日本民族文化中的圣数“八”探析

The Culture of Japanese Nationality-Illustration of the Devine Number "Eight

圣数观念古来有之,对于数字语言的内涵,不同的民族有着不同的诠释。日本民族是一个酷爱奇数的民族,然而有一个特例,对于偶数"八"一直情有独钟。自原始部落民至近现代社会,"八"一直是植根于民众心里的吉祥数字,是传统文化的重要内容。"八"的位置虽然是其它数字语言无法取代的,但其语义在潜移默化之中悄然地发生了变化。这些变化说明外来文化的传播对于影响本民族语言起着不可忽视的作用。

The conception of divine numbers could be traced back to ancient times. As for the language connotation of numbers, different nationalities have different illustrations. The Japanese nationality prefers odd numbers. However, the number 'Eight' gains Japanese people's affection, which is an only exception. From primitive tribes to modern society, the number 'Eight' has been a lucky number rooted deeply in the mind of the masses. It has become one of the most important part of Japanese traditional culture. Although the position of the number 'Eight' could not be substituted by other numbers, its meaning has been influenced imperceptibly and thus changed a lot. From these changes, we can deduce that the propagation of other nations' culture plays a crucial role in affecting the native language.