Cyan Blue

An elegant Eastern color between cyan and blue, subtly refined

HEX#2E8B8B

RGBrgb(46, 139, 139)

HSLhsl(180, 50%, 36%)

HSVhsv(180, 67%, 55%)

CMYKcmyk(67%, 0%, 0%, 45%)

HEXA#2E8B8BFF

RGBArgba(46, 139, 139, 1)

HSLAhsla(180, 50%, 36%, 1)

OKLCHoklch(76.7%, 0.076, 196)

LCHlch(74%, 32.3, 202)

🎨 Color Palettes

Analogous2-3 adjacent hues (≤60°)

Triadic3 hues spaced 120° apart

Split ComplementaryMain color + colors adjacent to its complement

Complementary2 hues spaced 180° apart

Tetradic (Rectangle)4 hues forming a rectangle

MonochromaticSingle hue with varying saturation and lightness

♿ WCAG Contrast Colors

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Aa14px Body

High Contrast Text

#FFFFFFRatio 4.1:1AA Large

Suitable for body text, headings, and primary content, ensuring readability for all users

Aa14px Body

Standard Text

#FFFFFFRatio 4.1:1AA Large

Suitable for regular body content, meeting WCAG AA standards

Aa14px Body

Large Text / UI Components

#DDDDF4Ratio 3:1AA Large

Suitable for large text (≥18px bold or ≥24px), icons, UI component boundaries

Aa14px Body

Decorative / Dividers

#DF9FDFRatio 2:1Fail

Suitable for decorative elements, dividers, non-essential text

📊 Color Scales

Online Color Picker → Gradient Generator →

Lightness VariationFixed hue and saturation, stepwise lightness adjustment ±30%

#0D2626

#143D3D

#216363

#2E8A8A

#3BB0B0

#57C7C7

#7DD4D4

Saturation VariationFixed hue and lightness, stepwise saturation adjustment ±30%

#496E6E

#407777

#378181

#2E8A8A

#259393

#1C9C9C

#12A5A5

Lightness + Saturation Mixed VariationSimultaneous lightness and saturation adjustment

#1B3232

#1F4242

#286262

#2E8484

#32A9A9

#37CDCD

#51DBDB

Hue Fine-TuningFixed saturation and lightness, stepwise hue fine-tuning ±15°

#2E8A73

#2E8A7A

#2E8A82

#2E8A8A

#2E828A

#2E7A8A

#2E738A

💡 Use Cases

🏺

Ceramic Ware

The classic glaze color of celadon and blue-and-white porcelain, endowing tea and flower vessels with a warm texture and classical Eastern charm.

👘

Chinese Attire

The cyan-blue tones in blue printed fabric and plain cotton-linen garments convey a return-to-simplicity Eastern lifestyle aesthetic.

🖌️

Ink Painting

The dominant tone of flower cyan and stone cyan in traditional Chinese landscape painting, rendering distant mountains, nearby waters, and misty cloudscapes in cyan-blue.

🏡

New Chinese Space

An accent color in new Chinese interior design, used for soft furnishing fabrics and decorative objects to create an elegant and subtly Eastern atmosphere.

📜 Origin & History

Cyan blue is rooted in the Chinese five-color system, where cyan is the color of the East, symbolizing growth and hope. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, cyan was already widely used in dyeing, weaving, and ritual vessels. The Xunzi chapter 'Encouraging Learning' states 'Cyan is derived from blue but is bluer than blue,' establishing the transformative relationship between blue and cyan, with cyan-blue being the chromatic presentation of this philosophical speculation.

Han Dynasty celadon glaze favored cyan-blue tones. The glaze of Yue ware celadon, warm and lustrous like jade, presented a subtle tone between blue-green and blue-gray. This cyan-blue, tempered by kiln fire, became the pinnacle expression of ancient Chinese artifact aesthetics, influencing ceramic aesthetics for over a millennium.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, cyan-blue appeared extensively in textiles. Tang official robes used cyan as a rank marker, and Song Dynasty cyan-blue cotton cloth was exported overseas via the Maritime Silk Road. The West called Chinese cyan-blue dyeing techniques 'China Blue,' making cyan-blue a color emissary of Chinese civilization in international exchanges.

Ming and Qing blue-and-white porcelain used cobalt to paint cyan-blue patterns. The white-bodied, blue-decorated ware became the most recognizable visual symbol of Chinese culture. The richly layered, serene, and elegant cyan-blue on blue-and-white porcelain propelled its Eastern aesthetic onto the world's art stage, remaining a classic element in cross-cultural design today.

🧠 Color Psychology

Elegant and SubtleUnassuming and mild, as restrained and warm as celadon, conveying the beauty of Eastern aesthetics through restraint and implication.

Serene and ProfoundPossesses a sense of serenity with a literati temperament, like distant mountains in an ancient painting, drawing the viewer in layer by layer for deep reflection.

Plain and NaturalOriginating from the natural texture of plant dyes, it evokes natural materials and the warmth of handcraft, simple and approachable.

Intellectual and RefinedCyan blue carries an inherent scholastic air, like blue printed fabric or a blue cloth gown, exuding an elegant and restrained intellectual quality.

Indifferent to Fame and FortuneNot pursuing richness or ostentation, this light color carries lofty aspirations, aligning with the wisdom of indifference in Eastern philosophy.

Balanced and MellowA balanced hue between cool blue and warm green, visually mild and non-glaring, embodying the aesthetic ideal of the Doctrine of the Mean.

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