A "red" envelope means that the thread is a "hot topic"...that it's had a lot of replies to it. A blue envelope is just a regular thread. If the envelope is "closed" then there are no new posts since you last looked at that thread title. If the envelope is "open" with a little bit of paper sticking out...that means there is a new post(s) to see in that thread.
An curved arrow over the envelope means that is a thread you, personally, have participated in. A straight arrow means it has been moved to another forum. And a padlock means that thread is closed and no new posts can be made.