Abstract：The expression of color is an important area in human language. In the big nature world everything has color, and the expression of color is related to human lives. The study of different meaning of color words between English and Chinese is on the basis of the definitions of color words in two languanges, the historical origin and the cultural differences. The translative ways of color words are chosen according to what they want to express. What’s more, it is found that there are polysemy and complexity in the expression of color words. In human language color words sometimes do not just represent the color of one thing, but some profound meanings people can not tell. Therefore, we should know about the meanings of different color. English and Chinese have their own characteristics. From the study of the expression of color words in English and Chinese, we can find that the translation of color words respectively of the two languages reveals the communication between different cultures. The more we know about the color’s meaning, the easier we can translate color words. This study is meaningful for people to get more information about the usage of color words in order to avoid misunderstanding because of different culture.
Key words: color words；meaning；culture difference；language
中文摘要：在人类语言中，颜色词语的表达是颇为重要的一个领域。大自然中的每一件事物都有各自的色彩，颜色跟我们人类生活是息息相关。在了解英汉颜色词概念的基础上，分析两种语言中颜色词所代表的意义，因为不同的历史根源和不同的文化背景而产生了很大的差异。从中英颜色词表达的语言含义的深浅决定人们选择的翻译方法和技巧。中英基本颜色词翻译的对比和翻译体现了颜色词在言语表达方面的多义性和复杂性。颜色词在人类语言中除了是表示看得见的事物外，还蕴含了很多人们无法用言语解释的含义。因此对颜色词翻译的研究不仅要注意颜色本身存在的意思，更要了解它们在不同场合不同言语中深奥的象征意义。从对中英颜色词的研究中可以发现颜色词的翻译显示了不同民族文化的交流。在英汉基本颜色词的翻译中，我们掌握的颜色词所包含的意思越多，翻译就越容易。英汉颜色词的研究可以让人们更进一步了解颜色表达的深层意义，从而避免因为文化差异而产生的英汉转换所产生的误解。
关键词：颜色词；意思；文化差异；语言
