Chinese word

靛蓝

Pronunciation

Pinyindiàn lán

Meaning

  • nounindigo

Example

她的牛仔裤是靛蓝的。tā de niú zǎi kù shì diàn lán de

Her jeans are indigo.

Illustration for 靛蓝 (indigo)

More examples

我买了一条靛蓝的围巾。wǒ mǎi le yì tiáo diàn lán de wéi jīn

I bought an indigo scarf.

Core concept

Blue deepened toward purple, especially as a color seen in woven or dyed material.

Common phrases

  • 靛蓝色diàn lán sè

    indigo color

  • 靛蓝牛仔裤diàn lán niú zǎi kù

    indigo jeans

  • 靛蓝衬衫diàn lán chèn shān

    indigo shirt

Similar words

蓝色lán sè: A general blue color ranging from light to dark, like the sky or sea.
深蓝shēn lán: A dark, rich blue color.
靛蓝色diàn lán sè: The color of indigo, a deep blue with a slight purple tint.
藏青zàng qīng: A deep, subdued navy blue with a slight gray tint.

Definition in Chinese

靛蓝是介于蓝色与紫色之间的深蓝，传统上由靛草等植物染出，现代亦可用合成染料呈现，常见于牛仔布与民族服饰。diàn lán shì jiè yú lán sè yǔ zǐ sè zhī jiān de shēn lán chuán tǒng shàng yóu diàn cǎo děng zhí wù rǎn chū xiàn dài yì kě yòng hé chéng rǎn liào chéng xiàn cháng jiàn yú niú zǎi bù yǔ mín zú fú shì

Word origin

靛蓝 (diànlán, "indigo") is formed from 靛 (diàn, "indigo dye") and 蓝 (lán, "blue"), naming the blue associated with indigo rather than a general dark blue.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this term can describe clothing, fabric, or another object without implying that the object was actually dyed with a plant, since modern colorants can produce the same appearance.

Other meanings

  • bluenoun
  • indigo dyenoun

Opposites

  • 浅蓝色qiǎn lán sèlight bluenoun

Related words

  • 靛蓝色diàn lán sèindigo colornoun

Word lists with this word