青色 (qīng sè) — blue-green color; a hue that spans blue and green

Definition

A traditional Chinese color term covering the blue-green range — think clear skies, young leaves, and turquoise stone, not the bright cyan of a screen. In modern speech it usually reads as 'teal' or 'blue-green', a calmer, more natural hue than 绿.

noun
blue-green colora hue that spans blue and green

Examples

  • 青色，。
    Nà piàn tiān kōng shì qīng sè de, hěn měi.
    That stretch of sky is a beautiful blue-green.
  • ，青色。
    Chūn tiān lái le, shān shàng de qīng sè cǎo ràng rén xīn qíng hěn hǎo.
    Spring has come, and the blue-green grass on the mountain puts people in a good mood.
  • 青色，。
    Tā xǐ huan chuān qīng sè de yī fu, xiǎn de hěn jīng shén.
    He likes to wear blue-green clothes; it makes him look energetic.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

青qīngblue/green
色sècolor

青 (blue/green) and 色 (color) together name that hue.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

Open 青 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.