hóngsèㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄙㄜˋ
red: luck, joy, celebration, literally “red color”
The national color: weddings, New Year, red envelopes, 红灯笼. Wearing red at someone else's wedding steals the bride's spotlight though.
红红火火 紅紅火火
hónghóng huǒhuǒㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄏㄨㄛˇ ㄏㄨㄛˇ
prosperous and lively, literally “red red fire fire”
Red + fire doubled: business booming, life thriving.
kāimén hóngㄎㄞ ㄇㄣˊ ㄏㄨㄥˊ
a strong start, literally “open-door red”
Red at the door opening: sales hitting targets in the first month, a good first quarter.
zǒuhóngㄗㄡˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ
to become famous, literally “walk red”
Red means trending: celebrities and products both 走红.
yǎnhóngㄧㄢˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ
jealous (red-eyed), literally “eyes red”
Envy literally reds the eyes: the opposite of the Western green-eyed monster.
huángdào jírìㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄖˋ
auspicious day, literally “yellow road lucky day”
The almanac's good day: weddings, openings, and moves all check 黄道吉日.
lǜsèㄌㄩˋ ㄙㄜˋ
green: eco, go-ahead, literally “green color”
Environmental and approval meanings: 绿色食品 organic, 开绿灯 give the go-ahead, 绿色通道 fast lane.
zǐqì dōngláiㄗˇ ㄑㄧˋ ㄉㄨㄥ ㄌㄞˊ
purple aura from the east (good omen), literally “purple qi comes east”
Laozi passed Hangu Gate trailing purple clouds: imperial-auspicious purple, on calligraphy scrolls and door lintels.
dàhóng dàzǐㄉㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄗˇ
very famous, literally “big red big purple”
Big red plus deep purple = maximum fame, celebrity status.
紫禁城
Zǐjìnchéngㄗˇ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄔㄥˊ
the Forbidden City, literally “purple forbidden city”
Purple = the pole star where the Heavenly Emperor lives; the earthly emperor's palace takes its name from it.
金色年华 金色年華
jīnsè niánhuáㄐㄧㄣ ㄙㄜˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄨㄚˊ
golden years, literally “golden age”
The precious-time metaphor: youth or retirement both qualify.
báishǒu qǐjiāㄅㄞˊ ㄕㄡˇ ㄑㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄚ
built from nothing, literally “white hands found house”
Empty-handed start: the rags-to-riches ideal.
hóngliǎnㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄢˇ
the loyal/brave face (opera) / the nice cop, literally “red face”
Peking opera red = loyal courage (Guan Yu). In discipline duos: 唱红脸 plays the kind one.
báiliǎnㄅㄞˊ ㄌㄧㄢˇ
the treacherous face (opera) / the bad cop, literally “white face”
Opera white = cunning villain (Cao Cao). In parenting duos, the strict one.
hēiliǎnㄏㄟ ㄌㄧㄢˇ
the impartial face (opera) / sternness, literally “black face”
Opera black = blunt integrity (Judge Bao). 黑脸包工头： the strict overseer.
liǎnsèㄌㄧㄢˇ ㄙㄜˋ
facial expression (reading the room), literally “face color”
看脸色 'watch the face-color' = gauge the mood before speaking. The emotional weather report.
báiyǎnㄅㄞˊ ㄧㄢˇ
to roll one's eyes, literally “white eye”
Rolling the eyes shows the whites: scorn in one gesture. 白眼狼 is an ungrateful person.
小白
xiǎobáiㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄞˊ
newbie (little white), literally “little white”
Blank-slate white = total beginner, cuter than 菜鸟.
hēibái fēnmíngㄏㄟ ㄅㄞˊ ㄈㄣ ㄇㄧㄥˊ
black and white clearly divided, literally “black white clearly split”
Right and wrong kept perfectly distinct: moral clarity.
