海外文化:英美民俗-手相

【英文原文】

摘要：手相通过观看手掌的开头和纹路预卜未来。在现代，大多数人不再看真信手相，只不过将它当做一种游戏。

Palmistry is the practice of foretelling the future by examining the shape of the hand and the lines in the palm of the hand. Today, most people no longer take palmistry seriously; they are interested in it as a form of entertainment.

In palmistry, the fleshy parts of the palm at the base of the thumb and fingers and on the side of the hand are called mounts. The mounts are named after Apollo, the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars. A well-developed, fleshy mount is supposed to mean that a person has the characteristics associated with that mount. The mount of Apollo signifies a good sense of beauty; of the Moon, a dreamy disposition; of Venus, love; of Jupiter, ambition, pride, honor and a happy disposition; of Saturn, prudence and success; of Mercury, scientific, industrial, and commercial interests; and of Mars, courage.

The wrinkles on the palm are called lines. Like the mounts, each line has a name and a meaning. For example, the curved line that surrounds the thumb is called the life line. If it is long and unbroken the person is supposed to have a long life. The heart line stretches across the palm just below the fingers. If this line is long and unbroken, the person is supposed to have a warm, affectionate nature. Below the heart line is the head line. If the head line is strongly marked it is supposed to indicate intelligence; if it goes almost to the outside of the palm, it indicates imagination.