五颜六色

Pinyin:wǔ yán liù sè

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📖 Meaning

a riot of colors

📜 Origin

《二十年目睹之怪现状》

💡 Detailed Explanation

"Wǔ yán liù sè" is a vivid and expressive Chinese idiom. Literally, it refers to five colors and six colors, but in practice, it means a wide variety of colors, bright and colorful. It is often used to describe things that are rich in color, such as festival banners, garden flowers, and merchandise in shopping malls. It can also metaphorically refer to a great variety of things and diverse forms. The idiom comes from Wu Jianren's "Strange Events Eyewitnessed in the Past Twenty Years" in the Qing Dynasty, and it carries a strong colloquial flavor and a positive connotation. It is often used to praise the prosperity of a scene or the diversity of things. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the Han people's sensitivity to and love of color and diversity, and it is often associated with festive and lively occasions. In use, it often serves as a predicate or attributive, for example, "colorful balloons" and "the goods are colorful and dazzling." Emotionally, it conveys a cheerful, lively, and abundant positive feeling and is rarely used in a derogatory sense.

📝 Example

1. On the festival square, colorful balloons fluttered in the wind, and children excitedly chased after them. 2. The shop window was filled with colorful candies, attracting many customers to stop and look.