Chinese purple

noun

An artificial purple pigment made from barium copper disilicate (“BaO·CuO·(SiO₂)₂”), used in ancient China from the Western Zhou period (1045 BCE) until the end of the Han dynasty (circa 220 CE).

Similar
Han purple
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Meanings

nounChinese purple (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn artificial purple pigment made from barium copper disilicate (“BaO·CuO·(SiO₂)₂”), used in ancient China from the Western Zhou period (1045 BCE) until the end of the Han dynasty (circa 220 CE).

    Synonyms: Han purple

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn artificial purple pigment made from barium copper disilicate (“BaO·CuO·(SiO₂)₂”), used in ancient China from the Western Zhou period (1045 BCE) until the end of the Han dynasty (circa 220 CE).

Similar
Han purple
Also see
han purple

Origin

From Chinese + purple. From being an artificial purple pigment invented by the ancient Chinese.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Chinese purple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20purple

MLA

“Chinese purple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20purple. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinese purple,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20purple.

Source: Chinese purple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.