In different languages and cultures, color terms usually indicate their specific cultural concepts and metaphorical implicature. This paper makes a typological study on the universality and relativity of the Conceptual Metaphors （CM） of color terms in different languages. It attempts to explore the cognitive differences and similarities in the process of categorization and metaphorization of color terms of oriental and western peoples. It proposes that the CM system of color terms is determined by the interactivity of three factors as neurophysiologic mechanisms, general cognitive psychological mechanisms and socio-cultural selective mechanisms. The CM of color terms in different languages carry their specific cognitive characteristics and cultural values, and reflect self-similarity of the language and culture.
