色

• Pinyin: sè
• Hanzi breakdown: 色 = a kneeling figure emphasising the face — originally facial expression, extended to colour and appearance

Meaning

Colour; hue; appearance. A foundational character appearing in many essential compounds.

Rarely used alone in modern speech but appears in countless compounds: 颜色 (colour), 红色 (red), 脸色 (complexion), 景色 (scenery), 特色 (distinctive feature), 出色 (outstanding), and 角色 (role). On its own, 色 can carry connotations of lust, so it is best used within compound words.

Examples

1. 这件衣服有好几种颜色可以选。 This piece of clothing comes in several colours to choose from.
2. 他今天的脸色看起来不太好。 His complexion doesn't look very good today.
3. 秋天的景色真是美极了。 The autumn scenery is truly beautiful.

Usage Guide

Context: description, everyday, fashion

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你喜欢什么颜色？(What colour do you like?)
• 她今天脸色不太好，是不是生病了？(Her complexion doesn't look good today — is she ill?)

Don't Say

• 这个色很好看 without the 颜 prefix (When talking about colour, use the full compound 颜色 — 色 alone sounds incomplete or potentially inappropriate in some contexts)

Origin & History

The character 色 originally depicted a kneeling person, suggesting facial expression and appearance. Over time it came to mean colour and outward appearance broadly.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal