第7卷 第4期2005年7月天津成人高等学校联合学报Journal of Tianjin Adult Hi g her Learning NO .4Vol .7Jul .2005色 彩 “缤 纷”———谈英语中一些颜色词的习惯用法韩 蔚(天津工业大学高等职业技术学院,天津市 300134)摘 要: 英语中表述颜色的词,在使用时有其特定的意义。
“Red ”的惯用法有5项,表示“发怒、警报”等。
“Ye llow ”有2项,表示“胆小、庸俗小报”。
“Green ”有3项,表示“幼稚、妒嫉”等。
“Blue ”有3项,表示“忧郁、不正派”等。
“Purple ”有2项,表示“贵族或皇室、生气的脸色”。
“Black ”有6项,含义最为丰富。
表示“写得明明白白、伤感”等。
“White ”有5项,表示“面色惨白、懦弱”等。
“Brown ”有2项,表示“深入思考、做事尽善尽美”。
要研究这些用法的含义。
关键词: 颜色词;惯用法;文化含义;用活颜色词中图分类号: 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1009-2498(2005)04-0118-03收稿日期:2005-01-22作者简介:韩蔚(1959-),女,天津市人,天津工业大学高等职业技术学院讲师,双学士学位(英文、中文),主要从事英语教学与研究.。
表述颜色的词很常见,red 、green 、blue 、white 、black 、brown ,简单明了。
但有时却不是很容易理解。
请看下面一段英文:Mr .Br own is a ver y white man .He was looking rather green the other day .He has been feeling blue lately .When I saw him ,he was in a br own study .I hope he 'll soon be in the pink again .这段话是什么意思呢?原来是这样的:布朗先生是个非常老实可靠的人。
那天,他脸上颇有病色。
近来他感到闷闷不乐。
当我见到他时,他在极度深思之中。
希望他早日恢复健康。
可见,表述颜色的词需要理解其丰富的惯用法,才能正确理解英文含义。
可谓色彩“缤纷”。
下面拟对red 、yellow 、green 、blue 、purple 、black 、white 、brown 这八个表述颜色的词的惯用法逐一分析,并举例说明: I .Red1.红/赤,常与某种激烈的情感联系在一块儿,中英皆然,例: —red -neck 面红耳赤 —with red eyes 充血/哭红的眼睛 —When I see a m an ill -treating a child ,I see red . 发怒 —When I mentioned it to him ,he went red . 脸红,羞愧 —a red letter day 大红喜庆的日子.(这可是地道的英文,不是Chinese English )2.红色多与战争或革命有关: —a red battle 血战—the Red -Ar my 红军 —Redcoat (美国独立战争时期)英国兵3.红色也代表危险或警报: —red light 危险信号/红灯/停止执行的命令—.red alert (空袭,暴风雨,台风的)紧急警报4.也许因上述缘故,红色在金融上代表灾难: —be in (the )r ed (operating at a loss ;in debt ) 赤字 (有亏空,亏损) —get out of the red 不再亏损;盈利5.当场 —The policemen caught the thief red -handed .·118·英语中黄颜色的文化含义与中文截然不同。
1.英语中黄色表示“胆小”。
—He is too yellow to stand up and f ight. 他太胆怯,不敢起来反抗。
—turn yellow 害怕起来2.英语中黄色并不代表“淫秽”。
但该词可以指那些故意传播危言耸听的小道消息的小报。
—the ye llow press 庸俗小报 III.Green“绿”的有些含义中西相通。
1.未成熟的。
—He is very green. 幼稚 —The boy is still green at his job. 工作缺乏经验 —a green f ruit 未熟的水果2.英语中“绿”可以表示胆小或妒忌。
此用法唯西方独有。
—in the green 胆怯(害怕)起来 —green-eyed 妒忌的(我们说的“红眼病”) —She was green with envy. 十分妒忌3.苍白,有病色 —What's wrong with you?You are looking green. IV.Blue在中国文化中,蓝色几乎没有什么文化含义,而英语文化中蓝色却有多重文化含义。
1.英语中蓝色表示“忧郁的”、“沮丧的”: —The doctor seems to be feeling blue. 医生的情绪好像不大好。
—Fall in the blues 情绪低落,无精打采 —Things are looking bluer f or stocks. 股票市场好像越来越低迷了。
—give somebody the blues 使某人情绪低落2.表示不正派的 —a blue joke 黄色笑话—a blue movie 三级片3.难得,极少 —A thing like that only happens once in a blue m oon 极少发生 —The news was a great shock to me;it came absolutely out of the blue. 晴天霹雳 V.Purple1.紫色总与“皇家”有关,因为紫色衣服只有皇家成员才能穿。
