🇨🇳 The colours of China

Happy events such as weddings and births are called 'red affairs'. The double happiness character is cut from red paper and pasted up at weddings.

Lovers are said to be tied by a red thread from birth. The bride's dress, the invitations and the wedding decorations are red.

In a 30-nation survey, people in China linked white with sadness more than people elsewhere, in line with white's place at funerals.

Funerals are called 'white affairs'. Close relatives traditionally wear white or undyed cloth, and gift money is given in white envelopes.

An envious person is 'red-eyed' (yanhong), and envy is jokingly called 'red-eye disease' (hongyanbing).

In Peking opera a red painted face marks a loyal, brave character such as Guan Yu. A black face is blunt and upright, and a white one is treacherous.

In the five phases of Chinese thought, red belongs to fire, summer and the south. A thriving life or business is 'red and fiery', honghuo.

Under the Ming and Qing dynasties bright yellow was the emperor's colour. To be 'draped in the yellow robe' still means to take the throne.

To be embarrassed is lianhong, 'face red'. To smear someone's reputation is mohei, to 'paint them black'.

In Chinese a person's face is said to 'turn green' (lian dou lü le) when they are sickened, shocked or furious.

A sudden shock is a thunderclap from a clear sky: qingtian pili in Chinese and seiten no hekireki in Japanese.

A discouraged person is huixin, 'grey-hearted' or 'ash-hearted', as if the fire had gone out.

Old photographs, books and letters are described as fanhuang, 'gone yellow', a common image for the passing of time.

At the Spring Festival, doors are hung with red couplets and children receive money in red envelopes, hongbao, as a wish for a fortunate year.