五光十色 (wǔ guāng shí sè) — (idiom) multicolored, brightly colored, dazzling; (idiom) multifarious, varied, diverse

Definition

A set phrase meaning dazzlingly colorful and varied — 'a riot of color.' The 'five' and 'ten' are not literal; the idiom emphasizes both visual brilliance and diversity of form.

idiom
multicoloredbrightly coloreddazzlingmultifariousvarieddiverse

Examples

  • ，五光十色，。
    Yè wǎn de guǎng chǎng shàng, ní hóng dēng wǔ guāng shí sè, fēi cháng měi lì.
    At night, the neon lights in the square are brilliant with color — very beautiful.
  • 五光十色。
    Zhè ge zhǎn lǎn zhǎn shì le wǔ guāng shí sè de mín jiān yì shù pǐn.
    This exhibition displays a dazzling variety of folk art.
  • 五光十色，。
    Shāng chǎng lǐ de shāng pǐn wǔ guāng shí sè, ràng rén yǎn huā liáo luàn.
    The products in the mall are so varied and colorful that they dazzle the eyes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

五光many lights
五wǔmany光guānglight
偏正Modifier + head
十色many colors
十shímany色sècolor
偏正Modifier + head

五光 suggests many lights and 十色 suggests many colors, giving multicolored.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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