Description
In Western stock markets, green means your shares are up and red means they are down. In Asia, it is the exact opposite: red is profit, green is loss, because red has always been the colour of luck, celebration, and prosperity in Chinese culture. Josh Edbrooke did not know that until this episode, and it reframes everything. 紅色 (hóng sè) is red colour and 綠色 (lǜ sè) is green colour, and the same two characters build the entire vocabulary around them: 紅燈 (hóng dēng) is red light, 綠燈 (lǜ dēng) is green light, 紅綠燈 (hóng lǜ dēng) is traffic light, 綠茶 (lǜ chá) is green tea, and 紅茶 (hóng chá) is what the rest of the world calls black tea, because if you look at the colour of the liquid, it is unmistakably red. And one warning: in Chinese culture, never give anyone a white envelope. Red envelopes carry money and good wishes. White envelopes are for funerals.
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*⏰ TIMESTAMPS:*
0:00 - Introducing Josh Edbrooke and the words for red and green
1:00 - 紅色 (hóng sè): red colour and why red means luck in Chinese culture
2:00 - 綠色 (lǜ sè): green colour and how to curl your tongue to say it
2:45 - 紅燈, 綠燈, 紅綠燈: red light, green light, traffic light
3:30 - The Asian stock market surprise: red means up, green means down
4:15 - 綠茶 (lǜ chá) and 紅茶 (hóng chá): green tea and why black tea is called red
5:00 - The white envelope warning: never give one unless someone has passed away
In Chinese culture, red is not a warning. It is a wish. Every red wedding dress, red envelope, and red decoration carries the same message: may good fortune find you.
*📖 KEY VOCABULARY:*
Red colour: 紅色 / 红色 (hóng sè)
Green colour: 綠色 / 绿色 (lǜ sè)
Red light: 紅燈 / 红灯 (hóng dēng)
Green light: 綠燈 / 绿灯 (lǜ dēng)
Traffic light: 紅綠燈 / 红绿灯 (hóng lǜ dēng)
Green tea: 綠茶 / 绿茶 (lǜ chá)
Black tea: 紅茶 / 红茶 (hóng chá)
*👤 ABOUT THE GUEST:*
Josh is a professional drummer and founding member of the British rock group ‘Transition 前進樂團.’ He has performed with major Asian artists like Rainie Yang (楊丞琳) and Wing (羅文裕). Beyond music, he is a dedicated activist for ONE.org.
*🎙️ ABOUT TALK CHINEASY:*
Talk Chineasy is a daily podcast hosted by ShaoLan, creator of the award-winning Chineasy method featured on TED. In each 7-minute episode, ShaoLan and a guest explore Chinese characters, culture, and language through stories that make Mandarin unforgettable. 300+ episodes available.
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