China's eternal mystery: What color is "cyan"

Cyan refers to blue or green, and it is often impossible to accurately express the effect seen by the naked eye in text description. Cyan is a color between blue and green, which is a mixture of equal amounts of green and blue light. If you can't define whether a color is blue or green, you can call it cyan.

The ancients in China had a saying, "shine on you, green is blue ..." Xunzi advised: "Green is blue, and green is blue; Ice, water is cooler than water. " The cyan here actually refers to a color between blue and purple, such as "ultramarine" and "violet". Most people usually classify it as purple, but in fact it is a separate color system. "Cyan" in dialects in other parts of China refers to black.

Cyan is a unique color in China, which has the meaning of life in ancient Chinese culture and is also a symbol of spring. In the theory of five elements, cyan is a kind of wood. In Xun Zi's ancient prose "Encouraging Learning", cyan also means black. In Ji Yun's Notes on Yuewei Caotang, it is recorded that "in February and March, Tian Miao increased, which was marked by merchants. Cyan is of great significance in ancient China society. It symbolizes strength, hope, simplicity and solemnity, which is why traditional utensils and costumes often use cyan.