乌木
wūmù
The English word ebony is translated into Chinese as 乌木 (wūmù).
The term is used to describe a deep, dark black color.
Meaning: deep, dark black colour (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of the characters 乌 (wū), meaning black or crow and 木 (mù), meaning wood.
How do you pronounce it?
wūmù
Did you know?
- The word 乌 is also used in the phrase 乌鸦 (crow), but in folklore, the three-legged crow 三足乌 was seen as a symbol of the sun, creating a paradox where 'black' represents the brightest object in the sky.
- While 乌木 refers to the material, the color of ebony is often described using 玄 (xuán), a deep black-purple hue that ancient Chinese philosophers associated with the mystery of the universe.
- The character 乌 was originally a pictograph of a crow, meaning the color black in Chinese was conceptually linked to this specific bird long before it became a general adjective.
Examples in context
- 这把椅子是用乌木做的。(Zhè bā yīzi shì yòng wŭ mù zuò de.)This chair is made of ebony.
- 这幅画的画框是乌木制成的。(Zhè fù huà de huà kuàng shì wŭ mù zhì chéng de.)The frame of this painting is made of ebony.
- 这个盒子是黑檀木的。(Zhè ge hézi shì hěi tán mù de.)This box is made of ebony.
- 这张桌子的颜色是乌木色的。Zhè zhāng zhuōzi de yánsè shì wūmù sè de.The color of this table is ebony.
- 她喜欢那种乌木般的深黑。Tā xǐhuān nà zhǒng wūmù bān de shēn hēi.She likes that ebony-like deep black.
- 这件家具采用了乌木色调。Zhè jiàn jiājù cǎiyòng le wūmù sèdiào.This piece of furniture uses an ebony tone.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a new table in a store.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，你觉得这个桌子怎么样？Xiǎowén, nǐ juédé zhège zhuōzi zěnmeyàng?Xiaowen, what do you think of this table?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我喜欢这个乌木色的设计。Wǒ xǐhuān zhège wūmù sè de shèjì.I like this ebony design.
- 志强 Zhiqiang颜色确实很深，很有质感。Yánsè quèshí hěn shēn, hěn yǒu zhìgǎn.The color is indeed deep and has a great texture.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们要买这件吗？Wǒmen yào mǎi zhè jiàn ma?Shall we buy this one?
