Some of the fundamental colors[clarification needed] used in danqing are white, yellow, red, blue-green, and black.

[3] The origin of the word danqing comes from the combination of the Chinese characters dan (丹) and qing (青).

Danqing is mentioned as one of the minerals in the treasury, which was guarded by officials in the Zhi Jin (職金) position.

[4][10][clarification needed] By the Jin dynasty, the word danqing was extended to mean the process of Chinese painting.

In the Book of Jin, published in 648 AD, the Chinese painter and politician Gu Kaizhi was described as "especially good at danqing", in which the word meant the art of painting.

When recalling Guo Yuanzhen's military achievements in defending and protecting the Tang dynasty, Du Fu wrote expressing his admiration for Guo by writing: "The general outstanding other famous ministers and the danqing (his painting) illuminates the central pavilion.