浅蓝
qiǎn lán
The English phrase 'light blue' is translated into Mandarin as 浅蓝 (qiǎn lán).
浅蓝 refers to a pale blue color, such as sky blue or a similar shade.
Meaning: a pale blue colour: sky blue or similar (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 浅 (qiǎn), meaning 'shallow' or 'light' and 蓝 (lán), meaning 'blue'.
Which one should you use?
The antonym for light blue is 深蓝 (shēn lán), where 深 (shēn) means 'deep' or 'dark'. While 浅蓝 refers to light blue, the specific term 淡天蓝 (dàn tiān lán) is used to mean 'sky blue'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create the more common noun form, you can add the suffix 色 (sè), meaning 'color', to get 浅蓝色. If you want to use the phrase as a descriptive adjective before a noun, you often add 的 (de) to the end, such as in 浅蓝的 衣服 (light blue clothes).
How do you pronounce it?
qiǎn lán
Did you know?
- The word 色 (sè) used in 浅蓝色 has a double meaning in Mandarin. While it means 'color', it is also used as a slang term to refer to 'eroticism' or 'lust'.
- In certain artistic contexts, instead of saying 'light blue', one might use the word 青 (qīng), a traditional color term that can overlap with blue, green, and even even a bluish-black.
- If you use the word 浅 (qiǎn) to describe a person's character instead of a color, it implies they are 'shallow' or superficial.
Examples in context
- 天空是浅蓝的。The sky is light blue.This sentence is useful for describing the color of the sky using 浅蓝.Tatoeba #9990086 by GlossaMatik, translation #10540377 by sundown
- 我喜欢穿淡蓝色的衣服。(Wǒ xǐhuān chuān dàn lán sè de yīfú.)I like to wear light blue clothes.
- 她的眼睛是淡蓝色的。(Tā de yǎnjīng shì dàn lán sè de.)Her eyes are light blue.
- 办公室的墙壁是淡蓝色的。(Bàngōngshì de qiángbì shì dàn lán sè de.)The walls of the office are light blue.
- 我昨天买了一件淡蓝的T恤。(Wǒ zuótiān mǎi le yī jiàn dàn lán de T xù.)I bought a light blue T-shirt yesterday.
- 这个房间的墙壁是浅蓝色的。(Zhège fángjiān de qiángbì shì qiǎn lán sè de.)The walls of this room are light blue.
- 我喜欢这件浅蓝色的衬衫。Wǒ xǐhuān zhè jiàn qiǎnlánsè de chènshān.I like this light blue shirt.
- 墙壁涂成了浅蓝。Qiángbì tú chéngle qiǎnlán.The walls were painted light blue.
Example conversation
晓雯 and 浩然 are looking at paint samples for a bedroom.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，你觉得这个浅蓝好看吗？Hàorán, nǐ juéde zhège qiǎnlán hǎokàn ma?Hàorán, do you think this light blue looks good?
- 浩然 Haoran我觉得这个浅蓝非常适合房间。Wǒ juéde zhège qiǎnlán fēicháng shìhé fángjiān.I think this light blue is very suitable for the room.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我们就选这个颜色吧。Nà wǒmen jiù xuǎn zhège yánsè ba.Then let's choose this color.
- 浩然 Haoran好，我这就去买油漆。Hǎo, wǒ zhè jiù qù mǎi yóuqī.Okay, I will go buy the paint right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
