Color in Chinese culture

Traditionally, the standard colors in Chinese culture are black, red, indigo (青; qīng),[2] white, and yellow.

Respectively, these correspond to water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, which comprise the 'five elements' (wuxing) of traditional Chinese metaphysics.

[3] Throughout the Shang, Tang, Zhou and Qin dynasties, China's emperors used the Theory of the Five Elements to select colors.

[5] The Chinese conception of yellow (黃 huáng) is inclusive of many shades considered tan or brown in English, and its primary association is with the earth rather than the sun.

It was formerly inclusive of many oranges,[6][7] although speakers of modern Standard Mandarin increasingly map their use of huáng to shades corresponding to English yellow.

Yellow often decorates royal palaces, altars and temples, and the color was used in the dragon robes and attire of the emperors.

[9] Black (黑 hēi), corresponding to water, is generally understood as a neutral color, though it appears in many negative contexts in chengyu and common names.

[9] Ever since the Chinese economic reform and influx of Western cultural values, white wedding gowns have become more popular.

Red (紅; 红 hóng), vermilion (丹 dān), and scarlet (赤 chì)[10] are associated with masculine yang energy, fire, good fortune and joy.

[12] In the People's Republic of China, red remains a very popular color and is affiliated with and used by the Communist Party and the government.

The blue sky and green vegetables were considered shades of a single color which could even include black as its darkest hue in some contexts.

Modern Standard Mandarin makes the blue-green distinction using lǜ (綠; 绿 'leafy') for green and lán (藍; 蓝 'indigo') for blue.