Affiliation:
1. Soochow University , Soochow , China
Abstract
Abstract
qing (青) is a very special and controversial color term in Chinese language and culture for the fact that it can refer to green, blue, or black depending on how it is used in collocation or context; it can be used as both a basic color term and mixed color term; in context it can be understood to refer to a certain color, but sometimes nobody can tell for sure what specific color it refers to; it can refer to color, but in more situations the understanding of it just goes beyond the perception of color, bringing about a vague but delightful feeling about the world in general. Basic as well as associative meanings of this term existed at the early stage of its creation, and these meanings can still be perceived in various situations in modern Chinese, used in much more extensive way. To a large extent, it has become a rather peculiar sign of Chinese culture, held so firmly, dearly and lastingly by the Chinese people. The case of qing serves as a typical example that reflects how the Chinese perceive the world.
Reference36 articles.
1. Baxter, William Hubard. 1983. A look at the history of Chinese color terminology. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association 18(2). 1–25.
2. Berlin, Brent & Paul Kay. 1969. Basic color terms: Their universality and evolution. Berkeley & Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
3. Chen, Ping. 2004. Identifiability and definiteness in Chinese. Linguistics 42(6). 1129–1184. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.2004.42.6.1129.
4. Chen, Yanqing. 2015. 观念之色:中国传统色彩研究 [Concepts of Color: Study of Traditional Chinese Colors]. Beijing: Peking University Press.
5. Deutscher, Guy. 2010. Through the language glass: Why the world looks different in other languages. New York: Metropolitan Books Henry Holt and Company, LLC.