What Does The Color Red Symbolize In Chinese Culture
Colour quite literally colors the way nosotros view our globe. Here's an in-depth wait at what various colors symbolize in cultures around the world.
If you've ever had the blues or been so angry you lot saw red, then you're familiar with the powerful ways in which color can describe intangible ideas and emotions. In art and anthropology, color symbolism refers to colour'south ability to signify meaning to a viewer. While there are some universal associations people have with different colors, their meanings differ from civilization to culture.
There are a range of cultural influences that touch one's view of a specific colour, like political and historical associations (flag colors, political parties), mythological and religious associations (references to color in spiritual texts), and linguistic associations (idioms and expressions).
Let'southward look at some of the about common symbolism in popular colors, then explore them in full.
Common Color Symbolism
Color symbolism is prevalent because color is important. Information technology'due south a crucial form of communication for human beings. Nosotros use information technology to represent ideas, feelings, and emotions. We also process a lot of information through what nosotros see. Our eyes absorb what's earlier us and send signals to our brain to translate.
The amount (and variety of) symbolism in colors is truly endless. Nevertheless, hither are a few shared interpretations.
The Color of Life
Crimson. No affair one's race, organized religion, or personal beliefs, we are all united by the same life force, the claret that flows through the reddish rivers of our veins.
Carmine is a universal color of life. Beyond claret, it represents physical energy and humans' will to exist. It'southward axiomatic in all facets of what makes life . . . life.
The Colour of Love
Cherry-red or pink. A visually hot color, red represents passionate, sexual love. Or, the exact opposite—jealousy, anger, and revenge.
Pink is a softer hue, suggesting a gentler kind of love. It's a delicate and provocative color (unless neon pink is involved).
The Color of Happiness
Yellow. The return of a yellow sun and the subsequent flower of spring flowers is plenty to make most people smile subsequently a long winter. This is one of the reasons for yellow's connectedness to happiness. It's a bright, youthful colour, radiating warmth and joy.
The Color of Hope
Yellow or light-green. In Canada, families display yellow ribbons on the walls of their home to keep hope alive for loved ones at war.
The United States and Europe associate green with hope due to its relationship with springtime and a sense of flourishing. Think growth, nature, rebirth—these are all continued to the color green.
The Color of Peace
Blue. It's cool and calming, and frequently associated with the sea and sky. Blue instills a sense of inner stability.
The Color of Jealousy
Green. Back in 1603, William Shakespeare referred to jealousy as a "envy monster" in his tragic play Othello. These days, the idiomatic phrase "green with green-eyed" is common in the West.
The Color of Death
Blackness. Always an interesting color because of its inherent animosity. Blackness symbolizes death and mourning. Interestingly plenty, it'due south also a sleek and elegant choice in design, peculiarly minimalistic ones.
Red
Popular Shades
- Crimson: Strong, bright, and deep, generally combined with blue or violet.
- Maroon: Dark brownish-blood-red, its name comes from the French discussion marron (chestnut).
- Vermilion: A brilliant red or reddish pigment, originally made from the powdered mineral cinnabar.
Most dictionaries refer to fire or blood in gild to define "red." It'due south a versatile color that holds both positive and negative connotations.
Red is visually arresting. So, countries around the world use it to signify stop in traffic lights and stop signs.
In Western cultures, red symbolizes excitement, passion, love, and danger. Ruby is powerful and sexy. The Lady in Cherry (an old television and motion picture trope centered effectually a woman who is irresistible but not to be trusted) wears red.
In China, red represents happiness, good fortune, luck, and prosperity. Since information technology's such an auspicious color, people traditionally clothing it for big celebrations, such every bit the New Year. At weddings, the helpmate wears scarlet. During holidays and other special occasions, monetary gifts are given in crimson envelopes.
In East Asian stock markets, red signifies a ascent in stock prices, whereas it signifies a fall in Due north American markets.
The Japanese flag is a white rectangle with a cardinal crimson-red disc.
Carmine carries a scattering of negative associations in the West—"defenseless red-handed" (defenseless in the heart of a wrongdoing) and "red flag" (referring to a warning sign).
Meanwhile, South Africa associates carmine with mourning. The red department of the country's flag represents the bloodshed—both in terms of violence and sacrifice—that occurred during the country's struggle for independence.
