绿色

• Pinyin: lǜ sè
• Hanzi breakdown: 绿 (lǜ) — green; 色 (sè) — colour

Meaning

Green colour; also used to mean eco-friendly or environmentally sustainable.

As a colour word, 绿色 is more formal than 绿 alone. Beyond colour, it is widely used in modern Chinese as a modifier meaning 'green/eco-friendly' — 绿色食品 (organic food), 绿色出行 (green travel/commuting), 绿色能源 (green energy).

Examples

1. 我最喜欢的颜色是绿色。 My favourite colour is green.
2. 现在大家都提倡绿色出行。 Nowadays everyone advocates for green travel.
3. 这家店卖绿色食品。 This shop sells organic food.

Usage Guide

Context: colour, environment, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 绿色是大自然的颜色。(Green is the colour of nature.)
• 我们应该过绿色生活。(We should live a green lifestyle.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'很绿色' (Don't say 很绿色 as a colour description — use 很绿; 绿色 is a noun form, not an adjective that takes 很)

Origin & History

Compound of 绿 (green) and 色 (colour). The addition of 色 makes it a formal colour noun, also extended in modern usage to mean 'environmentally friendly'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal