1. RED--红色
红色是我国文化中的基本崇尚色，它体现了中国人在精神和物质上的追求。它象征着吉祥、喜庆，Red is in our country culture basic advocation color, it has manifested the Chinese on the spiritual and the material pursue. It is symbolizing, the jubilation propitiously.
如"红娘"，大红"喜"字， "红火"； "红尘"； “红色政权”，最早的武装叫“红军”， “又红又专”等； "走红"、"红极一时"，得到上司宠信的叫"红人"， "分红"， "送红包"等； "红妆"或"红装" ，"红袖"， "红颜"等。
西方文化中的红色（red）则是一个贬意相当强的词，是"火"、"血"的联想，它象征着残暴、流血，如
（1） The red rules of tooth and claw残杀和暴力统治，
（2）red revenge血腥复仇，
（3）a red battle血战 ；
它又象征激进、暴力革命，如
（1）red hotpolitical campaign激烈的 政治运动，
（2）a red revolution 赤色革命，
（3）red activities左派激进活动；
它也象征危险、紧张，如
（1）red alert空袭报警，
（2）a red adventure story一个令人紧张的冒险故事，
（3）a red flag危险信号旗；
它还象征着放荡、淫秽，如
（1）a red waste of his youth他那因放荡而浪费的青春，
（2）a red light district花街柳巷（红灯区），
（3）Is she really so red as she is painted？难到她真的象人们所描绘的那样放荡吗？
至于红色的褒义，如：
red—letter day喜庆的日子，the red carpet隆重的接待等，则得益于不同文化之间的交流和融合。
在英语和汉语中，红色有时可以完全对应，有时却大相径庭：
In English and Chinese, the red sometimes can be completely correspond, sometimesthey are quiet different:
eg:红旗red flag 红糖 brown sugar 红茶 black tea 红榜 honour roll 红豆 love pea 红运 good luck 红利 dividen 红事wedding red wine 红酒 red ruin 火灾 red battle 血战 red sky 彩霞
此外，红色对中国人和英美人而言，会产生不同的理解和联想。在翻译古典小说《红楼梦》时，英国翻译家David Hawkes认为书中的“红色”对汉语文化的人而言，表示喜庆、幸福、吉祥，但在英语国家的人眼中，绿色和金黄色具有类似的联想意义，而红色则意味着流血、危险或暴力。因此，他在翻译时涉及红色的词语时作了一定的变通处理：
贾宝玉神游太虚境，警幻仙曲演红楼梦。
Jiao Baoyu visits the Land of Illusion;
And the fairy Disenchantment performs the Dream of Golden Days.
贾宝玉品茶栊翠庵，刘姥姥醉窝怡红院。
Jia Baoyu tastes some superior tea at Green Bower Hermitage;And Grannie Liu samples the sleeping accommodation at Green Delights.
The red colour is usually associated with celebrations and joyful occasions .This is true in both English speaking countries and China.In English ，we find such expressions as red letter day ,paint the town red and the red carpet .“A red letter day”refers to “a day specially looked forward to ,or remembered,when something remarkable and usually pleasuable will happen,or happened:,as in My father said the day I was born was a red letter day .This expressiong is from calendars that have holidays printed in red and other days printed in black.”To paint the town red”means “to enjoy alively,boisterous time in public places ,often attracting the notice of ,or causing some disturbance to ,others”,as in they spent too much money ,painting the gown red ,and one or two of them got themselves locked up and had to be bailed out next morning .”The red carpet”is a symbol of respectrul receptiong or attenting ,as in They needn't expect to be given the red carpet treatment,this is a factory ,not a country club.
In China“双喜”is either written in red or written on a piece of red paper to symbolize en event of special joy ,such as a wedding or opening a business.“红喜事”specifically refers to a wedding “披红挂彩”is traidtional way to celebrate an event of happiness.Similarly ,in 开门红，the red colour is symbolic of good fortune.
The red colour is not always associated with something joyful.In English the red light district refers to a district within a town or city where there are brothels,as in She spent the past 30 years heling the prostiutes in the red light district-and the elderly.Running a business in the red means running it at a loss .This expression came from the colour of the ink used in keeping accounts:figures indicating loss are custmarly written in red Red tape means the rigid application and observationg of rules and regulations in all their minute details without reagard for the end they were designed to achieve,as in Beavebrook simply wanted to get things done .He hated red tape .This expression came from lawyers and government officials former pracice of keeping their papers and records in bundles tierd with red tape.
