彩虹

• Pinyin: cǎi hóng
• Hanzi breakdown: 彩 = 彡 (decorative strokes) + 采 (to pick, phonetic); 虹 = 虫 (insect/creature radical) + 工 (phonetic; ancients likened rainbows to sky-dragons)

Meaning

Rainbow. A multicolored arc of light formed by the refraction and reflection of sunlight through water droplets, typically seen after rain.

Used both literally (a rainbow in the sky after rain) and figuratively to symbolize hope or beauty following hardship. The Chinese saying 不经历风雨，怎能见彩虹 encapsulates this symbolism perfectly. Also common in names, brand imagery, and poetic description.

Examples

1. 雨后天晴，天边出现了一道绚丽的彩虹，孩子们兴奋地跑出门外欢呼雀跃。 After the rain cleared, a brilliant rainbow appeared on the horizon, and the children excitedly ran outside cheering.
2. 他在演讲中引用了那句话：不经历风雨，怎能见彩虹，台下掌声雷动。 In his speech he quoted that famous line: without going through wind and rain, how can you see the rainbow — the audience responded with thunderous applause.
3. 摄影师在山顶守候了两个小时，终于拍到了横跨山谷的双彩虹奇景。 The photographer waited two hours at the mountaintop and finally captured the spectacular sight of a double rainbow arching across the valley.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, literature, everyday

Tone: uplifting

Do Say

• 雨后出现了一道彩虹，美极了。(A rainbow appeared after the rain — it was stunning.)
• 她把这段艰难经历比作风雨后的彩虹。(She compared this difficult experience to a rainbow after the storm.)

Don't Say

• 彩虹有五种颜色。(Rainbows have seven colors — 七种颜色, not 五种; don't get the count wrong in factual contexts)

Origin & History

彩 (colorful) + 虹 (rainbow; originally written with the insect radical 虫 because ancient Chinese described rainbows as celestial dragon-like creatures). A classical compound used since antiquity.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal