Meaning of 灰色
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- gray
- ash gray
- grizzly
- pessimistic
- gloomy
- dispirited
- ambiguous
How to use 灰色
灰色 is the everyday word for gray, used for clothes, skies, and objects. It also describes a gloomy mood or something ambiguous, like a legal gray area. Example: 今天的天空是灰色的。(Jīntiān de tiānkōng shì huīsè de.) Today's sky is gray.
灰 (huī) means ash, and 色 (sè) means color, so 灰色 is literally the color of ash. Picture the gray ash left after a fire to remember both the color and its gloomy feeling.
Common mistake: Learners often say 灰 with a falling tone, but it is first tone, huī. Also, when 灰色 describes a noun after 是, add 的: say 这件衣服是灰色的, not 这件衣服是灰色.
灰色 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
灰 huī · ash · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
色 sè · color · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 灰色.
| 颜色 | yánsè | color; countenance |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red (color); revolutionary |
| 黑色 | hēisè | black |
| 蓝色 | lánsè | blue (color) |
| 白色 | báisè | white; fig. reactionary |
| 绿色 | lǜsè | green |
| 黄色 | huángsè | yellow; vulgar; lewd; pornographic |
| 景色 | jǐngsè | scenery; landscape; view |
| 特色 | tèsè | a characteristic; a distinctive feature or quality |
| 彩色 | cǎisè | color; multicolored |
| 角色 | juésè | role; part (in a play or movie etc); also pr. [jiao3se4] |
| 出色 | chūsè | remarkable; outstanding |
Questions about 灰色
What does 灰色 mean?
灰色 (huīsè) means "gray; ash gray" and is used as a noun and adjective.
How do you write 灰色?
灰色 is made of 2 characters: 灰 (6 strokes), 色 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 灰色 an HSK word?
Yes. 灰色 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 灰色 describe feelings in Chinese?
Yes. 灰色 can mean pessimistic or dispirited, as in 灰色的心情 (huīsè de xīnqíng), a gloomy mood. This sense is common in writing and song lyrics.
How do you say gray area or gray income in Chinese?
Chinese uses 灰色 the same way English uses gray for things that are not clearly legal or illegal. 灰色地带 (huīsè dìdài) means gray area, and 灰色收入 (huīsè shōurù) means income from questionable sources.