The linguistic and cultural aspect of color in the Kalmyk and Korean languages

Mukabenova Zhanna Alekseevna ORCID: 0000-0002-7527-7990 Senior Lecturer; Department of Kalmyk Language, Mongolian and Altaic Studies; Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov 358000, Russia, Republic of Kalmykia, Elista, Pushkin str., 7 mukabenova.ja@gmail.com Kharchevnikova Roza Pyurvenovna Doctor of Philology Professor; Department of Kalmyk Language, Mongolian and Altaic Studies; Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov 7 Pushkin Street, Elista, 358000, Russia kharchevnikova_rp@mail.ru Monraev Mikhail Ubushaevich Doctor of Philology Professor; Department of Kalmyk Language, Mongolian and Altaic Studies; Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov 7 Pushkin Street, Elista, 358000, Russia mihailmonraev@yandex.ru Suseeva Danara Aksenovna Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Russian Language and General Linguistics and Russian and Foreign Literature, Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov 7 Pushkin Street, Elista, 358000, Russia suseeva@gmail.com

Bitkeev Petr Tsedenovich Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Kalmyk Language, Mongolian and Altaic Studies, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov" 7 Pushkin str., Elista, Republic of Kalmykia, 358000, Russia bipetr37@yandex.ru

Introduction

In ancient Chinese astrology, the theory of Yin and Yang identifies Five Elements that correspond to Five colors. In this context, the main colors include blue, red, yellow, white, and black, and the first three colors are included in the color model of subtractive synthesis "RYB", which is used in art and design.^[1] By mixing these colors, secondary or additional colors are created, where achromatic, white and black are also actively used, allowing you to create a wider range of color nuances. A similar idea of creating colors using red, yellow and blue was described in the "Theory of Colors" by the German poet, color theorist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ^[2].

Each of the five primary colors in Yin-Yang theory has found its place in the four directions of light, including the central part, which are associated with colors, cycles of nature, cycles of life and the changing seasons of the year. In the theory of the Five Elements, a certain color corresponded to each season: blue – spring, red – summer, white – autumn, black – winter, and yellow – the center. The number five originates from shamanic traditions and was considered as an internal flow of human energy. In folk beliefs, these five colors are also highlighted, which became basic and formed a separate concept related to the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements ^[3].

The five basic colors, which include knowledge about the five organs of life, represent interconnected parts that compensate for shortcomings and are an important element in the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Basic colors based on Yin-Yang ideas are considered an internal driving force that supports a person in his life () ^[4]. The creation of a color theory containing blue, red, yellow, white and black colors reveals the formation of the color representation of peoples. These Five colors are considered the most pristine and noble.

Characteristics of the Five main colors in the linguistic picture of the world of Kalmyks and Koreans

Each color has its own meaning and characteristics. So Yu-ri ^[2013] presented a description of the Five primary colors, dividing them into positive and negative values. This is due to the fact that the colors that can be seen with the eyes have a very strong effect on the emotions and psyche of a person as a whole ^[5].

In the color symbolism of the Koreans and Mongolian peoples, in particular the Kalmyks, color is associated with five directions, four cardinal directions and the center. The blue color in the east, where the sun rises, means birth, and the red color in the south, where everything is flourishing, represents an energetic force like the sun. Yellow in the center means abundance, white is the color of the west, embodies innocence, and black is the color of the north, controls wisdom ^[5]. All five colors are observed not only in cosmology, but also in real life.

The attitude of Koreans and Kalmyks to color was very careful and serious. This is primarily due to nature, the peculiarities of everyday life and traditional beliefs. Great attention was paid to the symbolism of color, each color had its own sacred meaning, its own meaning. The color designation in the folklore text conveys a complete picture of the life of the Kalmyks for many centuries, based on mentality, social structure, natural and climatic conditions and religion ^[6].

Let's take a closer look at the characteristics and symbolic meanings of each of the five primary colors in two languages.

Blue – to ok / [cheong saek] ()

The blue color of Yin symbolizes creation, immortality, and new birth. Blue is the spring in the philosophy of the Five Elements and is used as the color of shamanism and blessing. Blue as water was opposed to red as fire, and blue as cold was opposed to red as heat. In modern times, it is used in the meaning of peace, tranquility and courage.

In the culture of the Mongolian peoples, this meaning is conveyed by the common Mongol lexeme kok, which acts with the meanings ‘blue; green; ashen; sky'. Since ancient times, the Mongolian peoples have associated it with the sky, which can be traced in one of its meanings. This color embodies the eternity of the sky and nature. The sky can be blue and clear, which Kalmyks compare with the beautiful soul of a girl, for example: Kok tengr ahararn san, kuukn kun sedklarn san. ‘The blue sky is beautiful with clean air, and the girl is beautiful with her soul.’^[8] However, blue is also considered a cold color and can characterize a person with a tough character or aggressive behavior, for example: Kiitrh tengrin ko kok, kerulch kuun url kok. ‘The cold sky has blue edges, the scandalous man has blue lips ^[9]. This means that if the edges of the sky are blue, then the Kalmyks are preparing for the coming cold weather, and an evil person can be recognized by his lips, which turn blue with anger. The blue color is associated with a state of anger or internal tension.

In the Kalmyk language, the kok lexeme often denotes the green color: kok nohan ‘green grass’, kok devan ovsn ‘grass of green meadows'. For example: ?ííí,,,,,,,, ?í ê ê ê ê ê....... ‘The color is changeable, the grass is not always green’ ^[9]; Uvl zun kokrad baedg harha kok, unr-tanrn anknad baedg arts kok, adrh duurn kokrad baedg zerg kok. ‘A pine tree turning green in winter and summer, fragrant juniper, green blackberry bushes filling the hills’ ^[9].

In the names of the suits or the names of the animals themselves, the blue color acquires shades of gray, for example, kok bor morn’horse of a dark gray suit’, kok halzn a?rh‘gray-gray stallion’; koèíin kok chon ’steppe gray wolf‘; kok shawun ’cuckoo forest'; kok hutn 'heron'. Of course, this indicates the close relationship between nature and color in the minds of the Kalmyks. ^[9]

In Korean, this color is called Cheongsak, meaning ‘resurrection and birth'. For example, in stable expression or chengyu [dokya cheongcheong], the blue color symbolizes freedom, development or growth and contains a wise exhortation to young people to achieve success with pure thoughts, without overstepping the law, without causing harm. The following chengyu [cho rokdong saek] says that the same blue color may look different in writing, depending on the character in Chinese ^[7]. But this does not prevent people from perceiving this color as one. The meaning of this statement is that people are united by thoughts, lifestyle, values, and the unity of entire nations is based on their history, culture, and centuries-old traditions.

Red color – Ulan / [jeok saek] ()

In the Kalmyk language, the color red refers to the girlish beauty and courage of a man. Tsasnas tsakhan sannata, tsusnas ulan khalkhta could say about the steppe beauty ‘her forehead is whiter than snow, her cheeks are redder than blood’, and there is a proverb about a worthy earner, san zaluhin khanz ulan ‘a dashing man's torok is always red (i.e. he always comes with prey)’ ^[9].

In the Kalmyk language, the division of red and blue colors into masculine and feminine can be traced: ulan torhn Un, kok torhn deeds? (riddle) ‘red silk hangs, blue silk flutters’ (kuuk buulhlhn 'bride's departure’) ^[8],[9]. The bride was dressed in a red dress, and her head was covered with a blue handkerchief, symbolizing the pure heavenly principle.

The red color is associated with the cult of the sun. He is semantically identified with birds, creatures of the celestial sphere, symbols of the sun and fire. It should be noted that the Kalmyks sewed a brush of red silk threads on their hats, which was reflected in the very name of the Ulan zalat halmg ‘Kalmyk in a hat with red thread’. The sun in Kalmyk folklore is always indicated not by the usual yellow color, but by red: orun oruhar urh uzgas ulan khalzn buh Ir? (riddle) ‘from the very early morning a red-bald bull comes from the east’ (narn ‘sun'). Or: ulan mana tathla, salklkhin temdg, ulan narn kharkhla, khandhin temdg. ‘when the red fog drags on, it leads to the wind, when the red sun rises, it leads to drought ^[8].

Red is the most powerful color of Yang and in the Five Elements, it symbolizes summer, hot, strong energy that can even ward off evil spirits ^[5]. No wonder it is also considered the imperial color, the clothes of Wang and the courtiers were exactly red, endowed with power and might.

On the cheeks of a young bride, the red color of blush symbolizes youth, and bright red lips are inherent only in energetic men. In chengyu, the red color ? [hong] often symbolizes youth, for example, [nokeui hongsang] – so they said about young girls, because in hanbok^[1] only unmarried girls could walk from a blue or yellow top (?[nok]) and a red skirt (?[hong]). Blue is considered a symbol of an unripe fruit or berry, and red is used to protect against evil spirits ^[6]. Traditionally, the red hanbok could be worn by the bride's mother at the wedding, the blue hanbok by the groom's mother, symbolizing the energy of Yin–Yang balance.

As mentioned above, red is associated with strength, beauty and quality among Koreans, so it is found in proverbs or stable expressions as a description of a good-quality product [dong ga hongsang] or [kateun kapsiramyeon dahongchima] 'if the conditions of choice are the same, it is better to take a quality product or product’. Or the expression [bulgo sseun jang] ‘thick pepper paste of a beautiful red color, but it is very spicy’ is used when talking about food that looks appetizing, but is not tasty ^[7].

Since red is the strongest Yang color, putting red pepper on a golden thread or putting something red on the top of a child's head was also used to protect against disasters and evil spirits. In Buddhism, the clothes worn over a monk's shirt have a reddish hue. This is because it symbolizes the essence of the Buddha and the ascending righteous law. Nowadays, it expresses the color of passion and has a negative side, for example, the manifestation of excessive intensity, rage and anger ^[3],[12].

Yellow color– ball / [hwang saek] ()

Yellow symbolizes late summer, which means bright and dazzling light in the philosophy of the Five Elements, means the sun and abundance, was used as a color symbolizing divinity in Buddhism.

The yellow color of the Kalmyks, first of all, symbolizes the color of the Buddhist, yellow religion, hence its sacredness, ritualism, sacrifice and sacredness. It is known that the Kalmyks profess Buddhism, which in its translation contains the name of the yellow shar sha?n ‘Buddhism’ ^[14]. For example:

Ilyumzhinovin nilchar oln hurl toshgdad, halmg teegt shar sha?n shinas delgrlt avsmn. ‘On Ilyumzhinov's instructions, many huruls were built, and Buddhism began to develop in a new way’ ^[16]; Tegad tana tanchd shar sha?n and ulm delgrh gi? itknav. ‘Therefore, I believe that Buddhism will spread more and more.’^[15]

The color of the ball ‘yellow’ is part of stable expressions and phrases: ekin altn shar uurg ‘mother's milk, colostrum’, ondgn shar uurg ‘egg yolk’, shar tosn ‘ghee'. For example. Un n u g shar tosn, unn kun – erdni cholun (saying). The true word is melted butter, a sincere person is a jewel’ ^[8].

In Korean, this color symbolizes the power and source of all colors ^[12],[13]. In the proverb [anjire norang sugeon] ‘yellow handkerchief for eye disease’, the yellow color is associated with human diseases. That's what they say about a thing that they keep to themselves and use only for important moments.

The color symbolizes prosperity, so yellow was called stingy people. Yellow was often compared to gold, so since ancient times, Kalmyks and Koreans have coins associated with this color: in Korean – [norangjeon] ‘yellow trifle'; in the Kalmyk language – a ball of ulan m o ngn ‘yellow red coins'. For example: ? ? [bisang sameokgo jukeuryeodo norangjeon han pun eopta]. ‘Eat all the supplies without leaving a single coin.’ The proverb reflects the difficult and distressing financial situation in the family ^[7].

In Buddhism, sutras were written on yellow paper or silk, and the sticks with which the sutras were folded were red, so they were called Hwangwon jokcook ().  Nowadays, it is said that this color symbolizes prosperity, the color of hope and has the energy to surround and maintain everything around you in harmony and tranquility.

In Korean, the yellow color is contained in the words: [norang]: [norangi] ‘miser, stingy man’, [norang ga seum dam bi] 'yellow-breasted badger', [norang gajaemi] ‘yellow flounder', [norang gamtu] ‘mourning headdress made of hemp’, [norangja] 'egg yolk’.

White color – cahan / [baeksaek] ())

White symbolizes divinity, purity and purification, truth, and life. Nowadays, it symbolizes a noble spirit and has the energy of change and transformation. In the Kalmyk language, cahan ‘white’ is very actively used in speech, symbolizing different moments in people's lives. For example, silver or coins are called white – cahan mongn, platinum – cahan altn (white gold). There is a lot of white color in the names of food – cahan idan ‘dairy products’, cahan mahn (anat.) ‘rectum'. The white color is often found in the composition of botanical and zoological names: cahan havstn ‘white cabbage'; cahan sharln ‘wormwood’; cahan ayu ‘polar bear'; cahan buudya ‘wheat'; cahan ovsn ‘kovyl’; cahan harha ‘spruce'; cahan shalhg ‘turnip' ^[9].

Kalmyks, using the white color, spoke about the appearance of a person: cahan berachud ‘white-faced young women’ or cahan buurl ovgn ‘gray-haired old man'. For example, in the proverb orgne sahl tsakhla — uklin zang ‘gray in the beard is the news of death’ we see an analogy with the Korean proverb about old age and time. Interestingly, the theme of death among the Kalmyks is also associated with the white color, for example, tsagan (odran) kulakh ‘to wait for the last hour of your life, to live out the last days (literally, to wait for a white day)'. For many peoples, the theme of soul and death is white. For example, Kalmyks used to come to funerals in white robes, believing that a person after death goes to a good and favorable place in heaven.

Describing the character of a person, Kalmyks often referred to the white color in a figurative sense as forgettable, good-natured; kind. For example, cahan sedklt kun ‘a good-natured man’; cahan sedkl ‘candor, sincerity’, arun cahan sedklar ‘from the bottom of his heart, sincerely from the bottom of his heart’ ^[17].

In proverbs, two colors are often contrasted, black and white: har ishkan boldgo, huuchn dasn ur boldgo (pogov.) ‘black felt will not turn white, the old enemy will not become a friend’; cahan gihla – har gidg ‘to interpret something not as it really is, but on the contrary’.

In the philosophy of the Five Elements, white symbolizes the worship of the sky and the sun. For example, the expression [geomeun gureume baengro jinagagi] ‘a white heron flew between the clouds’ means that even on bad days there are joyful moments, a goal is visible among many things.

White clothes bring peace, tranquility, and idyll into this life. Once upon a time, the Korean common people wore only white clothes, so they began to be called [baegui minjok] "the people in white.’ And only the royal nobility and high-ranking officials had the right to wear colored clothes.

The white color represents a clear and bright mind. The expression [baengmi] ‘white eyebrows' in Korean is used to characterize an outstanding person with sophisticated experience and knowledge. In ancient times, advisers or sages under the king dyed their eyebrows to be distinguished and recognized. Gray hair is associated with chastity and age in many peoples, for example, Koreans say: [ganeun se'wol oneun baekbal] ‘time is running out, old age (lit. the white head) comes'.

Black color – khar / [heuksaek] ()

As the color of Yin, black along with white was once forbidden in the concept of the Five Elements, and since it symbolizes winter and water, it has a powerful potential ^[18].

"The black color is ambiguous.... It conveys both a negative and a positive assessment of the depicted object. In the designation of tonic principles, the word black "har" acts as a characteristic of objects of the Lower World, demons of evil and hostile forces..." ^[6]. The black color khar is found in the composition of many words in the Kalmyk language: khar data center ‘severe frosts (without snow)’, Har Hazr ‘Black lands', har cheadle ‘physical strength', chilm har morn ‘black horse’, har shora ‘chernozem', har-yar parn. ‘smallpox’, barin khar tolha ‘dirty black mound', dalyn bargr khar makhn (Dzhangar) ‘dense black shoulder blade muscles' ^[8]. The har sanan idiom ‘black thoughts’ characterizes a person with unfavorable intentions who is unable to rejoice for another person. Such a trait does not make a person beautiful, therefore it is often reflected in proverbs, for example, hamuta murn i?lan bardg, har sanan biyan bardg the message. ‘a scabby horse spoils the herd, evil intentions destroy the attacker himself.’ If the Kalmyks spoke of people of the upper class as cahan jasta kun 'people of white bone', then ordinary people could be called khar, that is, ‘black’, for example: Har bolsn gelngyas zaal. ‘Avoid gelyung, who has become a layman’^[17]. The food of ordinary poor people was called har budan, literally, ‘black broth'.

In the Korean language, the color black, like darkness and darkness, correlates with the illiteracy of people, personifying poverty and hopelessness of the future. For example, the proverb [musigeun amheugi'yo jisigeun gwangmyeong-ida] 'ignorance is darkness, but learning is light’. Also, the meaning of an unlucky sign or a bad omen is added to the black color: [yeokjil heukham] () [doedeut handa] ‘misfortune in a black box.’ A bad character is also denounced in black: [geomjeonggae dwaeji hyunghanda] 'a black dog scolds a pig’. That is, this expression is about people who do not see mistakes and shortcomings in their character or behavior, but they can skillfully notice the shortcomings of others ^[7].

As you know, black is difficult to change to another color by mixing with other colors, so in the language they just compare something with black that can never change, whether it's a person or a situation. For example, in Korean – ? [geomjeonggae mi'yeok gamgin gyeok] ‘a black dog wrapped in seaweed'; in the Kalmyk language – har nuurs kedu uhavchn, tsagan boldg uga ‘how much black coal do not wash, it will not turn white’ ^[19]; x ar mis tsahan boldg uga, huuchn oshtn ing boldg uga ‘the black cat will not turn white, the old enemy will not become a friend’ ^[8].

Black hair symbolizes youth, and white hair symbolizes old age. When a person wishes to live to a ripe old age, they say in Korean: [geomeun meori pappuri doedorok] ‘let the black hair look like the root of an onion’ ^[7].

Thus, the linguistic tradition highlights to us many interesting and mysterious moments, where centuries-old traditions based on the naive picture of the world of our peoples are kept.

^[1] Traditional Korean costume