红绿灯
hóng lǜ dēng
In Chinese, the phrase "green light red light" is translated as 红绿灯 (hóng lǜ dēng).
It can be used to describe the physical device used at intersections or the general traffic light system itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a compound of three parts: 红 (red), 绿 (green) and 灯 (light/lamp).
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, 红绿灯 does not change its form to indicate whether it is singular or plural.
How do you pronounce it?
hóng lǜ dēng
Did you know?
- Chinese culture has a specific idiom 绿帽子 (green hat) which means being cheated on by a partner, making the use of 'green' in 绿灯 purely functional and devoid of that negative connotation.
- The character 绿 (green) is one of the few common Chinese characters that retains a radical for 'silk' (纟), as ancient green dyes were often applied to textiles.
- Chinese uses the same character 灯 (lamp/light) for 红绿灯 as it does for the traditional lanterns used during the Lunar New Year.
Examples in context
- 过马路要看红绿灯。Guò mǎlù yào kàn hónglǜdēng.You should watch the traffic lights when crossing the street.
- 红绿灯坏了。Hónglǜdēng huài le.The traffic lights are broken.
- 前面那个红绿灯是红色的。Qiánmiàn nàge hónglǜdēng shì hóngsè de.The traffic light ahead is red.
Example conversation
Two people are walking near a busy intersection.
- 俊杰 Junjie等一下，红绿灯还没变绿。Děng yīxià, hónglǜdēng hái méi biàn lǜ.Wait a moment, the traffic light hasn't turned green yet.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好吧，那我们就站在路边等。Hǎo ba, nà wǒmen jiù zhàn zài lùbiān děng.Okay, then let's just stand by the roadside and wait.
- 俊杰 Junjie看到红绿灯变绿了，我们再过。Kàndào hónglǜdēng biàn lǜ le, wǒmen zài guò.Once we see the traffic light turn green, we'll cross.
- 佳怡 Jiayi没问题，安全第一。Méi wèntí, ānquán dì yī.No problem, safety first.
