Black
Outwardly, black is the color associated with Black people. For example: blackbird and black cattle mean Negro slaves. Black English is a dialect of American English spoken by some members of black communities in North America. Black study is a subject studying Black people’s culture.
To make it further, from its symbolic meaning, black is the opposite of red; it is not a good word both in Chinese and in English-speaking countries. In both English and Chinese there are various expressions indicating that black is often associated with negative qualities. However, not all of the meanings of black are derogatory: some of them are positive. In ancient China, some wealthy families had their enclosing walls and gates painted black south of the Yangtze River. Here black signified the wealth and power of the family. 黑马 (a dark horse), which people often mention, is someone who wins the prize unexpectedly.
On the other hand, black is mostly used to express one’s anger or some evil things; it’s the representative of reactionary forces. When black plus with a noun, it often means bad things and something without any hope, all the persons and things that were thought to be reactionary during that time were named with the word black in front. For instance, in English we have the phrase “black Friday”. In religion, black means grief, despair and death. Friday refers to the Friday before Easter day. Jesus was suffering on that day. Based on the nation’s cultural background and traditional custom, people in English countries use black Friday to symbolize the disaster, and other phrases like black market(黑市), a black heart(黑心), black money(黑钱), black guard(恶棍), a black sheep(害群之马), and black eye(丢脸),etc. In Chinese we have黑帮(reactionary gang)， 黑后台(sinister backstage boss)，黑秀才(vicious hack writer)．
Here are some common usages with black which imply gloom, disgrace, misfortune, extreme anger, etc:
Black and blue = full of bruises
Black day = unlucky day
Black dog = unhappy
A black look = an angry look; glare at somebody
In a black mood = in low spirits
Black sheep = evil member of the herd
A black stranger = a stranger out and out
Turn black white = confuse right and wrong
White
White, to most Chinese and westerners, has similar connotations: purity and innocence, for instance: 洁白无暇，清白无辜 in Chinese and “a white spirit” “to make one’s name white again” in English．
But they also have some cultural differences. In English culture, the symbolic meanings of white color focus on color itself, such as snow, fresh milk and the color of lily. Westerners think white stands for grace and purity. When a woman wears a white wedding dress, she is a virgin. Sometimes a woman who is getting married for the second time may not wear pure white. She may wear off-white or even some other color. On Christmas Day white-colored ornaments are seen everywhere in decorating Christmas trees and houses in most Western countries. On wedding days, girls are wearing white bridal-dresses in churches. “White” in their mind is the symbol of purity and lucky, and this kind of wedding is called a white wedding.
But in Chinese culture, traditionally, Chinese use white in funerals. White is associated with death and funerals in Chinese culture．Chinese dress in white to show grief. It would probably be best not to translate 红白喜事 into the colors but merely say weddings and funerals. While in the west, it is the opposite．In westerner’s eyes, white is the symbol of luck, honesty and frankness.
Here are some common expressions containing the word white.
The white area = an anti-revolutionary area
A white day = a lucky day
White light district = ever-bright area
A white elephant = something burdensome and valueless; huge burden
Show the white feather = show fear
A white slave = someone who is forced to be a slave
Days marked with a white stone = happy days
A white war = a war without bloodshed; an economic competition
Bleed white = extort every cent from someone
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