Orange
Pop Shades
- Coral: Vivid cherry-orange, like the sea coral.
- Peach: Orange lightened to a pale yellow, similar in hue to the fruit of its proper noun.
- Salmon: Pinkish-orange, named later the color of salmon mankind.
Orange is the easiest colour to see in dim light. It'due south no surprise that life rafts, life jackets, and buoys come in the "safety orange" shade. In the United States, "Detour" signs and the vests of highway workers are orange in order to ensure visibility.
The West has much more color symbolism for orange. Information technology brings autumn and harvest to mind. When paired with blackness, orange represents Halloween, a fourth dimension when the veil between worlds is supposedly thin. Some suggest orange and black were chosen for their opposing associations—orangish being the warmth of life and black the darkness of death.
Western culture also associates orange with frivolity and amusement. Clowns wearable orangish wigs. Mythological paintings depict Bacchus—the god of wine-making, fertility, ritual madness, and religious ecstasy—in orangish robes.
In Southeast Asia (namely Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar), Buddhist monks of the Theravada tradition habiliment saffron-colored robes. Monks chose this hue centuries agone mainly due to the dye available at the time, merely the tradition has continued into the nowadays. These countries associate what is sacred and holy with the color orange.
There'southward a phenomenon in holland called Oranjegekte (orange craze) that occurs during major sporting events, the F1 Thou Prix, and an annual holiday that celebrates the male monarch'due south birthday. When the orange craze takes over the Dutch, they wearable orange clothing and decorate their cars, houses, shops, and streets in orange. This started as a way to celebrate the Dutch royal family unit—the Firm of Orange-Nassau.
Yellow
Popular Shades
- Canary: Bright yellow, resembles the plumage of a canary bird.
- Gold: Brilliant yellowish, sometimes metallic in colour, associated with wealth.
- Lemon Chiffon: Very lite xanthous, like that of a lemon-chiffon pie.
Need to grab a viewer's attention? Yellow is the most visible color on the spectrum and the beginning color the human eye notices. The yellow ochre pigment dates dorsum thousands of years and was one of the first colors in human artwork.
For example, the Lascaux Cavern in France has a 17,000-twelvemonth-old painting of a yellow equus caballus.
In the United States, Canada, and Europe, surveys find that people associate yellow with gentleness and spontaneity, just also with greed and duplicity.
People in the U.s.a. also associate it with cowardice. Some believe the phrase "yellow-bellied"—a term for those who are cowardly—may have originated from chickens ("Don't be a chicken") and the rich yellow of their egg yolk.
In People's republic of china, yellow has stiff historical and cultural associations. The first emperor was called the Yellow Emperor. When the Song Dynasty ended in 1279, the emperor was the only person allowed to habiliment brilliant yellowish. Xanthous carpet also welcomed and honored distinguished visitors to China.
In current Chinese popular culture, however, a "yellow picture" refers to films that are adult in nature.
Yellow is a sacred color in Polynesia, considered to be the color of divine essence. In local languages, yellow shares its name with the curcuma longa plant, which is thought to be the nutrient of the gods.
Yellow and aureate are interchangeable in Christian lore. The colour(s) symbolize faith and the divine glory, and gilt halos adorn saints in religious paintings.
Green
Popular Shades
- Forest Green: Vivid yellowish-green, resembles trees and plants in a wood.
- Lime: Vivid yellow-green, named afterward the citrus fruit.
- Olive: A nighttime, earthy, subdued shade.
Surveys show that green is commonly associated with nature, spring, and adept wellness in Northward and Due south America, Europe, and Islamic countries.
Conversely, the United States and European Wedlock sometimes associate it with poor wellness. The saying "green around the gills" refers to someone who appears ill. Although the origin of the phrase is lost, information technology'southward probable due to the discoloration of ane's peel when they are nauseated.
Light-green means go. Traffic lights turn greenish when cars should pass. Hollywood "greenlights" projects for production. We also see this in the United states immigration process. A "green carte" is what immigrants receive when they accept permission to permanently stay in the country.
Republic of ireland is synonymous with greenish. It'south chosen the Emerald Isle because of its abundantly greenish countryside (a product of heavy rainfall). American country vocalizer Johnny Greenbacks even has a song about the lush landscapes of Ireland entitled "40 Shades of Light-green."
