In a discussion about the challenges of translating Chinese classics like "The Analects of Confucius" and "Tao Te Ching," Icelandic Sinologist Ragnar Baldursson shared an insightful anecdote highlighting fundamental cultural differences.

He recounted a conversation with a Chinese classmate about the color of soil. While Baldursson described it as light brown, contrasting it with the dark brown of Icelandic earth, his classmate insisted it was yellow. This seemingly simple disagreement revealed a conceptual difference: in the Chinese color system, brown is not a primary color, often falling under the spectrum of yellow or other descriptive terms.