一清二白
yīqīng èrbáiㄧ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄦˋ ㄅㄞˊ
crystal clear, blameless, literally “one clear two white”
From the scallion-tofu xiehouyu: morally spotless.
kànpò hóngchénㄎㄢˋ ㄆㄛˋ ㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄔㄣˊ
see through worldly vanity, literally “see through red dust”
The Buddhist detachment phrase: 'red dust' = the mortal world's noise and desire.
báisèㄅㄞˊ ㄙㄜˋ
white: funerals and purity, literally “white color”
The funeral color, the opposite of Western weddings: white envelopes (白包) hold condolence money. Red weddings, white funerals.
白事
báishìㄅㄞˊ ㄕˋ
funeral affairs, literally “white matter”
Funerals are 'white matters', weddings are 红事 'red matters'. The color code for life's bookends.
hēiㄏㄟ
black: shady, illegal, dark, literally “black”
The shadow color: 黑名单 blacklist, 黑心 black-hearted merchant, 黑客 hacker, 黑店 scam shop.
hēixīnㄏㄟ ㄒㄧㄣ
black-hearted (unscrupulous), literally “black heart”
黑心商家 sells expired food, fakes products, scams customers.
hēi míngdānㄏㄟ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄉㄢ
blacklist, literally “black name-list”
Banned from credit, travel, or your ex's WeChat.
huángsèㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄙㄜˋ
yellow: imperial AND pornographic, literally “yellow color”
The double life: imperial yellow (the emperor's robes) AND 'yellow' means smut, 黄色网站. Color meanings don't translate.
sǎohuángㄙㄠˇ ㄏㄨㄤˊ
anti-porn crackdown, literally “sweep yellow”
Official campaigns 'sweeping the yellow': policing pornography and prostitution.
黄色笑话 黃色笑話
huángsè xiàohuàㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄙㄜˋ ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ
dirty joke, literally “yellow joke”
R-rated humor, the Chinese 'blue joke' is yellow.
黄了 黃了
huáng leㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄌㄜ˙
fell through (it went yellow), literally “went yellow”
Things that turn yellow wither and die: 这事黄了 means the deal is dead.
lǜ màoziㄌㄩˋ ㄇㄠˋ ㄗ˙
the cuckold's hat, literally “green hat”
The color nobody wears: a green hat means your spouse cheats. Never gift a green cap, never joke about one either.
báilǐngㄅㄞˊ ㄌㄧㄥˇ
white collar, literally “white collar”
Office worker class, borrowed concept: 蓝领 below, 金领 above.
脸黑 臉黑
liǎn hēiㄌㄧㄢˇ ㄏㄟ
unlucky (gaming), literally “face black”
Gacha luck: black face = bad pulls, white face = lucky. 非酋 vs 欧皇.
红涨绿跌 紅漲綠跌
hóng zhǎng lǜ diēㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄓㄤˇ ㄌㄩˋ ㄉㄧㄝ
red up, green down (Chinese stocks), literally “red rises green falls”
Opposite of Western markets: red = gains, green = losses. The trader's color code flips at the border.
灰色地带 灰色地帶
huīsè dìdàiㄏㄨㄟ ㄙㄜˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄉㄞˋ
gray area, literally “gray zone”
Neither legal nor illegal: where半合法 business lives.
灰产 灰產
huīchǎnㄏㄨㄟ ㄔㄢˇ
gray industry, literally “gray production”
The semi-legal economy: click farms, account sellers, scalpers.
qīngtóngㄑㄧㄥ ㄊㄨㄥˊ
bronze rank (noob), literally “bronze”
The lowest 王者荣耀 rank became everyday slang: '青铜操作' = amateur moves.
wángzhěㄨㄤˊ ㄓㄜˇ
king rank (top tier), literally “king”
The top Honor of Kings rank: '王者水平' = top-tier skill.
少女心
shàonǚxīnㄕㄠˋ ㄋㄩˇ ㄒㄧㄣ
a girl's heart (pink tastes), literally “maiden heart”
Pink-coded cuteness, bubble tea aesthetics, and collecting pretty things at any age.
lántúㄌㄢˊ ㄊㄨˊ
blueprint, literally “blue diagram”
Borrowed technical meaning now fully Chinese: '发展蓝图' a development blueprint.
jīnlǐngㄐㄧㄣ ㄌㄧㄥˇ
gold collar (executive), literally “gold collar”
Above white and blue: senior management, finance elite.
