藍 (lán) - Blue — the color blue & indigo plant

藍Tone 2

lán ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

藍 · lán

Blue — the color blue;

indigo plant;

used metaphorically for something vast or boundless.

Blue — the color blueindigo plantused metaphorically for something vast or boundless.

Usage highlights

Blue skyBlueprintIndigo plantBlue colorBlue whaleBlue ribbon

Synonyms

  • 青— cyan/blue-green (covers some blue meanings)
  • 碧— jade green/bluish-green

Antonyms

  • 红— red (color opposite)
  • 黄— yellow (complementary color)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The sky is blue (蓝天).
  • She wore a blue dress (蓝色的裙子).
  • Indigo dye comes from the indigo plant (蓝草).
  • The blueprint shows the design (蓝图).

Collocations

  • Blue sky(蓝天)
  • Blueprint(蓝图)
  • Indigo plant(蓝草)
  • Blue color(蓝色)
  • Blue whale(蓝鲸)
  • Blue ribbon(蓝带)

Idioms

  • Blue comes from the indigo plant but is bluer than it(青出于蓝而胜于蓝)
  • Descending from blue to indigo(每况愈下)
  • Blue blood(贵族血统)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese culture, blue (蓝) was associated with the East and the wood element.
  • The indigo plant (蓝草) was historically important for producing blue dye in China.
  • The idiom '青出于蓝而胜于蓝' metaphorically describes students surpassing their teachers.

FAQ