Influenced by the Daoists 'reverence for simplicity, literati painting has traditionally sought a purity of color. It removes color from nature, and instead relies on the concentration or dilution of ink to create its own palette of hues.
在道家簡樸至上的哲學影響下，文人畫追求色彩的純淨單一，一方面把色彩從真實的自然中剔除，一方面又依著乾、濕、濃、淡等，將墨分為五彩十色。