Title:
EXPLORING THE CULTURAL SEMANTIC EVOLUTION OF THE COLOUR WORD "PURPLE"

Authors:
Yingqi Jiang and Shengnan Ding, China

Abstract:
This paper takes colour word as the window to explore the semantic evolution process of "purple" in Chinese, analyzes the use of ancient literature works and modern Chinese, and combs the "purple" colour from its initial symbolic meaning to the multi-level meaning in different cultural contexts today. The study found that in ancient times, "purple" had a lofty symbol in religion, politics and social status, and was often related to imperial power and holiness, while in the modern context, purple was more integrated into daily life, showing the transformation of aesthetic and personalized. Through the comprehensive analysis of semantics and cultural linguistics, this paper reveals the dynamic changes of "purple" in different periods and contexts, and how this change reflects the changes of social culture.