Red is also associated with certain emotions in both English and Chinese .In English to become red faced or her face turned red shows embarrassment or shyness,as“脸红”does in Chineses.But some English ezpressions involving the colour red may not be so redily understood by Chinese . See red ,wave a red flag 、red rag 、etc. are associated with anger or excitement.“See red” means“to get extremely angry”, as in It is just that I see red when Ithink anyone is trying to muscle in on my property.Waving a red flag means “doing something that could cause quick anger in other people”, as in The mere mention of his hated cousin is name was like waving a red flag in front of him.And”red rag”conveys roughly the same meaning as“waving a red flag”,as in The mere mention of that incident is a red rag to him. LL these three ezpressions may have some bearing on bullfingting in which the bullfighter constantly waves a piece of red rag or something to tease the bull.
Red meat is simply beef and mutton,in contrast with white meat which refers to chicken and other rowls,while“red caps”refer to porters in American Enlish or military pplicemen in British English.
In both English and Chinese red is associated with revolution and commuism .In English the word“Red”with a capital“R”,is often used as a synonym for a communist ,usually in a deroagtory sense.FOR example,the English expression Reds under the bed refers to communists or leftwing activists.In contrast,red is the colour that che Chinsese people like.It is,perhaps,the most widely used Chinese character in Chinese personal names in China.
eg:
(1)The president was treated to the red carpet in Rome. 总统在罗马受到了隆重的接待。
(2)It was a red-letter day in the history of Chinese revolution. 这是中国历史上值得纪念的日子。
(3)A thief was caught red-handed in the act of breaking open alock. 一个窃贼在砸开锁时被当场抓获。
(4)You said that l am very good. ls my face red? 你说我很好，真使我难为情了。
(5)When he started criticizing my work,l really saw red. 当他批评我的工作时，我就冒火、发脾气。
(6)There is too much red-tape in obtaining an identity card. 领身份证的手续实在太繁琐了。
(7)They had to sell the firm because for years they had operated it in the red. 因为经营这家公司几年来一直亏损，所以他们只好把它卖掉。
(8)We'll soon be out of the red. 我们很快就会扭亏为盈。
(9)Every time he comes to New York,he wants to paint the town red. 每次来纽约，他都要痛饮一番。
2.WHITE--白色
To native speaker of English or Chinese white connotes purity,innocence.This is why the brides are dressed in white in Western countrise and a whit lie is “a lie that does no harm and is merely more conveient or polite than telling the truth”,as in I said there was no more drink in the house-a white lie amply justified by the need to get him sobered up .The Chinsese ezpressions”清白无辜“and“清清白白做人”are explicitly associated with purity and innocence.
In some English expressions white has other associations.A white Christmas refers to snow at Christmas time ,as in The wooman rubbed her hands and observed that it was cold enough to have a white Christmas.
This expression is in contrast with a green Christmas that refers to a Chrristmas without snow. A white-collar job is “a professional,business or clerical employment”,as in The expansion of higher education led an increasing number of people to expect white-collar jobs.A white hope refers to “a talented person who is thought likely to bring success or victory”,as in Our white hope wrecked his knee on the eve of the match--so we were doomd from the start.
The colour white is not necessarily associated with something good.In a white elephant,the white feather and a white night it has bad or unpleasnt connotations.”A white elephant”is “something useless,seldom used,or too costly to be worth maintaining”,as in The recent budget has offered hundreds millions of pounds to shore up private enterprises and to fiance such white elephants as Concorde and the Channel Tunnel.”The white feather”,derived from Cock-fighting,where a game cock displaying the white rim of feather under his hackle acknowledgs defeat,wants to give up,is a symbol of fear ,cowardice or timidity ,as in The early attacks were noticeable enough for a naval officer to be heard saying,”What!Going to sea ,are you ? So you are showing the white feather!””Awhitenight”is simply a sleepless night,as in I was not particularly tired or sleepy after my white night.And a white slave refers to a white skinned prostitutue,especially one inveigled into a foreign country by the promise of other employment,as in People say that Earl is Court is centre of the white slave traed. I woudn’t doubt it .There is a continual sexual electricity in the air.