Thesis statement: The number of words for expressing color in languages of various nationalities differs and its classification varies as well.

Abstract: Scientific research indicates that seven million kinds of colors can be found in the world. However, color expressions are only limited to several hundreds in classification. People''s actual life is closely related to color. There are many color expressions, which reflect different culture psychologies and emotional colorings both in Chinese and English. Color is a kind of visual effect. Because the mankind has the same physiological mechanism and vision nerve, the color words are no different in essence, theoretically. However, because of various language culture, historical background, religious belief, mode of thinking, aesthetic temperament and interest, etc. in different nationality, people''s impression of color and expression are different, and the associative meaning produced by the color has nothing in common with each other. There are different and various color words and expressions in English and Chinese. Sometimes it is difficult to find equivalent expression in one language. This brings a great obstacle with translators. Translation must be done in a flexible way.

Key words: translation, comparison, color, English, Chinese, different

On the Translation and Comparison of

Color Expressions between English and Chinese

1. Introduction

The color is a kind of human being''s aesthesia in the objective world. Various colors exist in the nature or in social life. The so-called "beautiful world" or "colorful life " proves that people''s actual life is closely related to color.

Scientific research indicates that seven million kinds of colors can be found in the world. However, color expressions are only limited to several hundreds in classification. The number of words for expressing color in languages of various nationalities differs and its classification varies as well. “ （ Bao ， 2001 ： 42 ） ”

English and Chinese Expressions on Colors can be categorized into three kinds: Firstly, the major colors in the natural world, such as red 、 blue 、 green 、 white 、 purple 、 gray 、 brown 、 black and so on; Secondly, color expressions on objects, which are commonly associated with gold