English uses color words in many fixed expressions that mean something different from the literal color. These phrases often describe emotions, honesty, permission, danger, or social situations. Because they are idiomatic, you usually cannot change the color or replace words freely without changing the meaning. Learn them as whole phrases and pay attention to context and tone.

Color expressions often describe temporary emotional states, especially sadness, anger, fear, and embarrassment. They typically use common verbs like feel, be, turn, and go, and they describe how someone seems emotionally rather than their physical color. Some are informal and common in conversation.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
feel blue	🎨 感到忧郁	feel sad or depressed	🎨 感到悲伤或抑郁	I’ve been feeling blue lately.	🎨 我最近一直感到忧郁。
see red	🎨 大发雷霆	become suddenly very angry	🎨 突然变得非常生气	He saw red when he heard the lie.	🎨 听到谎言时他大发雷霆。
be green with envy	🎨 羡慕得发青	feel strong jealousy	🎨 感到强烈的嫉妒	She was green with envy over his promotion.	🎨 她对他的晋升羡慕得发青。
be in a black mood	🎨 心情阴郁	feel very unhappy or gloomy	🎨 感到非常不开心或郁闷	He’s been in a black mood all week.	🎨 整整一周他都心情阴郁。
turn white	🎨 变得苍白	become very pale from fear or shock	🎨 因恐惧或震惊而变得非常苍白	She turned white when she heard the news.	🎨 听到消息时她脸色变白。
go red	🎨 脸红	blush from embarrassment	🎨 因尴尬而脸红	I went red when my name was mentioned.	🎨 当有人提起我的名字时我脸红了。

Several color expressions describe truthfulness, deception, or whether a story seems believable. These are commonly used in news, workplaces, and everyday conversation. Some expressions are stronger than others, so choose them carefully depending on how serious the situation is.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
white lie	🎨 无伤大雅的小谎言	a small, harmless lie told to be polite	🎨 为了礼貌而说的一个小而无害的谎言	I told a white lie about liking the gift.	🎨 我对这个礼物说了一个善意的谎言。
black and white	🎨 黑白对照	clear and unambiguous	🎨 清晰且明确	The rules aren’t black and white.	🎨 规则并非非黑即白。
in black and white	🎨 以黑白文本表达	written or printed, not spoken	🎨 书面或印刷的，而非口头的	Get the agreement in black and white.	🎨 将协议以书面形式确认。
grey area	🎨 模棱两可的领域	a situation without a clear right or wrong	🎨 情况没有明确的对错	It’s a legal grey area.	🎨 这在法律上是一个模糊地带。

In many contexts, colors express approval, authority, or limits. These phrases are common in business, government, and daily planning. They often appear with verbs like give, get, have, and be.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
give the green light	🎨 给出绿灯	give permission to start	🎨 给出许可开始	The manager gave the green light for the project.	🎨 经理为该项目给予了绿灯。
have a free hand	🎨 拥有自行处理事务的自由	have full control to decide and act	🎨 拥有完全的决策与行动控制权	She had a free hand to redesign the website.	🎨 她有自由重新设计网站的权力。
put someone on a tight leash	🎨 让某人处于严格的束缚之下	control someone very strictly	🎨 非常严格地控制某人	They kept the new staff on a tight leash.	🎨 他们对新员工进行了严格的管控。

Colors are used to signal risk, rules, and attention, often connected to traffic lights, safety, and status alerts. These expressions can be literal in meaning but are often used figuratively to talk about situations that feel risky or urgent. They are useful in news and workplace communication.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
red flag	🎨 红旗	a warning sign of a problem	🎨 问题的警告信号	The lack of details is a red flag.	🎨 细节不足是一个警示信号。
on red alert	🎨 处于最高警戒状态	at the highest level of warning	🎨 处于最高级别的警戒	The building went on red alert after the alarm.	🎨 警报响后，建筑物进入了红色警戒状态。
green zone	🎨 绿区	an area considered safe	🎨 被认为安全的区域	We stayed in the green zone during the event.	🎨 活动期间我们待在安全区域。
in the red	🎨 处于赤字状态	losing money, in debt	🎨 亏损、负债累累	The company has been in the red for months.	🎨 这家公司已经亏损了数月。