粉领 粉領
fěnlǐngㄈㄣˇ ㄌㄧㄥˇ
pink collar, literally “pink collar”
Female-dominated service jobs: nursing, teaching, admin.
cǎihóngㄘㄞˇ ㄏㄨㄥˊ
rainbow, literally “colored arc”
Also LGBTQ+ code in Chinese, 彩虹旗. From meteorological to identity meaning.
shēngxiàoㄕㄥ ㄒㄧㄠˋ
zodiac sign (the twelve animals), literally “birth resemblance”
Your birth year assigns your animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig. Every 12 years you repeat.
属龙 屬龍
shǔ lóngㄕㄨˇ ㄌㄨㄥˊ
born in dragon year, literally “belong dragon”
The prestige sign: dragon-year births spike (2024 saw a baby bump) because everyone wants the strongest animal.
属虎 屬虎
shǔ hǔㄕㄨˇ ㄏㄨˇ
born in tiger year, literally “belong tiger”
The fierce sign: 虎妞 the tough girl, 虎妈 the tiger mother who pushes hard.
属羊 屬羊
shǔ yángㄕㄨˇ ㄧㄤˊ
born in goat year, literally “belong goat”
The unlucky myth: 十羊九不全 'nine of ten goats are incomplete' is a prejudice, many parents time births to avoid it.
属狗 屬狗
shǔ gǒuㄕㄨˇ ㄍㄡˇ
born in dog year, literally “belong dog”
The loyal sign: dogs make devoted friends and honest workers.
属猪 屬豬
shǔ zhūㄕㄨˇ ㄓㄨ
born in pig year, literally “belong pig”
The lucky sign: pigs live easy, sleep late, and attract fortune.
属鼠 屬鼠
shǔ shǔㄕㄨˇ ㄕㄨˇ
born in rat year, literally “belong rat”
The clever first sign: rats won the zodiac race by riding the ox.
属牛 屬牛
shǔ niúㄕㄨˇ ㄋㄧㄡˊ
born in ox year, literally “belong ox”
The hardworking sign: oxen bear loads, plow fields, keep steady.
属兔 屬兔
shǔ tùㄕㄨˇ ㄊㄨˋ
born in rabbit year, literally “belong rabbit”
The gentle lucky sign: rabbits are soft-spoken, lucky, and quick.
属蛇 屬蛇
shǔ shéㄕㄨˇ ㄕㄜˊ
born in snake year, literally “belong snake”
The wise sign: snakes are intuitive, elegant, and mysterious.
属马 屬馬
shǔ mǎㄕㄨˇ ㄇㄚˇ
born in horse year, literally “belong horse”
The free-spirited sign: horses run wild and love independence.
属猴 屬猴
shǔ hóuㄕㄨˇ ㄏㄡˊ
born in monkey year, literally “belong monkey”
The clever trickster sign: monkeys are smart, witty, and a little chaotic.
属鸡 屬雞
shǔ jīㄕㄨˇ ㄐㄧ
born in rooster year, literally “belong rooster”
Punctual and proud: roosters announce the dawn.
shǔxiàngㄕㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄤˋ
zodiac animal (what you belong to), literally “belonging sign”
The noun for your animal: '你属相是什么？' asks your sign.
běnmìngniánㄅㄣˇ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ
your zodiac year (the dangerous one), literally “birth-fate year”
When your animal comes round every 12 years, luck runs OUT not in. Counteract by wearing red all year: 红内衣, 红腰带.
犯太岁 犯太歲
fàn tàisuìㄈㄢˋ ㄊㄞˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ
offending the Grand Duke (bad-luck year), literally “offend Tai Sui”
The astrological felony: your sign clashes with the year's ruling deity. Fix it with a temple visit, or sit the year out carefully.
suànmìngㄙㄨㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
fortune-telling, literally “calculate fate”
The street-corner profession: 算命先生 reads your eight characters and tells your future for a few yuan.
kànxiàngㄎㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ
face reading, literally “look physiognomy”
Reading fate in features: forehead width, ear shape, nose bridge all mean things.
