Posted on 03/25/2021 8:39:19 AM PDT by Red Badger
Culture plays a significant role when it comes to associating symbolic or hidden meanings with different colors. China is a country rich with heritage, and uses colors symbolically within every ceremony, festival, and ritual.
Compared to Western culture, China has a different and more powerful scale of color symbolism. The Five Elements Theory (Metal, Fire, Water, Wood, and Air) play a very important role in influencing many of the Chinese customs and beliefs. The color theory is based on these five elements, and five of the most popular colors in China also correspond to these five elements.
Black = water?
Yellow = earth? Who knew!
Here are 8 Colors and Their Symbolism in Chinese Culture.
1.) Red - Fire Red is a popular color in Chinese culture, symbolizing luck, joy, and happiness. It also represents celebration, vitality, and fertility in traditional Chinese color symbolism. Red is the traditional color worn by Chinese brides, as it is believed to ward off evil. Red also represents the summer season and the element of fire that comes with it. Decorate your kitchen in red to attract good luck to your household.
2.) Yellow – Earth Yellow is an imperial color in traditional Chinese color symbolism, representing power, royalty, and prosperity. It also represents the late summer season and the central direction. Yellow represents the earth in traditional Chinese culture. Decorate your kitchen in yellow to attract good fortune to your household.
3.) White – Metal White represents the element of metal in traditional Chinese culture, also symbolizing purity and innocence. In some instances, however, white is associated with death and is a color commonly worn at funerals. Today in China, white is a popular color for consumer goods and is a common color choice for cars. White in your kitchen or household represents purity and renewal.
4.) Black – Water Surprisingly, the element of water is represented by the color black in Chinese culture instead of the traditional blue. Black is not the happiest of colors in traditional Chinese color symbolism, representing destruction, evil, cruelty, and sadness. The Chinese word for black is ‘hei’ which stands for bad luck, irregularity, and illegality. However, this doesn’t apply to your kitchen, as black is a gorgeous color when used in kitchen decor. Tres chic!
5.) Blue – Wood Blue represents the element of wood in Chinese culture, also symbolizing immortality and advancement. Blue also represents the season of Spring. Use blue in your kitchen to represent growth and optimism.
6.) Green Green is similar in both Western symbolism and traditional Chinese culture. In the West, green stands for harmony, wealth, growth, and eco-friendliness. In Chinese culture, green stands for cleanliness and purity from contamination. Green is used to describe organic things, like calling organic milk “green milk” or calling pesticide-free vegetables "green vegetables". Use green in your kitchen decor to represent the environment and good health.
7.) Gold Gold symbolizes wealth and riches in Chinese culture, which is the same in Western culture. In fact, no matter where you are in the world, gold represents wealth. It is gold, after all! Use the color gold in your kitchen decor to attract prosperity to your home.
8.) Purple In traditional Chinese symbolism, purple symbolizes divinity and immortality. In modern times, purple is used to represent love or romance. Use purple in your kitchen to attract love and affection.
Is this for us to learn our new culture?
“We’ve always been at war with Eastasia, Winston.”..............................
Which color represent f u u sobs?
Brown.....................
I actually love Chinatown, Chinese Food, Chinese New Year parades in cities with large Chinatowns, and the color red. Who cares what colors “mean” to Chinese people?
The more you know about your enemy the better.
“Is this for us to learn our new culture?”
Exactly what I thought.
Certain things diplomats don’t do:
Cross your legs when speaking to an Arab dignitary.
Wear color purple in front of a Chinese diplomat............
How do these map to the ‘rainbow flag’?
Will give you that.
Or use it in your hair before meeting with Chinese diplomats so you look like a complete idiot.
Purple In traditional Chinese symbolism, purple symbolizes divinity and immortality.
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Somewhat analogous to purple being reserved for the Emperor in Ancient Rome. Might be due to the difficulty in dying cloth purple in ancient times. The ancient method involved collecting marine snails and then boiling them for days.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-ancient-rome-purple-dye-was-made-from-snails-1239931/
Hmmm. Purple in the kitchen attracts love. I can just see a purple kitchen. Yuk.
The article is in error.
Blue (as well as Black) are associated with the Water element.
Green is for Wood.
I had a girlfriend back in the 90s who tried to explain Feng Shui to me and she started by saying that various places in the home represented various aspects of life.
“For example,” she said, “the southeast corner of your home represents your love life.”
I said, “That’s where my toilet is.”
Next she went into the colors and I begged off saying this was already beyond me.
There was a story around that time of a woman in Los Angeles who was advised by her Feng Shui counselor to paint her door red for good luck and happiness. So she had it done. The next day, the red door was covered in gang graffiti.
https://thenationalpulse.com/analysis/day-57-biden-sent-a-purple-haired-staffer-to-confront-the-ccp/
Never wear purple to diplomatic meetings, color reserved for the emperor.
Yes.......................
Brown..................... ~ Red Badger
That's so gay!
That would be a rainbow....................
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