Galya
Help I need somebody!!! version 2 :D There are another 20 idioms. Can anybody help? I neen an English translation 1.惨绿少年 - 惨绿:浅绿,指服色。原指穿浅绿衣服的少年。后指讲究装饰的青年男子。 2.橙黄橘绿 - 指秋季景物。 3.灯红酒绿 - 形容奢侈糜烂的生活。 4.纷红骇绿 - 纷:纷披;红:指红花;骇:散乱;绿:指绿叶。 纷披散乱的红花绿叶。形容花草树木随风摆动。 5.粉白黛绿 - 泛指女子的妆饰。 6.红愁绿惨 - 比喻愁思满怀,容易伤感。 7.红男绿女 - 指穿着各种漂亮服装的青年男女。 8.红情绿意 - 形容艳丽的春天景色。 9.花红柳绿 - 形容明媚的春天景象。也形容颜色鲜艳纷繁。 10.回黄转绿 - 树叶由绿变黄,由黄变绿。原指时令的变迁,后比喻世事的反复。 11.酒绿灯红 - 形容奢侈糜烂的生活。 12.柳绿花红 - 形容明媚的春天景象。也形容颜色鲜艳纷繁。 13.绿林豪客 - 绿林:西汉王匡、王凤为首的“绿林军”。指聚集山林、反抗官府的武装力量指伤害人民的群盗股匪。 14.绿林好汉 - 指聚集山林反抗封建统治阶级的人们。旧时也指聚众行劫的群盗股匪。 15.绿肥红瘦 - 绿叶茂盛,花渐凋谢。指暮春时节。也形容春残的景象。 16.绿水青山 - 泛称美好山河。 17.绿蓑青笠 - 绿草编的蓑衣,青竹编的斗笠。形容渔翁的打扮。 18.绿叶成阴 - 指女子出嫁生了子女。 19.绿衣黄里 - 绿、黄:古时以黄色为正色,绿为闲色。以绿色为衣,用黄色为里。旧喻尊卑反置,贵贱颠倒。 20. 绿衣使者 - 原指鹦鹉。近代称邮递员。
Apr 19, 2014 11:21 AM
Corrections · 8
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16.绿水青山 - 泛称美好山河。

The waters are blue and the mountains green.  Describing the beauty of a natural scene of mountains and river.  See the following link for the various meaning of green in Chinese.  Quite complex for this color. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%9D%92
17.绿蓑青笠 - 绿草编的蓑衣,青竹编的斗笠。形容渔翁的打扮。

Green is the raincoat and bamboo hat. This is the traditional garb of a fisherman.蓑 is an outercoat made from straw etc, to keep out the mists, rain etc as he fished in the mornings.  You will always see this lonely person in this kind of a garb fishing in Chinese paintings.  It denotes the retreat of the turbulent world and back to nature.
18.绿叶成阴 - 指女子出嫁生了子女。

The green sprout finally has become shade.  A euphemism of a girl all now grown up, married and has children.
19.绿衣黄里 - 绿、黄:古时以黄色为正色,绿为闲色。以绿色为衣,用黄色为里。旧喻尊卑反置,贵贱颠倒。

Green outer clothing and Yellow underwear.  This is the literal translation.  You have to go into the cultural aspects to appreciate the meaning.  It means the ranking of one's status, either a nobleman or a commoner.  A distinction in class, etc.  A short comment, yellow is considered as the proper and orthodox color, while green is a leisure, unofficial color.  In the homes of high ranking, there are laws governing about even the color of clothing.  The most famous is the wearing of yellow by the Emperor or his immediate relatives.  Anyone else will be heading to the excutioner's block.  Wearing of yellow undergarments is also worn by the principal wife in pre-imperial China times.

20. 绿衣使者 - 原指鹦鹉。近代称邮递员。

The green angel.  Originally a euphemism to denote a parrot.  Now a slang for the postmen in China, most probably due to the color of his uniform.

