Chinese word

五颜六色

Pronunciation

Pinyinwǔ yán liù sè

Meaning

  • adjectivecolorful

Example

孩子们穿着五颜六色的衣服。hái zi men chuān zhe wǔ yán liù sè de yī fú

The children are wearing colorful clothes.

Illustration for 五颜六色 (colorful)

More examples

市场上摆满了五颜六色的水果。shì chǎng shàng bái mǎn le wǔ yán liù sè de shuí guǒ

The market is filled with colorful fruit.

Core concept

Many distinct colors gathered into one bright, eye-catching whole.

Common phrases

  • 穿着五颜六色的衣服chuān zhe wǔ yán liù sè de yī fú

    wear colorful clothes

  • 五颜六色的花wǔ yán liù sè de huā

    colorful flowers

  • 五颜六色的世界wǔ yán liù sè de shì jiè

    colorful world

Similar words

鲜艳xiān yàn: Having a strong, bright color that quickly draws attention.
多彩duō cǎi: Rich in color variety, creating a vivid and varied look.
五彩缤纷wú cǎi bīn fēn: Filled with many vivid colors that create a dazzling effect.

Definition in Chinese

形容颜色种类很多，鲜艳多彩。xíng róng yán sè zhǒng lèi hěn duō xiān yàn duō cǎi

Word origin

The expression 五颜六色 (wǔyánliùsè, "five appearances and six colors") pairs appearance and color with numbers that signal abundance, creating an image of vivid variety.

Usage tips

  • The word can sound admiring for lively decoration or slightly critical for an overly showy look, so surrounding context helps set the tone.

Other meanings

  • flashyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word