2023/04/29

In April, spider trees (spider trees) are in full bloom with their pretty white and yellow flowers all over the city. Hong Kong is very busy with the Chinese celebration "Qingming Festival" (when people clean the graves of their ancestors) and the Western celebration "Easter" coming together at once!

Speaking of Easter, colorfully decorated eggs come to mind. The children brought home coloring books with pictures of eggs and worked hard to color them with colored pencils. Blue, red, yellow, and...

Oh, speaking of colors, I have a pesky habit. When I speak in English, I always refer to certain green things as "blue." For example, I'll say, "The light's green, so let's cross the street!", or when I'm trying to buy a green apple at the market, I'll say, "Please give me a blue apple" (the correct way to say it is green light and green apple). Have you ever experienced this?

This is because I, with a Japanese brain, recognize a specific green as the word "blue" and from there, "blue = Blue"
This phenomenon occurs when the Chinese character for "blue" is translated as "green apple." I discovered that in Hong Kong and other Chinese-speaking countries, the Chinese character for "blue" actually refers to a yellow-green color, like a green apple.

It seems that the color green that is darker than yellow-green is called "green" in Chinese, just like in Japanese.Dareyellow greenProductsCollectHong Kong peopleI showed them the Greenor Blue?'In KanjiThe paper I wrote onput outHowever,EveryoneExpectedHe pointed to "blue."
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In Japan, "blue" is greenBlueWhat to do,originallyEven in ChinaThere was ambiguity regarding usageIt's a relicで し ょ うRight.

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"tag" means green, and "Blue" means blue.is called "indigo blue"Chinese圏.So what about red? We call it "red". The red carpet that the film directors and actors walked on at the Hong Kong Film Awards, which were held the other day, was called "red carpet". Also, red beans are called "hong dou", a red light is called "hong lantern" and a red cross is called "hong juji". In the Chinese-speaking world, "red" is a symbol of auspicious things. This is why there are many red clothes and decorations for the Chinese New Year and weddings.
If a video uploaded to YouTube, or a singer or actor, goes viral, that's also a happy thing. In Hong Kong, that's called "exploding in red." For example, "May's YouTube video, which was introduced on Hong Kong LEI, was a big hit with Hong Kong people and went "exploding in red!"
By the way, you may be wondering, "Why don't we use the kanji for 'red'?" Although the kanji for 'red' can be used to express the same color, it seems that the character for 'red' is generally used for things that have a negative image, such as 'red letters'.

The Chinese character for "yellow" is used in the same way in Japan and in Chinese-speaking countries. However, there are a few things that Hong Kong people associate with the color yellow. The first isColumn No. 11But I mentioned it briefly: naughty things. If the sign of a massage parlor is yellow, it's a secret signal that says, "Customer, we offer more than just a shoulder massage." Also, a friend sent me photos saying, "I saw Hong Kong's version of a love hotel in Kowloon!" and they were all yellow! (I don't think all love hotels in Hong Kong are yellow, though). There are various theories as to why yellow is associated with naughty things, but the most likely one is that it comes from the fact that vulgar gossip magazines in America are called Yellow Journalism.

The second reason is that yellow is the color worn by the imperial family. In the Qing Dynasty, it was even forbidden for commoners to wear yellow. In paintings and historical dramas, the imperial family always wears yellow, and the roofs of the Forbidden City are also yellow. The most common theory is that this is because, among the five elements of wood, fire, metal, earth, and water in the five elements of the five elements philosophy, earth, which is represented by yellow, is in the center.
Finally, yellow in Hong Kong is associated with the pro-democracy demonstrations, which were symbolized by yellow umbrellas and ribbons. The reason why yellow was chosen is because many groups in the women's suffrage movement that began in 1860 used yellow as their official color.**

Well, did you enjoy this talk about colors?

As for me, even though I have solved the mystery of "blue," the confusion in my brain remains, so I am thinking of adding some finely chopped up "blue" part of green onion to my miso soup again tonight!

See you all next time!

*https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/青色

**https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-29473974

Anne Kobayashi

Born in Tokyo, graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University with a degree in French Literature. Worked in New Zealand, Japan, France and the UK. After giving birth and raising her child in London, she came to Hong Kong in 2020. Just like the places she has lived in until now, Hong Kong is becoming a place she loves. Her hobbies are reading, watching performing arts and kung fu movies.