五光十色

wǔguāng-shísè
idiom #52,904

Meanings

  1. 1 dazzlingly colorful
  2. 2 of every hue and shade
  3. 3 bright and varied

Examples

Yèshì shàng de níhóngdēng wǔguāngshísè, rènao fēifán.
The neon lights at the night market were dazzlingly colorful and extraordinarily lively.
Chúchuāng lǐ bǎi zhe wǔguāngshísè de tángguǒ, xīyǐn le bùshǎo háizi.
The display window held candies of every color, drawing many children's attention.
Dàdūshì de shēnghuó wǔguāngshísè, dàn yě róngyì ràng rén míshī.
Life in a big city is dazzlingly colorful, but it can also easily make one lose their way.

Tips

history
From 《》 by Southern-Liang writer Jiang Yan: 徘徊 — 'five lights shift and ten colors spread in profusion.' Originally a poetic flourish about light and color; now everyday praise for anything vividly varied.
usage
Physical colors (lights, fabrics, flowers) or figurative variety (city life, entertainment). Can carry a hint of superficial glamour when describing urban temptations or dazzling but hollow scenes.

Stroke Order

guāng
shí