靛蓝 (diànlán): indigo (dye)

Meanings

1 indigo (dye)
2 indigo blue (color)

Characters

靛

Examples

牛仔裤通常染成靛蓝色。

Niúzǎikù tōngcháng rǎn chéng diànlán sè.

Jeans are usually dyed indigo blue.

她穿了一件靛蓝的旗袍。

Tā chuān le yī jiàn diànlán de qípáo.

She wore an indigo qipao.

Tips

culture

Indigo dye (靛蓝) has a long history in Chinese textile craft, especially in Miao and Dong minority batik traditions of Guizhou. The chengyu 青出于蓝 ('blue surpasses indigo') alludes to this dye process.

Stroke Order

靛 diàn

蓝 lán

Related Words

雾霾蓝 wùmáilán

smog blue / hazy blue (muted grayish blue) / misty blue

蓝色 lánsè HSK 2 #1,948

blue (color)

深蓝 shēnlán #30,554

dark blue; deep blue / (capitalized) Deep Blue (IBM chess computer)

蓝带 lándài

blue ribbon (top award) / Blue Ribbon (brand name, esp. Pabst Blue Ribbon beer 蓝带啤酒)

春来江水绿如蓝 chūnláijiāngshuǐlǜrúlán

when spring comes, the river water is green as indigo / the river turns a deep blue-green with the season / lit. spring comes — river water — green as indigo

青出于蓝 qīngchūyúlán

blue comes from indigo yet is bluer than indigo / the student surpasses the master / the next generation exceeds the last

宝蓝色 bǎolánsè

royal blue; sapphire blue / a deep, vivid blue

深蓝色 shēnlánsè #26,549

deep blue / dark blue / navy blue

蓝 lán HSK 2 #1,674

blue

海军蓝 hǎijūnlán #33,722

navy blue (color)