The Color Matters --- Green in Chinese Culture

Green in Chinese Culture

In one of my previous blogs, I introduced some basics of what the color red and golden represents in Chinese culture. Today, let's take a look at GREEN in Chinese Culture.

Nowadays, green means energy saving, environmental friendly, and such... and it is the same as in China. But, Green mean so much more in Chinese culture as well. Behold.

1)  More popular in tale from old times, Outlaw, Robin-hood, someone rob . In Chinese, it is 绿林好汉, direct translation in English is Good Man in Green Woods. Isn't it a more vivid description then "robin-hood"?

What happened to the low jar of the white horse?

2)  Green, in old times, based on historical literature, meant low in social rank. It is said that in Han dynasty,  servants had to wear green scarf, for indicating purpose; also, prostitutes after Yuan dynasty were marked with green scarf as well.

As a revolved concept, green hat, in Chinese culture now, is a serious humiliation to a man. It means his wife has affairs. Following this sense, man in Chinese will avoid anything green on top of his head, including but not limited to green scarf, green umbrella, green helmet ...

This is not a Chinese male cat. 

3) green also means something sad. As I mentioned in the other post that, red couplets are one of the important element in Chinese New Year, but if you see some green couplets on the front door of a house in China around the Chinese New Year, it indicates someone has passed in the family in the past year. The next year, there will be red couplets again. This culture is still alive, especially, in southern China.

This family lost someone in the past year, so they have green couplets instead red ones for the immediate Chinese New Year.

Adding to this, the white color in Chinese culture also represents mourning. In ancient and modern Chinese culture (especially in countryside), white color, hat and shoes are worn in funerals by the younger in the family.

(all of the photos are from the internet source, contact me if it violate copyright)