Some color expressions talk about importance, high rank, or special treatment. They can describe people, events, and access to opportunities. Many of these are common in formal or media contexts, especially when discussing privilege or social status.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
red carpet treatment	🎨 红地毯式待遇	very special, VIP treatment	🎨 非常特殊的、VIP待遇	They rolled out the red carpet for the guests.	🎨 他们为来宾铺设了红地毯。
blue blood	🎨 蓝血贵族	aristocratic or high social class	🎨 贵族或社会地位较高	The family is considered blue blood in the region.	🎨 该家庭在当地被视为蓝血贵族。
a golden opportunity	🎨 一个黄金机会	a very valuable chance	🎨 一个非常有价值的机会	This internship is a golden opportunity.	🎨 这个实习机会是一个黄金机会。
silver lining	🎨 乌云中的一线希望	a hopeful aspect of a bad situation	🎨 不佳情境中的一线希望	The silver lining is that we learned quickly.	🎨 值得庆幸的是，我们学得很快。

Color terms can categorize types of work and workers, especially in economics and job discussions. These labels describe typical job environments, education level, and how work is performed. They are common in journalism and business writing.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
blue-collar	🎨 蓝领	manual or industrial work	🎨 手工或工业工作	He comes from a blue-collar background.	🎨 他来自蓝领家庭背景。
white-collar	🎨 白领	office or professional work	🎨 办公室或专业工作	She works in a white-collar job downtown.	🎨 她在市中心从事白领工作。
pink-collar	🎨 粉领	service jobs traditionally associated with women	🎨 传统上与女性相关的服务行业的工作	The report focused on pink-collar employment.	🎨 该报告聚焦于粉领就业。
green jobs	🎨 绿色岗位	work connected to environmental sustainability	🎨 与环境可持续发展相关的工作	Green jobs are growing in the energy sector.	🎨 能源部门的绿色岗位正在增长。

Some color expressions create strong emphasis and are used to make speech more vivid. They often sound informal or dramatic, so they are best for conversation, storytelling, or headlines rather than careful formal writing. Using them too often can sound exaggerated.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
out of the blue	🎨 出乎意料地	unexpectedly, without warning	🎨 突然地、没有警告地	Out of the blue, she called me.	🎨 她突然给我打来电话。
once in a blue moon	🎨 千年难得一见	very rarely	🎨 非常罕见	We eat out once in a blue moon.	🎨 我们很少外出就餐。
tickled pink	🎨 开心极了	very pleased	🎨 非常高兴	I’m tickled pink you came.	🎨 你来让我高兴极了。
as white as a sheet	🎨 苍白如纸	extremely pale, often from fear	🎨 非常苍白，通常是因恐惧	He was as white as a sheet after the accident.	🎨 事故后他脸色苍白。

Color expressions can describe someone’s character, reputation, or the way they behave in groups. Some are informal labels, while others can be negative or judgmental. Use them carefully when describing people to avoid sounding rude or biased.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
black sheep	🎨 家族中的异类	a person seen as the odd or disapproved member of a group	🎨 被视为群体中异类或不被认可的成员	He’s the black sheep of the family.	🎨 他是这个家庭中的黑羊。
golden child	🎨 宠儿	someone who is favored and praised	🎨 被偏爱和赞扬的人	She’s treated like the golden child at work.	🎨 她在工作中被视为宠儿。
paint someone as	🎨 把某人描述为	describe someone in a certain way, often unfairly	🎨 以某种方式描述某人，常常不公平	The article painted him as careless.	🎨 该报道将他描绘成粗心大意的人。
show true colors	🎨 展现真实本性	reveal real character	🎨 揭示真实性格	He showed his true colors during the crisis.	🎨 在危机时期，他暴露了真实的本性。

Many color expressions follow fixed grammatical patterns, such as be plus adjective, or noun phrases like a red flag. Keeping the exact pattern helps you sound natural and avoids mistakes like using the wrong preposition or article. When you learn a new expression, memorize the whole chunk, including the verb and any articles.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use be plus color adjective for states	🎨 使用 be 加颜色形容词表示状态	I’m feeling blue today.	🎨 我今天感觉有点蓝。
Use a or the with noun expressions when needed	🎨 根据需要在名词表达前使用 a 或 the	That’s a red flag.	🎨 那是一个红旗信号。
Use in plus color for status conditions	🎨 使用 in 加颜色表示状态	The business is in the red.	🎨 这家公司处于赤字状态。
Keep set verbs in fixed idioms	🎨 将固定动词保持在固定习语中	They gave the green light.	🎨 他们给予了绿灯。

Color expressions are common, vivid, and often cultural, so meaning depends on context more than the literal color. Focus on the most frequent phrases and use them in the correct fixed patterns. With practice, you will recognize whether a color phrase is literal, figurative, or used for emphasis.