<p class="ql-block"> "Colours" is a basic but very popular</p><p class="ql-block">topic for many beginners of a </p><p class="ql-block">language. It is partially because each</p><p class="ql-block">colour has different symbolism in </p><p class="ql-block">different colours，and that is really</p><p class="ql-block">fascinating yet confusing sometimes.</p><p class="ql-block">Therefore，the symbolism of different</p><p class="ql-block">colours need to be well presented and</p><p class="ql-block">explained lest there should be any </p><p class="ql-block">possible misunderstanding between</p><p class="ql-block">people with different culture</p><p class="ql-block"> backgrounds .While I teach words on </p><p class="ql-block">colours，I must explain what different</p><p class="ql-block">colours symbolise in Chinese culture.</p><p class="ql-block">For example---</p><p class="ql-block"> red---good luck，fortune，</p><p class="ql-block">happiness，blood，fire，revolution.</p><p class="ql-block"> blue--- calm，water</p><p class="ql-block"> yellow---soil，earth，brightness</p><p class="ql-block"> white --- purity，clean，sincerity，</p><p class="ql-block">simplicity</p><p class="ql-block"> black---bad luck ,dark side, illegal</p><p class="ql-block"> green---life，hope，eco-friendly</p><p class="ql-block"> There's one thing I have to clarify </p><p class="ql-block">to my students that the words hei</p><p class="ql-block">(black) and bai(white) carry no racist</p><p class="ql-block">connontations in the Chinese</p><p class="ql-block"> language and thus they may </p><p class="ql-block">understand that people are not</p><p class="ql-block"> insulting them by referring to them as</p><p class="ql-block">heiren or bairen.</p><p class="ql-block"> Then I'd like to unfold my </p><p class="ql-block">explanation in possible dimensions.</p><p class="ql-block">The first dimension is to guide the</p><p class="ql-block"> students to make comparison </p><p class="ql-block">between Chinese and their culture in </p><p class="ql-block">terms of colours by asking them what</p><p class="ql-block">those colours symbolise in their</p><p class="ql-block"> country，what is similar to Chinese</p><p class="ql-block"> culture and what is not，so and so </p><p class="ql-block">forth.</p><p class="ql-block"> Next,based on the syhbolism of </p><p class="ql-block">those colours，I'd like to move to the</p><p class="ql-block">second dimension---how people use</p><p class="ql-block">different colours for different</p><p class="ql-block"> occasions，because that is related to</p><p class="ql-block">people's real life.</p><p class="ql-block"> Again,I won't just tell my students</p><p class="ql-block">what is what，but guide them to think</p><p class="ql-block">about what they have known and</p><p class="ql-block"> work out what colour is possibly for</p><p class="ql-block">wedding or funerals，et cetera.And </p><p class="ql-block">again，a comparison between Chinese</p><p class="ql-block">and local culture is necessary.</p><p class="ql-block"> The third possible dimension is the</p><p class="ql-block">nurture of the culture-teaching for the</p><p class="ql-block">language-teaching.There are lots of</p><p class="ql-block">Chinese words and phrases related to</p><p class="ql-block">"colours",such as hongren，heiche，</p><p class="ql-block">baishi and huise shouru.Their literal</p><p class="ql-block">meanings are not so complicated，but</p><p class="ql-block">some cultural meanings are carried.</p><p class="ql-block">Therefore，they are quite ideal to</p><p class="ql-block"> serve as "intended knowledge",</p><p class="ql-block">helping students consolidate their </p><p class="ql-block">knowledge about the symbolism of</p><p class="ql-block">colours in China and possibly enlarge</p><p class="ql-block">their Chinese vocabulary.</p>