| Why the V sign? | |
|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2007 02:31 |   |
 | Can someone tell me why most Chinese when they have their photo taken insist on putting 2 fingers up in a V sign? What does it mean? |
| Jun 10, 2007 11:46 | #1 |
| V sign generally used for victory. I guess, no such culture in Chinese history. |
| Jun 10, 2007 11:47 | #2 |
| In the USA, the young people in the 1960s began flashing the V sign and it was called the Peace Sign. It has come to mean Peace, or Friendship. I believe that through history, the sign had different meanings, but this is the common meaning today. |
| Jun 10, 2007 13:30 | #3 |
| I know V for victory and I know why English use the V or '2 fingers' but don't understand why a lot of Chinese use it. |
| Jun 10, 2007 18:20 | #4 |
| I found it curious too but probably because I immediately associated it with the peace sign from my college days. |
| Jun 10, 2007 20:02 | #5 |
| This hand sign is popular among young people throughout Asia, not only in China, but also in Japan and Korea. I have asked my Chinese 10 year old daughter and 16 year old niece (who use the sign in many photos) about this and they both indicate that it primarily means ‘friendship’, and or a mixture of the feelings of happiness, love, and joy. Even those at ages 6, 7 or 8, use this sign in photos. Furthermore, I can find no correlation with the famous Winston Churchill ‘V’ sign for victory over the Axis powers, during WWII. Moreover, the larger [politicized] concept of a 1960’s western style ‘peace’ sign, does not appear to be an aspect of the social culture of young Chinese children and/or other younger teen aged youths. Although there may be some nexus between happiness and joy and that of peace; this is however, not the same as it was in 1960's America. Bottom line....friendship and happiness !! :) |
| Jun 10, 2007 21:53 | #6 |
| Maybe it is just their pose. They also do not know what it means. To show their happiness may be the proper explanation. |
| Jun 11, 2007 04:13 | #7 |
| I wonder if many of them actually have any idea what it means. Of course it can mean several things to different peoples/culture. It's a bit of a fad, sometimes fun, sometimes annoying especially when the hands go up to block anothers face. But's it's somtimes a bit of a laugh like we do the rabbit ears behind the head kind of stuff. It's just a way to show they are having fun most of the time |
| Jun 12, 2007 01:12 | #8 |
| I just wondered if anyone knew. I sometimes work in a film processing lab and see it on most of the photos but when I ask people they dont know why they do it. They just follow what others do. Better hope nobody jumps off a cliff then or we will lose loads. |
| Jun 12, 2007 04:37 | #9 |
| I believe what Roger said is the common idea of young people in China. And yes, there are many just follow what others do without knowing the true meaning of it. |
| Jun 12, 2007 07:32 | #10 |
| The rude version of the V sign was used by the english archers against the French in the famous battles of Agincourt, Crecy, and others, hundreds of years ago. The act originated because the French used to cut the first two fingers off the hands of captured english prisoners to stop them drawing the strings on their long bows. Following this the English forces used to parade their two-fingered-salute as a sign of deadly defiance to their enemy - probably further encouraging the brutal act of cutting off the fingers! I am sure that as Winston Churchil was an accomplished student of history he will have been well aware of the irony of reversing this symbol into the fingers out symbol of Victory as his sign of defiance during the second world war. |
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