English, there are various terms indicating that black often carries a negative meaning: blackmail(勒索),blacklist（黑名单),black-hearted(黑心的)，black market(黑市),etc. But in the following sentence, can you guess the meaning? Since he took over the business, the company has been in the black. In the example above, black has a good meaning�running the business profitably. The term in the black reminds me of the phrase in the red which is just opposite to the former one. Both terms come from the color of the ink used in keeping accounts. Interestingly, we have an appropriate equivalent in Chinese-赤字,probably bought from English.
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Besides, black implies gloom, disgrace, misfortune, extreme anger, etc, as can be seen in the following examples. the black art�enchantment
black and blue�full of bruises
black day�unlucky day
black dog�unhappy
a black look�an angry look; glare at somebody
in a black mood�in low spirits
black sheep�evil member of the herd
a black stranger�a stranger out and out
turn black white�confuse right and wrong
2.4 Blue
It seems that blue is a favorable word to Chinese�the blue sky, as often as not, can arouse us to yearn for a better future; the blue sea full of uncertainty induces boundless imagination. Naturally, we take it for granted that the famous song Love is Blue equals a romantic love story. In Western culture, however, blue does not associate with happiness and imagination, but gloom and depression.
He has been in a blue mood (or having the blues) since he knew that his failure in the entrance examination. In this example, those two terms mean a sad or gloomy mood. Similarly, a blue Monday carries the same feeling. Usually after the happy weekends, we are likely to feel reluctant to attend school or go back to work, thus coming the expression-a blue Monday that can be accepted and understood by both cultures.
Blue is also often associated with high social status or being aristocratic. He is a real blue blood means he is from an aristocratic family. In addition, in U.S., a book with the names of famous figures, especially top government officials, is called blue book. Here is more to complement the word list of blue.
blue about the gills�in depression
blue devils�depression and gloom
blue film�erotic film {In Chinese, we call it 黄色电影(a yellow film literally).}
once in a blue moon�occurring only once in a thousand years
blue in the face�look pasty
blue murder�horrible screaming and shouts
sing the blues�in low spirits; very depressed
out of the blue�a thunder from the clear sky; the sudden coming of something unexpected
2.5 Green
English has the term green-eyed or green with envy, both meaning jealous and envious. However, in Chinese, the expression used to describe the same feeling is 眼红 or 红眼病(literally red-eyed)�a totally different color for the same feeling!
In English, green also indicates lacking in experience, as seen in the phrase greenhand and greenhorn. The former suggests someone who is inexperienced and immature. The latter suggests an immigrant who is not familiar with local customs or untravelled.
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By the way, the Chinese expression 戴绿帽子（literally to wear a green hat） means to be a cuckold. If we translate it word by word, misunderstanding or confusion will arise.
When paired with different words, its meaning is different. The following examples well illustrate its various usages.
green apple�unripe apple
green back�US dollars
green from the school�fresh from the school
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