shǒuxiàngㄕㄡˇ ㄒㄧㄤˋ
palm reading, literally “hand physiognomy”
Palm lines as fate-map: 生命线, 感情线, 事业线.
miànxiàngㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ
facial physiognomy, literally “face physiognomy”
The face as biography: 天庭饱满 forehead full = clever, 地阁方圆 jaw square = steady.
kāiguāngㄎㄞ ㄍㄨㄤ
consecration (opening the light), literally “open light”
The ritual that activates an object's spiritual power: bracelets, pendants, and statues get temple-blessed.
zhuǎnyùnㄓㄨㄢˇ ㄩㄣˋ
turn the luck around, literally “shift fortune”
Breaking a bad streak: lucky charms, temple visits, and strategic career changes.
月老
Yuèlǎoㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄠˇ
the matchmaking god, literally “Old Moon”
The deity who ties red strings between destined ankles: pray at his temples for love.
八字合婚
bāzì héhūnㄅㄚ ㄗˋ ㄏㄜˊ ㄏㄨㄣ
matching eight characters for marriage, literally “eight characters match marriage”
Pre-wedding fate-check: compatible signs = blessed union.
合婚
héhūnㄏㄜˊ ㄏㄨㄣ
marriage compatibility check, literally “match marriage”
The pre-wedding fate vetting: parents exchange birth charts.
剖腹产挑日子 剖腹產挑日子
pōufùchǎn tiāo rìziㄆㄡ ㄈㄨˋ ㄔㄢˇ ㄊㄧㄠ ㄖˋ ㄗ˙
scheduling the C-section for a lucky birth date, literally “C-section picks day”
The extreme fate-engineering: parents pick the hour to get a better eight characters. Real practice, mildly controversial.
改运 改運
gǎiyùnㄍㄞˇ ㄩㄣˋ
change your luck, literally “change fortune”
The proactive luck-management: name changes, moves, ceremonies.
算命先生
suànmìng xiānshengㄙㄨㄢˋ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄕㄥ˙
fortune-teller, literally “fate-calculate gentleman”
The street-corner oracle: reads your chart and tells the future.
龙年生娃 龍年生娃
lóngnián shēngwáㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄥ ㄨㄚˊ
dragon-year baby boom, literally “dragon year births”
Parents time conception for dragon years: the prestige animal means hospitals fill up.
属羊的命苦 屬羊的命苦
shǔ yáng de mìng kǔㄕㄨˇ ㄧㄤˊ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄎㄨˇ
goat-year fate is bitter (the myth), literally “goat zodiac fate bitter”
The prejudice: 十羊九不全 says nine of ten goats suffer. Statistically unfounded, culturally persistent.
吉时 吉時
jíshíㄐㄧˊ ㄕˊ
lucky hour, literally “auspicious time”
The chosen hour: cutting ribbons, signing contracts, weddings all have their吉时.
冲太岁 衝太歲
chōng tàisuìㄔㄨㄥ ㄊㄞˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ
clashing with the year god, literally “strike Tai Sui”
The zodiac opposition: your sign runs head-on into the year's ruler.
害太岁 害太歲
hài tàisuìㄏㄞˋ ㄊㄞˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ
harming the year god, literally “harm Tai Sui”
The subtle clash: not as bad as 冲 but still unlucky.
刑太岁 刑太歲
xíng tàisuìㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄊㄞˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ
clashing with Tai Sui, the year god, literally “punish Tai Sui”
The third clash type: friction without full collision.
liùhéㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄏㄜˊ
six harmonies (compatible signs), literally “six joins”
The six zodiac pairs that blend: rat+ox, tiger+pig, rabbit+dog, dragon+rooster, snake+monkey, horse+goat.
三合
sānhéㄙㄢ ㄏㄜˊ
three harmonies (triangle compatibility), literally “three joins”
The zodiac triangles: rat-dragon-monkey, ox-snake-rooster, tiger-horse-dog, rabbit-goat-pig.
相冲 相沖
xiāngchōngㄒㄧㄤ ㄔㄨㄥ
clashing signs, literally “mutual strike”
The six opposed pairs: rat-horse, ox-goat, tiger-monkey, rabbit-rooster, dragon-dog, snake-pig.