—be born in the purple 生于皇室/贵族之家 —mar ry into the purple 嫁到显贵人家 —raise to the purple 使(某人)当皇帝或升为红衣主教2.有时指生气的脸色 —become purple with r age 面孔气得发紫 VI.Black在英语里,黑色所指的意思与中国文化中所指的有许多相同之处.1.表示明明白白写下来 —They dem anded that the agreement be wr itten in black and white. 用白纸黑字写下来2.指打架受伤 —beat somebody black and blue 把某人打得青一块紫一块. —The boy had a black eye af ter the fight. 男孩打架后,眼眶成了青黑色.3.表示肮脏.不干净 —Your hands are black! 你的手太脏了.4.黑色同蓝色一样,也可以表示“犹豫的,伤感的” —It's a black day for us. 今天我们不走运. —They went into black for their f ather. 哀悼.举哀5.表示“生气的” —She gave me a black look. 她恶狠狠地瞪了我一眼.6.黑与白相对,指“坏的” —Two blacks do not make a white. 两黑不等于一白,两错不等于一对. —call black white 颠倒黑白,混·119· —not so black as one is painted 不像人们所说的那么坏. —paint somebody black 往某人脸上抹黑 —You can never believe what he says;he will swear black is white. 硬把黑的说成白的;强词夺理 —Every white hath its black,and every sweet its sour. 有白必有黑,有甜必有苦;有阳光必有阴影. —If Mar y doesn't study harder,she will get in her mother's black books. 记过本;失去好评 —George is the black sheep of the family. 败家子 VII.White1.作为一种自然颜色,给各民族的印象是相同的。
—as white as a sheet/cloth/ghost 面色惨白 —as white as snow 雪白2.表示加牛奶. —white cof fee 加牛奶的咖啡.(不加牛奶的咖啡为:black cof fee)3.无恶意的 —Mary sometim es tells a white lie. 无恶意的谎言4.无用而累赘的东西 —A motor-car would be a white elephant to me. 摩托车对我一点没用.5.胆小,懦弱 —Henr y is white-livered. VIII.Bro wn1深入思考 —I lef t him in a br own study thinking over the question. 深思2.把……做得尽善尽美 —When she gives a party,she always does it up brown.知道了这些,您的英语颜色词可就用“活”了。
[责任编辑:孟冬梅]Color is“In Riotous Profusion”———Talking about the habitual practice of some words to show colorH AN Wei(T ianjin Poly technic University,the Higher Pro f essional Technological College,T ianj in300134China)Abstract:The English words to show colors have their specific meaning when they are used. There are five ways for the habitual practice of“Red”.It can show the ideas of“flaring up,alarm”etc.…There are two ways for“Yellow”.It can show“being timid,the vulgar press”.There are three ways for“Green”.It can show“being childish,being jealous”etc.…There are three ways for“Blue”. It can show“being melancholy,not being decent”etc.…There are two ways for“Purple”.It can show “noble or imperial family,the angry expression”.There are six ways for“Black”.It has the m ost styles of usage and can show“being written distinctly,being sentimental”etc.…There are five ways for “White”.It can show“the face is pale,being cowardly”etc.…There are two ways for“Brown”.It can show“thinking seriously,succeeding in doing sth.”.The article will analyze the usage minutely and illustrate by some examples.Key words:the words to show color;the habitual practice;the ideas to show culture;the elastic usage for the words to show color··120。