47、ble, it is always related to “bad, evil and wicked”. in western culture, black is an evil word, and just like white in chinese. it is also related to “bad, evil, and wicked”. black embodies the westerns discarding and disgusting in material and spirit and it is a basic taboo phrase. in english we al

48、so have the phrase “black friday”. in religion, black means grief, despair and death. friday refers to the friday before easter day. jesus was suffering at that day. based on the nations culture background and traditional custom, people in english countries use black friday to symbolize the disaster

49、.in most western countries black is the color of mourning. among young people, black is often seen as a color of rebellion. black is both positive and negative.it symbols die, bad ominous and disaster , for example,（1）black mass安靈彌撒，（2）black words不吉利的話(huà)，（3）a black letter day兇日；it also symbols evil an

50、d commit crime, for example,（1）black man邪惡的惡魔，（2）a black deed極其惡劣的行為，（3）black guard惡棍、流氓，（4）blackmail敲詐、勒索;it is related to disgrace and losing face, for example,（1）a black mark污點(diǎn)，（2）black sheep敗家子，（3）a black eye丟臉、壞名聲，it symbols depressing and angry , for example,（1）black dog沮喪情緒，（2）the future look

51、s black前途暗淡，(3）he gave me a black look。他怒氣沖沖地看著我。some sentences about special meaning of black: (1)the black dog is over him. 他意氣消沉。(2)tom is the black sheep of his family. 湯姆是個(gè)敗家子。(3)next time l see him, ill give him a black eye. 下次我見(jiàn)到他一定打他一頓。(4)she gives me a black look. 她對(duì)我怒目而視。(5)he blacked out

52、the words he didn't want. 他涂掉不想要的詞。(6)he came out of the fight black and blue. 打架之后,他遍體鱗傷。(7)he gave me assurance in black and white. 他給我做出了書(shū)面保證。3.1.4yellowyellow is a color of sun. in ancient china the emperor always wear yellow clothes. it has been a long time that the yellow is thought to be

53、respectful. so at that time, except the emperor no one was allowed to use the color of “yellow”. yellow has the meaning of elevation, dignity and power. in nature, yellow is also a color of autumn. it is a symbol of golden season and good crop. people always think that yellow is a color full of happ

54、iness and vitality. it is always related to blessedness.as we know, yellow is the color of emperor in ancient china as i have mentioned. but today, china has increased its contact with people around world. china has no more been a feudal society. now everyone can wear yellow clothes. and yellow has

55、been nothing to do with dignity and power. but most chinese people would associate the word “yellow” with chinese expressions as “黃色書(shū)刊”. both in english and chinese, there is yellow page. that is a book with the telephone number of different shapes, business, organizations, etc, arranged in order of

56、 different categories. yellow page is a very useful handbook whose pages are yellow, but the content is not yellow in the chinese sense.in western culture, yellow usually has meaning of anxious, ailing, discarding and timidity. yellow always makes people think of something to do with filthy, obscene

57、 or vulgar, so yellow is a low-down color in believers eyes. it means abjection, cowardice and suspicion. for example,(1) “yellow press” 黃色報(bào)刊, (2) “i dislike tom for he is a yellow dog.” 我討厭湯姆，他是個(gè)卑鄙小人(3) “he has a yellow streak in him.”他很膽怯, (4)he is too yellow to stand up and fight. 他太膽怯,不敢?jiàn)^起戰(zhàn)斗。(5)

58、we can't afford to have anyone in this enterprise who is likely to turn yellow when the testing-time comes. 我們的企業(yè)不能雇用在考驗(yàn)關(guān)頭可能畏縮不前的人。and in english we have the phrase “yellow journalism” (黃色辦報(bào)作風(fēng)), which lays too much emphasis on scandals or exaggerates the ordinary news to a sensational degree, sometime even with distortion.3.1.5blueblue almost has no symbol meaning in the chinese culture, in chinese blue is seldom used for expressing peoples mood. but blue is a favorable word to chin