生肖配对 生肖配對
shēngxiào pèiduìㄕㄥ ㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄆㄟˋ ㄉㄨㄟˋ
zodiac compatibility matching, literally “zodiac pair-matching”
The dating-fate system: still consulted before engagements.
太岁 太歲
tàisuìㄊㄞˋ ㄙㄨㄟˋ
Grand Duke Jupiter (the year god), literally “great year”
The deity who rules each year. '太岁头上动土' = disturbing the god = asking for trouble.
生辰八字
shēngchén bāzìㄕㄥ ㄔㄣˊ ㄅㄚ ㄗˋ
the eight birth characters, literally “birth eight characters”
Four pillars (year, month, day, hour) × two characters each = your fate profile, the basis of traditional fortune-telling.
bāzìㄅㄚ ㄗˋ
the eight characters (fate shorthand), literally “eight characters”
八字不合 means the stars say you're incompatible: the classic excuse to refuse a marriage.
wǔxíngㄨˇ ㄒㄧㄥˊ
the five elements (metal wood water fire earth), literally “five processes”
金木水火土: the cycle that generates and restrains. Birth charts balance them.
缺啥补啥 缺啥補啥
quē shá bǔ sháㄑㄩㄝ ㄕㄚˊ ㄅㄨˇ ㄕㄚˊ
make up what you lack, literally “lack what mend what”
The naming rule: if your chart lacks fire, your name gets 炎; lacks water, gets 淼.
fēngshuǐㄈㄥ ㄕㄨㄟˇ
feng shui, literally “wind water”
The geomantic art: siting houses and graves for qi flow. 风水宝地 is prime land.
桃花劫
táohuā jiéㄊㄠˊ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄐㄧㄝˊ
romantic calamity, literally “peach-blossom doom”
The dangerous flip side of romantic luck: affairs that wreck marriages, obsessions that ruin lives. 桃花 attracts; the 劫 version consumes.
yīnyuánㄧㄣ ㄩㄢˊ
marital destiny, literally “marriage fate”
The fated bond: temple prayers and the 月老's red thread.
hóngxiànㄏㄨㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄢˋ
the red thread of fate, literally “red thread”
The invisible cord 月老 ties between destined lovers: you'll meet no matter what.
mìnglǐㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄌㄧˇ
fate theory (the system), literally “fate logic”
The umbrella term for all the divination arts: eight characters, face, palm, name analysis.
dàjí dàlìㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄌㄧˋ
great luck great profit, literally “big luck big profit”
The PUBG-mobile chicken-dinner blessing: '大吉大利，今晚吃鸡' is the win-line.
féng xiōng huà jíㄈㄥˊ ㄒㄩㄥ ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄐㄧˊ
turning bad luck into good, literally “meet danger change luck”
The lucky pivot: calamities transform into blessings.
趋吉避凶 趨吉避凶
qū jí bì xiōngㄑㄩ ㄐㄧˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄩㄥ
chase fortune, dodge disaster, literally “seek luck avoid doom”
The goal of all the practices: maximize the good omens, minimize the bad.
一命二运三风水 一命二運三風水
yī mìng èr yùn sān fēngshuǐㄧ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄦˋ ㄩㄣˋ ㄙㄢ ㄈㄥ ㄕㄨㄟˇ
fate first, luck second, feng shui third, literally “one fate two luck three fengshui”
The hierarchy of what determines your life, in order: born fate, current luck, environment.
jīdéㄐㄧ ㄉㄜˊ
accumulate virtue, literally “stack virtue”
Good deeds bank karma: for yourself or your descendants.
有缘无分 有緣無分
yǒuyuán wúfènㄧㄡˇ ㄩㄢˊ ㄨˊ ㄈㄣˋ
fated to meet but not to keep, literally “have fate no portion”
The melancholy verdict: met the right person at the wrong time, or loved without landing.
命中注定 命中註定
mìngzhōng zhùdìngㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄓㄨˋ ㄉㄧㄥˋ
destined, literally “fate within fixed”
Written in the stars: what's meant to be will be.