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Thread: The colour "Blue" in Chinese Culture

  1. #16
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    Chinese is a pretty esoteric culture

    That same character can also mean 'young'.

    No wonder why everyone is all confused all the time, right?
    Gene Ching
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  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    That same character can also mean 'young'.

    No wonder why everyone is all confused all the time, right?
    well, it makes sense.
    When someone is green, they are young and inexperienced, unripened.
    "My Gung-Fu may not be Your Gung-Fu.
    Gwok-Si, Gwok-Faht"

    "I will not be part of the generation
    that killed Kung-Fu."

    ....step.

  3. #18
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    I for one like the colour blue
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

  4. #19
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    and green
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

  5. #20
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    all the colours of the rainbow
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

  6. #21
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    Chinese Blues

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  7. #22
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    Why discriminate?

    He most honors my style who learns under it to destroy the teacher. -- Walt Whitman

    Quote Originally Posted by David Jamieson View Post
    As a mod, I don't have to explain myself to you.

  8. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mas Judt View Post
    That ain't da fukin blues, man.
    That's more like a Chinese Bruce Springstein.

    This is Chinese Blues.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhEbh...eature=related
    Last edited by TenTigers; 12-20-2011 at 08:02 PM.
    "My Gung-Fu may not be Your Gung-Fu.
    Gwok-Si, Gwok-Faht"

    "I will not be part of the generation
    that killed Kung-Fu."

    ....step.

  9. #24
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    What follows comes from A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols by Wolfram Eberhard:

    "Blue (lan, 藍) - One should never wear light or dark blue flowers or ribbons in the hair: it is unlucky. Blue may also be a harbinger of high office and social preferment--with added worries and difficulties. Blue eyes are regarded as ugly; as a rule, blue eyes were found only among non-Han minorities in Central Asia, e.g. among the Hunza.

    'Blue Faces': Kui-xing, the god of literature, was originally a scholar, who was frustrated in his ambitions and committed suicide. He is often represented with a blue face. Jian-zhai, one of the demon kings, is also often shown with a blue face and red hair; 49 days after a death, a paper figure of Jian-zhai is folded and set upright at the memorial sacrifice. In many traditions, a man with a blue face is a ghost or a bad character.

    The word lan is not found in the older literature. It is derived from the name of the indigo plant, until recently the most important source of dyes for the clothes of ordinary people. The older word for 'blue' is qing [青] which covers all shades from dark grey through blue to green. Qing can be used of the blue of the sky or of the sea.

    Qing also symbolises the study carried out by the scholar who goes on working into the night by the light of the 'blue lamp'. 'The way of the blue clouds' is a metaphor for progress from one examination to another. Formerly, a 'blue tent' used to be erected at marriage ceremonies; and the nomadic tent in Mongolia is similarly described.

    'To sow jade in the blue field' means 'to be pregnant'. 'Blue Dragon' is a metaphor for the p*nis. The 'blue bird' is a messenger from Xi-wang mu [Queen Mother of the West]: hence, any messenger" (pp. 42-43).

    The bracketed words are mine.

  10. #25
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    there is also the expression in Chinese,"Wearing a blue/green hat," which means when a man doesn't know that his wife is cheating on him.
    You might want to avoid blue....
    "My Gung-Fu may not be Your Gung-Fu.
    Gwok-Si, Gwok-Faht"

    "I will not be part of the generation
    that killed Kung-Fu."

    ....step.

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by ghostexorcist View Post
    "Blue (lan, 藍) - One should never wear light or dark blue flowers or ribbons in the hair: it is unlucky. Blue may also be a harbinger of high office and social preferment--with added worries and difficulties. Blue eyes are regarded as ugly; as a rule, blue eyes were found only among non-Han minorities in Central Asia, e.g. among the Hunza.
    That explains a lot in how some chinese women thought of me.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by TenTigers View Post
    there is also the expression in Chinese,"Wearing a blue/green hat," which means when a man doesn't know that his wife is cheating on him.
    You might want to avoid blue....
    Not "blue/green". It's specifically green. The word is not "qing" which could blue or green. It's "lu"/绿帽子。

    Incidentally, I'm glad this topic is finally taking a serious turn. It's something I've been meaning to look into. Not just blue but what colors in general represent. Like in Chinese opera, the color of the face lets you know if the person is a scholar, hero, etc.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by omarthefish View Post
    Not "blue/green". It's specifically green. The word is not "qing" which could blue or green. It's "lu"/绿帽子。

    Incidentally, I'm glad this topic is finally taking a serious turn. It's something I've been meaning to look into. Not just blue but what colors in general represent. Like in Chinese opera, the color of the face lets you know if the person is a scholar, hero, etc.
    oh shush, you.
    "My Gung-Fu may not be Your Gung-Fu.
    Gwok-Si, Gwok-Faht"

    "I will not be part of the generation
    that killed Kung-Fu."

    ....step.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by omarthefish View Post
    Not "blue/green". It's specifically green. The word is not "qing" which could blue or green. It's "lu"/绿帽子。

    Incidentally, I'm glad this topic is finally taking a serious turn. It's something I've been meaning to look into. Not just blue but what colors in general represent. Like in Chinese opera, the color of the face lets you know if the person is a scholar, hero, etc.
    Pick another color and I'll see if it is mentioned in the dictionary I used. If it is, I'll transcribe what it says.

  15. #30
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    Ghostexorcist,
    Fascinating post! Thank you for sharing that with us!
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