彩霞

cǎixiá

noun HSK 7-9

Meanings

1 colorful clouds; rosy clouds (at sunrise or sunset)

Characters

color; colorful

rosy clouds; morning/evening glow

Literally 'colorful glow-clouds.' 霞 specifically refers to the warm-colored clouds at dawn and dusk, not ordinary clouds (云).

Examples

HSK 3

日出时的彩霞美极了。

Rìchū shí de cǎixiá měi jíle.

The rosy clouds at sunrise were incredibly beautiful.

HSK 6

傍晚的天空布满了彩霞。

Bàngwǎn de tiānkōng bùmǎn le cǎixiá.

The evening sky was filled with colorful clouds.

Tips

culture

霞 is a popular character in women's names (彩霞, 朝霞, 晚霞) because of its association with beauty and warmth. The weather proverb 朝霞不出门，晚霞行千里 (red sky in morning, stay home; red sky at night, travel far) mirrors the English 'red sky at night, sailor's delight.'

Stroke Order

彩 cǎi

霞 xiá