欧美人文风情第379篇:心型符号到底是怎么产生的

 We use this every day as a stand-in for love and the human heart, but it doesn't really look like the real thing. 我们每天都用这个符号代表爱以及人类的心脏，但这符号和真正心脏的模样其实有点差距。

Zachary Crockett at Priceonomics has looked into the history of this. Priceonomics 的 Zachary Crockett 研究了爱心图案形成的历史。

He says that there are relics¹ resembling the heart shape from 3,000 BC, but these shapes stood for ivy² or fig³ leaves, not the heart. 他表示，公元前三千年留下的遗迹中有类似心型的图案，但这些图案是代表长春藤或无花果叶片，而非心脏。

It wasn't until several centuries later that the heart became a symbol representing "love." 直到几世纪之后，心脏的形状才成为代表“爱”的象征。

But the problem was they didn't really know what the heart looked like, partially⁴ because the Catholic Church prohibited autopsies⁵. 但问题是，他们不太清楚心脏到底长什么样子，一部分可能是因为天主教会禁止尸体解剖。

So when artists tried to draw the heart as a symbol of love, like in this French manuscript from 1250, it looked like this. 所以，艺术家试着要画心脏图案来代表爱的时候，就像这个公元 1250 年的法国手稿，画起来就像这样。

By the time detailed⁶ anatomical drawings appeared, like those of Leonardo da Vinci in the early 16th century, the simplified symbol had already taken root. 到了详细解剖图出现的时代，如十六世纪初达文西的作品，简化符号的表现方式早已固定了。

It became a popular image in Catholic symbolism as well as secular⁷ things like decks of cards. 爱心成为神圣天主教符号与世俗卡牌的普及象征图案。

Eventually, New York City's 1977 campaign turned the heart symbol into a verb... 终于，纽约市 1977 年的活动将爱心符号转成一个动词...

I love New York.  ...replacing the word "love." 我爱纽约。 ...代替“爱”这个字。

Now it's used in everything romantic: Valentine's Day cards, emojis, chocolate. 现在爱心符号用在所有浪漫的东西上：情人节卡片、图释、巧克力。

But you can also find it in video games, on Twitter, and in ads for heart-healthy food. 但你也可以在电动游戏、推特和心脏健康食品的广告上看到爱心。

It might be a poor likeness⁸ for the human heart, but that's what makes it such an enduring and versatile⁹ symbol. 虽然这个符号和人类的心脏一点也不像，但这也是为什么这个符号可以被如此广泛运用，且历久不衰。

 

1 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

2 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

3 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

4 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

5 autopsies   

n.尸体解剖( autopsy的名词复数 )；验尸；现场验证；实地观察

参考例句：

• Autopsies cannot be performed and thus no recent histological examinations have been reported. 不能进行尸体解剖，因此没有新近的组织学检查的报道。 来自辞典例句
• I told you to supervise autopsies, not to set up a lot of fancy rules. 我叫你监督解剖室，不是去制定一些空想的规定。 来自辞典例句

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

8 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

9 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。