論看相與算命 On Fortune-Telling
People everywhere regardless of race, sex, religion or creed,
believe, to a certain degree, in fortune-telling and/ or even follow closely
instructions from fortune-tellers, astrologists, or some kind of experts on
predictions though they also believe the fact that it is easy to see but difficult to foresee. The extent and
intensity to which they believe varies from age to age, time to time or fact to
fact. It is widely known that person’s belief in it is in disproportion to
his education, (Someone advocates that ignorance
is often wed to a groundless belief or superstition) and
that the female may have a stronger belief than the male. Of course the female
may not necessarily be more fragile or vulnerable in innate nature, or
character.
不論種族、性別、宗教信仰，世界各地方的人或多或少都相信看相，或十分認真地遵奉看相者、星相家或某種預言家的指示，雖然他們也相信預測事情較難。他們相信看相者的範圍與深度因年齢、時間與事實而不同。普遍認為相信看相的程度與其所受教育成反比。(有人主張無知常與迷信或毫無根據的相法結合在一起) 也相信女性比男性更相信。當然婦女在本性或性格上未必更脆弱、更受影響。
Western parents will not bother to consult a fortune-teller about
their new-born children while the Oriental parents do. Because the latter
believe that the earlier they learn about the destiny of their children, the
better precautions they can take to avoid ill fortunes, (some people may
believe “Misfortunes never come singly.”-禍不單行 )
if any, or to expect good fortunes. *『According to Chinese philosophy, there are some proverbs,
contradicting to each other. For
example, the saying, 「福無雙至」means nearly
that “Good fortunes do not come in succession(or
simultaneously)”. And,
the saying 「雙喜臨門」means “Two good fortunes come in one after the other.” 』Contradictory as the sayings may seem, there contains in them
certain kind of wisdom or truth. On the
one hand, they want people to be more appreciative of good fortunes, which
rarely frequent people; on the other
hand, they are warning people of the sequent coming of ill fortunes. Because
some people might pessimistically believe that among those happening to human
beings are disappointing, frustrating or unfortunate, - nine out of ten, at least.
西方父母不會為初生子女，費神地去請教看命師，而東方父母則會。因為後者認為愈早知道孩子的命運，就愈能對惡運做好防範措施。(有人或許相信禍不單行) 『依據中國哲學，有些諺語是互相矛盾的。例如「福無双至」幾乎意謂好事不會連續或同時出現。而「双喜臨門」則意謂兩件好事接連發生。儘管這些諺語也許自相矛盾，但也存在某一種智慧與真實性。一方面它們要人更珍惜難得光臨的好運；另一方面它們警告人們，惡運會連續降臨。因為有人也許悲觀地以為，至少十之八九，人們遭遇的都是不如意與令人挫折的不幸。
Most western people consult a fortune-teller, a palm reader, or a
Taro Card reader (塔羅牌)when they are old enough (high school kids or older). Their
consultations are more motivated by curiosity than by inquiry about possible
solutions to their problems. And they care more about their future than their
past. They care whether “they will be rich,
handsome, or beautiful; whether there will have rainbow day after day.” And they will not deliberately bear in
mind those (good or bad) told by
fortune-tellers. Possibly, the moment they walk out of a studio of a palm
reader’s, they forget everything. As is often said, or quoted, “Que sera sera. Whatever will be
will be. The future is not our eyes to see.” (勿杞人憂天) That’s
what some western people’s mental attitude toward a fortune-telling. In a
sense, it implies: enjoying the present; forgetting
about the past, and letting future take care of itself. – or just let it be.
大部分西方人在長大後(高中生或更大一點)，才會請教看命師、看手相的、塔羅牌算命師等。他們去看相更多是出於好奇心，遠比想詢問他們對問題的解決方法。他們對未來比過去更關心。如同有人常說『勿人憂天，未來不是我們可預料。』那是西方人對看相的想法。在某一意義上，它蘊含：享受現在、忘記過去、對未來順其自然。
Compared with western people, the Orientals believe more of a
forecast or something told by fortune-tellers. Not only do they spend more time
and money on it but they sometimes are more observant of some things
connected with a person’s fate, such as time of his birth, his residence,
including its directions, floor plan, his tomb site, and Feng-Shui of his
ancestors. (生辰八字、住宅、風水) Besides parents’ consultation with a fortune-teller at a child’s
birth or at its early age, most Orientals, as they grow older, will continue to
visit him, if necessary. It
often happens that they ask a fortune-teller for advice especially when
they are confronted with or puzzled about some big events in life, e.g., romantic trouble, marriage, illness, decision/problems
about career, etc..
Typically, some standard solutions to problems in these
situations are categorized in different stages in their life. A or some
suitable answers will be provided as requested, to those who consult. Because
they believe a man’s fate is revolving, or ever changing at an interval of
about 10-year cycle .Therefore, they believe, a man’s fate is involved in “changes” from good to bad, from bad to good,
from good to better, or from bad to worse. They believe the truth -「相隨心轉」-“As the way of a person’s thinking changes, so do his looks
. (Which is particularly
true with palm or features reading) Believe it or not, some
palm-readers insist that a person’s palm print is changeable. That’s maybe
part of the reasons why they prefer to consult a fortune-teller at different
stages in their life, whether his prophecy comes true or not. However, when a
person reaches 60 or 70 years of age or even older, as usual, they will
discontinue consulting or reduce the frequency of visiting, for they believe,
they have walked, enjoyed or suffered most of their life. In other words, the
older a person becomes, the less often his consultation occurs. (to be continued-待續)
Justin Lai
03/23/2013加譯中文
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