The Study of Red Color Adjective in Modern Chinese Language

Abstract

This research aims to study the red adjective, “hong”, from the perspective of its background, explanation, word structure, meaning, and usage. The red adjective, “hong", is a basic morpheme forming words in the modern Chinese language. The data of this study were obtained by collecting words and idioms from the following dictionaries: the “Xiandai Hanyu Cidian” published in 2006, the “Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian” in 2004, the “Xin Shiji Hanyu Duoyong Cidian” in 2003, the “Zhonghua Chengyu Cihai” in 2001, and the “Hanyu Guanyongyu Cidian” in 2004. In total, 185 words and 146 idioms were analyzed. It was found that the red adjective was related to the silk weaving of the ancient Chinese. Its original meaning is “pale red silk” or “pink silk”. Its original meaning has multiple interpretations, including luck, auspices, success, and progress. These interpretations are currently valid in modern Chinese. In communication, the word "hong" can be used as an adjective or a noun, together with other words, forming compound words and idioms. Moreover, it can be used independently as an adjective in a sentence.