Explanation of the term qingbai, as used for Chinese ceramics of certain colors.
What is the meaning of 'qingbai'? The term contains two Chinese words: qing and bai 'qing' is explained below, 'bai' means white (The term for white is pretty straightforward, but 'qing' needs a complicated explanation to understand the meaning of 'qingbai'.)
An exact equivalent term for 'qing' does not exist in European languages. Japanese also uses this term, with slightly different usage. In relation to porcelain, qing is usually translated with the word celadon.
Interpreting qing Meaning of the character 青 (qing) – in Chinese and Japanese
Chinese meaning: greenish, bluish, fresh, young, unripe, etc. Japanese meaning: blue, green, greenish, fresh (old Japanese?), unripe
The term 'qing' has no real equivalent in western languages. General usage in Japan is somewhat different from Chinese, although its essential character is maintained. The Japanese language uses this term also for the color 'blue', for which Chinese uses an altogether different term/character.
In current Japanese this term (read ao or aoi) it is often used for something that is blue or bluish, serving as THE term for the color blue. But, strangely it is also used for some colors that according to European terminology would blue-green, or even green. The Japanese use aoi (=qing) for the green traffic light, for example.
In Chinese there is a separate term for blue, and qing defines a range of colors ranging from greenish / green to bluish. But, blue itself is termed "lan". There is also a separate term for green, namely "lü".
So, it is very difficult to accurately describe what color 'qing' refers to, other than that it is neither blue nor green, but a color that is greenish or bluish or a tone resembling both.
Complicating this is the fact that the term "qing" is also used as an adjective for a number of other purposes, like describing a vegetable or fruit as "unripe", "fresh", "not mature"; it is also used to describe people (as young adults), etc.
So what means 'qingbai' in relation to porcelain? Strictly said qingbai wares cannot be classified either as white porcelain or celadon, it is something in between, having the trait of a white glaze with a bluish or greenish tint, or appearing white/whitish, while in the recesses where the glaze accumulates and has a greater thickness the glaze appears greenish or bluish. That means, of course, that the white ground showing through the thin glaze dominates the surface color, but in areas where the glaze is thick enough, the "qing" component of the glaze shows. If that is not the case, then an item would have to be classified as white ware.