Green symbolized magical beings in Irish and English language folklore. For example, the Irish leprechaun wears a light-green arrange. Fable has information technology that leprechauns compression those who aren't wearing greenish on St. Patrick'due south Day, an Irish holiday that celebrates their foremost patron saint.
Greenish is the traditional color of Islam, and is associated with paradise in the Qur'an. This holy text states that the people of paradise article of clothing green and sit upon green cushions. Green is as well said to be the favorite color of the Prophet Muhammad and the color in which he was buried.
Bluish
Popular Shades
- Cerulean: A range of colors that includes teal, sky-blue, azure, and deep cyan. The name comes from the Latin word caeruleum, which means "sky" or "heavens."
- Indigo: Deep rich blue, close to the blueish shade on the color wheel, named after the ancient dye.
- Periwinkle: Light purplish-bluish, named afterwards the flower.
While nearly colors conjure tangibles (a red rose, orange fruit, yellow lemon, or greenish grass), bluish brings to mind the sea and sky, and the dreamy space where the two come across.
Blue transcends cultural boundaries. Its nearly prominent color symbolism is calmness. It soothes us the fashion sitting in the sand to watch gentle waves wash ashore soothes united states. This is likewise the reason nigh aeroplane interiors are bluish, to condolement anxious flyers.
Perhaps it's as well the reason why the United Nations (an intergovernmental arrangement that aims to maintain international peace) chose light blue as the color of its flag.
Blueish has significant religious meanings effectually the earth. Ancient Egypt associated blue with divinity and the sky. Amun, the chief deity of the Egyptian Empire (as well known as Rex of Gods), would turn his pare blue in order to fly (invisibly) across the sky.
Meanwhile, in Hinduism, gods such as Vishnu, Krishna, and Shiva, are all depicted every bit having blue pare. When information technology comes to 12thursday century Catholicism, the Roman Catholic Church insisted that painters color the Virgin Mary with the new, most expensive pigment imported from Asia—ultramarine. The color thus became associated with holiness and virtue.
The Nazar, or Evil Eye, is a blue glass bead. Information technology traces dorsum to ancient Egypt and the god Osiris. His followers believed Osiris's eye had protective powers. Now, people wear the Nazar as a protective talisman. Turkey, Greece, Pakistan, Iran, and other countries believe it wards off evil and brings good luck.
Purple
Popular Shades
- Lavender: Pale, light blueish-royal, ofttimes associated with softness and femininity.
- Mauve: Pale royal containing gray and blue, named afterwards the mallow bloom.
- Plum: Night brownish or reddish-purple, named afterwards the fruit.
Europe and the U.s. most often associate purple symbolism with magic and mystery, royalty, and religious faith. Imperial material used to exist extremely expensive to produce. Europe and the United States most often associate purple symbolism with magic and mystery, royalty, and religious faith. Purple cloth used to be extremely expensive to produce. Just 1 gram of Tyrian purple needed nine thousand small mollusks to produce. Today, purple still symbolizes wealth.
The hue took its name from the Phoenician trading city of Tyre where it was offset manufactured, and the simply city in the world where it existed. The color was shortly linked with the imperial classes of Rome, Egypt, and Persia, as just the rich and powerful could afford it. Because these ancient rulers were often idea of every bit gods, purple symbolism became synonymous with holiness.
Blending the primary colors of carmine and blue produces purple. And so, the color evokes a sense of ambivalence, or the quality of being open to more than than ane interpretation. The color is also often linked to bisexuality, due in big part to the bisexual pride flag which combines pink (representative of homosexuality) and blueish (suggestive of heterosexuality).
The United states views a state equally balanced between Republicans (associated with red) and Democrats (associated with blue) as a "purple state."
In many cultures, purple is the color of death or mourning. Thai widows wear imperial, as practise devout Cosmic mourners in Brazil. Italy also strongly assembly regal with funerals. Therefore, Italians consider wrapping a gift in royal newspaper poor taste, and brides avert the color when planning their large day. It'due south even considered bad luck to vesture purple to an Italian opera!
White
Popular Shades
- Cream: White mixed with a touch of yellow, named after the dairy production produced by cows.
- Eggshell: Pale yellow-white with little or no gloss.
- Ivory: White with a very slight tint of yellowish, named later on the material that comprises animal tusks and teeth.
The lightest color, white represents perfection and purity, the new, and neutrality in the Due west. Despite having no hue, white plays a colorful role in religions around the world. Christian children wear white when baptized. The Pope (head of the Roman Catholic Church) has worn white since 1566 to symbolize sacrifice. Muslim pilgrims article of clothing Ihram, a simple white attire intended to signify that earlier God, all are equal.
The Bedouin (Arab-speaking nomads of the Centre Eastern deserts) acquaintance white with milk. Camel milk is a staple food for the people—highly nutritious, skillful for the bones, and a strengthener of the immune system. This explains why white is considered the colour of gratitude, fertility, and joy.
Many are familiar with the Western tradition of brides in white dresses. Some believe this dates back more than 2,000 years to the Roman Commonwealth, when brides wore white tunics to represent their guiltlessness. The modern tendency came into fashion thanks to Queen Victoria, who in 1840 chose to wear a white lace gown instead of the coronation robes of regal tradition.
However, not every association with white is pleasant. In many cultures, it's the color of death, ghosts, and phantoms (consider the English phrase, "pale as a ghost"). White besides represented death in ancient Egypt considering of the color of the lifeless desert that covered much of the land.
Blackness
Pop Shades
- Ebony: Night blackness, related to the dark forest that comes from the persimmon tree.
- Jet Blackness: A glossy, deeply dark black, refers to the geological material "jet."
- Sable: Nighttime brownish-black, related to the fur of the pocket-size animal of the same name.
The darkest color, black is the result of the absence or complete assimilation of visible light. Europe and North America often associate it with mourning, magic, evil, elegance, and death.
Many religions believe that the earth was created from a primordial darkness. Christian theology states that black was the color of the universe before God created light. Some other proper name for the devil is the "Prince of Darkness."
Kali (the Hindu goddess of time, modify, and death) has black or dark blue skin. Her Sanskrit proper noun translates into English as "She Who is Black" or "She Who is Expiry."
In India, black is also the colour of protection confronting evil. A black dot is painted under a person's chin or behind their ears to protect against the evil eye.
The Japanese acquaintance black with mystery, with all that is supernatural, unknown, and invisible, including death. In the 10th and 11thursday centuries, it was believed that wearing black could bring misfortune, and then only renegades or those who had renounced textile possessions dared wear the color in court.
It's besides commonly viewed as the colour of experience, every bit is evident in the blackness chugalug in martial arts, the highest rank 1 tin achieve.
Prc links the color blackness with water, winter, cold, and the direction North. When the starting time Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, seized power, he changed the imperial color from ruddy to black, stating that black extinguishes red (the colour was after changed back in 206 BC).
While many associate black with death, the ancient Egyptians positively associated black with life due to the rich, black soil that flooded the Nile. It was also the color of the god Anubis (ruler of the Underworld), who took the form of a black jackal and offered the dead protection against evil.
The Best Colour in the Earth
If there was e'er a subjective topic, this is information technology. In that location are So many different forms of color symbolism in our world. Your culture, beliefs, and experiences all shape how you derive pregnant from colors.
Now, have people tried to pinpoint the all-time color in the world? To a point.
Pantone releases its "Color of the Year" every year. London-based newspaper company G.F. Smith conducted a vi month-long, 30,000+ person survey in 2017 that concluded the world's favorite color to be a teal hue called Marrs Green.
We say: Colors are what you make of them. There are appropriate times and places for sure colors in design, and you lot'll always exist drawn to those colors that you find nearly engaging.
Knowing a fleck about color meanings and their respective symbolism gives yous an advantage when speaking to your audience.
Find new ways to pattern with color:
- Creating a One-of-a-Kind Portfolio: Color Branding for Photographers
- From Rich Hues to Moody Contrasts: 20 Free Fall Color Palettes
- xxx Refreshing Color Palette Ideas for Your Website
- Colorful Packaging Design: 15 Vibrant Examples to Inspire
- The Origins, History, and Design Power of Neon Colors
Cover epitome via Dmitry Zimin.
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