رنگ

What it means

رنگ (rang) means colour, paint, or complexion. The word is pure Persian, tracing back to Old Iranian and attested in classical poetry and prose without interruption. It covers a wide range of meanings depending on context: the colour of an object, the paint or dye applied to a surface, and the colour or tone of a person’s skin or face. The compound رنگ‌آمیزی (rang-âmizi) means colouring or painting as an activity, and رنگ‌پریده (rang-paride, literally “colour-fled”) describes someone who looks pale. The verb رنگ زدن (rang zadan) means to paint something, and رنگ باختن (rang bâkhtan, literally “to lose colour”) is a common phrase meaning to go pale from fear or shock.

How to use it

• رنگ دیوارا رو عوض کردیم (rang-e divârâ ro avaz kardim) “We changed the colour of the walls.”
• رنگش پریده، حالش خوب نیست (rang-esh paride, hâl-esh khub nist) “He looks pale, he is not well.”
• چه رنگی دوست داری؟ (che rangi dust dâri?) “What colour do you like?”
• درو رنگ زدیم (dar ro rang zadim) “We painted the door.”

Cultural note

رنگ plays a symbolic role in Iranian culture and classical literature. In Persian poetry, the colour of the beloved’s cheek (رنگ رخسار) is a recurring image in the ghazals of Hafez and Sa’di, where a pale cheek signals grief and a flushed cheek signals love. The phrase «رنگ عوض کردن» (rang avaz kardan, to change colour) is used figuratively to mean someone has shifted their position or revealed a different side of their character.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab