Ever wondered why people see colors differently across cultures? 🤔 Icelandic Sinologist Ragnar Baldursson dropped a mind-blowing truth bomb during a chat about translating Chinese classics like The Analects of Confucius.
🌱 He recalled debating a Chinese classmate about soil color: Baldursson called it "light brown" (compared to Iceland’s dark earth), while his peer insisted it was yellow. Turns out, this wasn’t just a TikTok filter debate! In Chinese color systems, brown often blends into yellow’s spectrum—a cultural lens shaped by language and tradition.
📚 This explains why translating ancient texts gets tricky. Concepts like earth in Tao Te Ching carry layered meanings tied to cultural perception. As Baldursson puts it: "Language isn’t just words—it’s how we paint our world."
💡 Pro tip: Next time you argue about #TheDress (blue/black or white/gold?), remember—culture might be coloring your view! 🌈
