cên1青

I want to talk about cêⁿ1 青  today.  Some of us are too gê2kiang5  假强 and tell others that cêⁿ1 is green.

Well, I am going to just tell you what my dictionaries say.  These are proper DioSua Uê dictionaries from China.  

First: cêⁿ1cai3 青菜

Are these green vegetables? Wrong!  They are fresh vegetables.  Just because most fresh vegetables are green does not make cêⁿ1 as in cêⁿ1cai3 green.  

Second: cêⁿ1tiⁿ1 青天

Does cêⁿ1tiⁿ1 mean green sky? Wrong!  It is blue sky or clear sky.

Third: cêⁿ1bou3 青布

Is cêⁿ1bou3 green cloth? Wrong!  It is black cloth.

Are you sufficiently confused yet?  I have not finished.

Then how about cêⁿ1cao2 青草 This is just grass.

So how do we say green?  We say lêg8sêg4 綠色

For example lêg8dao7 綠豆 well you must have heard of lêg8dao7 - which is mung bean

Then there is ang5lêg8dêng1 紅綠燈 for traffic light AND there is no nasal for ang5 either.  Just because we say this ang5 in the high pitch tone 5 does not mean we nasal it.

And those guê3 kiang5 people: there is not such thing as ang5cêⁿ1dêng1 - this word does not exist and if you were to go to DioSua and say ang5cêⁿ1dêng1, people will hear this until they are really gong5gong5 戇戇. 

Thank you for reading this post and I hope it is of some help for you in mastering your mother tongue.  

Do note that I am not saying cêⁿ1 is not green.  I am just presenting you with what the dictionaries have written to increase your understanding of the cêⁿ1 青 character.