Color. Color? Color!

What do you think of when you see the word “color”? You may think about arts, colorful pencils, beautiful paintings on a wall, people’s various skin color, or the rainbow flag that supports LGBTQIA+. But if I go back home in Shanghai, China, I may use the word “color” to emphasize my anger, to express a person’s health, to deliver the coming of spring, and so on. Many uses of “color” in Chinese are completely different than that in English, and here are some examples:

 “I will give you some color to see see!”

If you hear something like this on any street in China, this line may sound confusing. What does it mean? Someone is going to paint and show it to someone else? Does this person run an art store that is famous for its colors? 

Well, all of these explanations are plausible but not accurate. This sentence simply means “I am going to punish you!” Color, here, means something similar to “dangerous acts” or “punishment.” Thus, if you hear someone say, “I will give you some color to see see!” something awful may happen. 

Due to the funny and vivid use of “color” in this idiom, it has become very famous in China, and people find it even funnier when translating this idiom into English. Literal translations in any language’s idiom can be funny and may lose some of their original meanings. Thus, if you hear a Chinese person saying this idiom in English, he or she may want to make you laugh instead of warning or punishing you.

“A face filled with color!”

Not every “color” means something bad. In a traditional poem from the Tang Dynasty, Swallow Flies as It Sings, Gao Shi wrote, “The smoke and dust of the Han family is in the northeast, so the Han soldiers will leave home and defeat the thieves. Men are born to be strong and patriotic, and the emperor gives them a face filled with color. “ (“汉家烟尘在东北，汉将辞家破残贼。 男儿本自重横行，天子非常赐颜色。”)

It sounds strange, right? What does a “face filled with color” look like? Forgive my literal translation. Here, “a face filled with color” equals “a face filled with gratitude.” The back story is when strong, masculine Han soldiers won battles, the emperor was happy and awarded those soldiers. Thus, “color” can also mean a feeling of gratefulness. 

“Face color” ≠ “Skin Color”

In English, if we associate “color” with the face, we may think of color of the skin. But in the Chinese language, “face color” has little to do with skin color. While I write this, my mom talks to our dog, saying, “His face color doesn’t look right.”

Well, here is my hilarious literal translation again. “Face color” here means “facial expressions,” “countenance” or simply “face.” 

What is “face color”? Is it about skin color? Why would my mom say the dog’s skin color isn’t right? “Face color” has nothing to do with the color of the skin, but the quality of skin. If someone is healthy, he or she will display an apple-like face. Well, don’t throw eggs at me. I don’t mean that everyone’s face looks like apples, literally, or that everyone has a round face. “Apple-like face” is a metaphor for healthy, smooth, and soft human skin. I won’t say my dog has an “apple-like face,” because animal faces can vary from one to another, and it is not easy to define what skin is healthy for them. My dog has a snow-white face, so if you somehow see him blushed, tell me right away. 

Secondly, “face color” can express what a person feels. There is a famous idiom in the Chinese language that “we should act according to people’s face color.” Here, “face color” means facial expressions or what others think. People who have a higher emotional intelligence understand what others think or feel more quickly and accurately, so they can avoid unnecessary conflicts with others. Similarly, people who can empathize with other people well can interpret nuanced facial expressions on others’ faces correctly and make emotional connections with people in need. “Watching people’s face color” has been an important skill in China because everyone wants to live harmoniously with others. 

Additionally, in Chinese’s traditional Peking Opera, actors will wear colorful masks to demonstrate the personality of the characters they perform. For example, a black face refers to a strict, serious person who seldom smiles while a white face refers to a suspicious and deceitful guy. A red face symbolizes honesty and loyalty while a blue face expresses a person’s unruliness and aggressiveness. Since colorful masks represent different personality when a character appears on stage, the audience can directly tell the personality of the character without guessing it. 

To conclude, “face color” not only expresses the health status of the face or tells us how a person feels but also represents characters’ personality. 

“Green water joins the far-off sky.”

Let’s return to translation again. Among all the greatest translators alive, I admire Xu Yuanchong the most. I am flipping through his book called Song Lyrics in Paintings and on page 3 there is a poem about a boat on a river. In The Orchid Stream, with the tune title, “Phoenix Perching on Plane Tree,” Cao Guan writes:

 Noticeably, the color green appears in the third line and the last line. The first line about the “green water” delivers a picture: an endless river like book pages unfolds in front of my eyes. Far, far away, a line connects the river with the sky. The poet is in a good mood, and there are hundreds of wonderful lines emerging from his mind. However, in the last line about “green bamboo,” the original Chinese does not contain anything about green. Green here also means a feeling of freshness. Similarly, in English, “green horn” means “an inexperienced or immature person, especially one who is easily deceived.” 

Not only does “Green” symbolize freshness, it also represents the coming of spring. “Green” can be used as an adjective but also as a verb in Chinese, and there is a saying that says, “Spring breeze greens the south of the Yangtze River again.” Here, “greens” means “make something green,” a verb that vividly delivers a picture in front of my eyes. Spring breezes blow by and on barren trees grow fresh leaves. The grass sprouts, gradually spreading out like a green blanket. Spring is like a happy artist who can’t wait to decorate everything. Therefore, even “green” is only a word in the Chinese language, it can mean a fresh feeling or symbolize the coming of spring.

How to deliver a colored scene without talking about color

Some master poets in the ancient China can not only use vivid colors to deliver pictures in front of our eyes, but also can arouse our feelings by employing colors in a poem. However, some of the greatest poets successfully arouse certain feelings in us without using any color in a poem.

In the following poem called Fishing in Snow, Xu’s translation not only demonstrates the snowy world surrounding the lone fisherman, but also exudes a feeling of coldness and loneliness of the fisherman on a freezing day. What strikes me is that Xu delivers the color white without mentioning “white” in this poem:

I often imagine the story from a bird’s eye view, like flying above an icy lake, and I can see a fisherman fishing down below. He is more likely to fish some ice and snow than fish in such a freezing winter. The lake is wide and white, and the man is as small as a sesame seed. A vast feeling of coldness and loneliness would suddenly drown me and drag me into the freezing world, and I can’t help but feel very sympathetic for the lonely fisherman. I hope he can fish something valuable and get home soon. 

Here, the power of color lies in the fact that color is not told, but shown.

Just like an ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Zi says, “The most beautiful sound can’t be heard. The most powerful creature can’t be seen. (“大音希声，大象无形)” This sentence means that in nature, the more magnificent something is, the more inclusive it will be. 

Color is a powerful word because it is so flexible and inclusive that it can deliver a thousand meanings in a thousand different scenarios and languages.