五光十色

wǔguāng-shísè

idiom #52,904

Meanings

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

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

夜市上的霓虹灯五光十色，热闹非凡。

Yèshì shàng de níhóngdēng wǔguāngshísè, rènao fēifán.

The neon lights at the night market were dazzlingly colorful and extraordinarily lively.

HSK 7-9

橱窗里摆着五光十色的糖果，吸引了不少孩子。

Chúchuāng lǐ bǎi zhe wǔguāngshísè de tángguǒ, xīyǐn le bùshǎo háizi.

The display window held candies of every color, drawing many children's attention.

HSK 7-9

大都市的生活五光十色，但也容易让人迷失。

Dà dūshì 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 《丽色赋》 by Southern-Liang writer Jiang Yan: 五光徘徊，十色陆离 - '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

五 wǔ

光 guāng

十 shí

色 sè