April 19, 2014
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Help I need somebody!!! version 2 :D

As per you request.  The ones highlighted in red have been translated or commented on in your friend's note.  So I won't repeat.

 

There are another 20 idioms. Can anybody help? I neen an English translation

1.惨绿少年 - 惨绿:浅绿,指服色。原指穿浅绿衣服的少年。后指讲究装饰的青年男子。

Youth in pale green.  惨绿 means light green, denoting the color of clothing.  The original meaning is now extended to the young in vogue clothing.


2.橙黄橘绿 - 指秋季景物。

Oranges are yellow and mandarins green - describing an autumn scenery.  Note the the "m" is not capitalized.  It means Mandarin oranges.

3.灯红酒绿 - 形容奢侈糜烂的生活。

4.纷红骇绿 - 纷:纷披;红:指红花;骇:散乱;绿:指绿叶。 纷披散乱的红花绿叶。形容花草树木随风摆动。
5.粉白黛绿 - 泛指女子的妆饰。

Face powder white on dark hair - describing the makeup/cosmetics of a woman.  黛 is the eyeliner.  Yes, the Chinese has been using cosmetics since the Han Dynasty.  It was at its zenith during the Tang.  Here 绿 acutally means black, referring to the lady's brow.  
6.红愁绿惨 - 比喻愁思满怀,容易伤感。

Literally, Red sorrow and black misery.  I would translate it as <em>Beauty in Lament.  </em>Here red denotes the rosiness of her cheeks and 绿, her black hair.  You don't use this phrase for the guys!
7.红男绿女 - 指穿着各种漂亮服装的青年男女。
8.红情绿意 - 形容艳丽的春天景色。
9.花红柳绿 - 形容明媚的春天景象。也形容颜色鲜艳纷繁。

The flowers are red and the willows, green. Describing the beauty of spring and extended to mean colorful scenery
10.回黄转绿 - 树叶由绿变黄,由黄变绿。原指时令的变迁,后比喻世事的反复。

Returning to yellow and changing back to green.  Yellow denotes the withering of leaves and then nature turning back to green.  It's meaning is that everything changes and reverts to its original state.  Also to describe the complex and yet predictable turbulence of the world.

 

April 19, 2014
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11.酒绿灯红 - 形容奢侈糜烂的生活。

12.柳绿花红 - 形容明媚的春天景象。也形容颜色鲜艳纷繁。Same as #9, just word order changed.
13.绿林豪客 - 绿林:西汉王匡、王凤为首的“绿林军”。指聚集山林、反抗官府的武装力量指伤害人民的群盗股匪。

The braves of the green forest.  Here the green forest means a nest of robbers just like the Sherwood Forest of Robin Hood.  The phrase comes from the self proclamation of "Soldiers of the Green Forest" by  王匡 and 王凤 of the Western Han Dynasty. Their story is quite similar to Robin-Hood-who-robbed-the-rich-and-help-the-poor kind of story.
14.绿林好汉 - 指聚集山林反抗封建统治阶级的人们。旧时也指聚众行劫的群盗股匪。

The Heroes of the Green Forest. Same as above.  Also used as a euphemism for "highway" robbers.
15.绿肥红瘦 - 绿叶茂盛,花渐凋谢。指暮春时节。也形容春残的景象。

Scarcity of reds among the abundance of green. Here we cannot translate 肥瘦 as fat and skinny!  It  means that autumn is arriving and most of the flowers are gone leaving much still green leaves around.  It is also used to describe the ending of spring.  You can use this almost to mean anything.  You can use it for the withering beauty of a woman. For example, 以前她是个楊貴妃, 現在到了绿肥红瘦的时候, 連鬼影也不見一个.  In the old days, she looks like a Yang Kuei Fei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Guifei).  Nowadays, the time of ~ is here, not even a ghost can be seen!  [double meaning, either she lost her beauty and so she doesn't appear in the public or that no suitor is flocking to her anymore!]

April 19, 2014
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