黄色
huángsè · HSK 2
yellow
💛 黄 = yellow + 色 = color
黄色 literally combines 黄 (yellow) with 色 (color/hue), the standard pattern for naming colors in Chinese. The same 色 appears in 红色 (red), 蓝色 (blue), and 绿色 (green).
黄 — 廿 + 田 (or 由) + 八
Originally a pictograph of a person wearing a jade belt-pendant (huang), later borrowed to mean the color yellow. The modern shape is stylized and no longer transparent. It is one of the oldest Chinese characters, attested on oracle bones.
色 — person 人 (top) + kneeling figure 卩 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing one person above another, traditionally interpreted as depicting facial expressions or intimate posture between two people. The earliest meaning was 'facial expression' or 'countenance,' which extended to 'appearance' and eventually 'color' (the look of things). The 'shǎi' reading is a colloquial variant used for everyday color words.