张倩云

Why are there so many different world flags？ What are the most common symbols on flags？ What does the colours on the flags mean？

Well， first lets see why people started using flags.

In earlier centuries certain groups of people had decorated1 their cultural symbols to distinguish2 their group from another group. Later they used flags to show their presence or show the sovereignty3.

Flags are national symbols. Every country has got a specific flag as their national symbol.

世界上为什么有那么多不同的国旗？国旗上最常见的符号是什么？国旗的颜色是什么意思？

首先让我们看看为什么人们开始使用国旗。

最初，一些人装饰了他们的文化符号，将他们与别的群体区别开来。后来他们用旗帜来显示他们的存在或显示主权。

国旗是国家的象征。每个国家都有一个特定的旗帜作为国家的象征。

Universal Symbols in World Flags

Now which symbols are most used in flags？ All cultures use certain symbols which are meaningful to them， some of the symbols are even universal， that is they have the same meaning all over the world.

●Sun： The circle of the sun symbolizes4 unity and energy.

●Moon： The moon is usually displayed in crescent5 shape. In combination with a star， the moon represents divinity6.

●Stars： Stars often represent energy.

●Cross： In ancient times the cross only symbolized the different points of the compass7. In the 4th century however the cross was also taken as the symbol of faith8.

●Triangle： The triangle often also symbolizes strength and power.

●Square： The four even lengths of the square symbolize balance and equal opposites.

世界国旗中的常见符号

现在国旗中最常用的符号是什么？所有的文化都使用某些对他们有意义的符号，有些符号甚至是普遍存在的，也就是说它们在全世界都有相同的意义。

▲太阳：太阳的圆圈象征着团结和能量。

▲月亮：月亮通常以新月形出现。月亮和星星结合在一起，代表着神性。

▲星星：星星通常代表能量。

▲十字架：在古代，十字架只象征罗盘的不同指向。但到了四世纪，十字架也被视为信仰的象征。

▲三角形：三角形通常也象征着力量和权力。

▲正方形：正方形的四边等长象征着平衡和相等的对立。

Symbols， Shapes and Colours of World Flags

World Flags show different sets of color and symbols， like the sun or moon， some cultural symbols， like the national bird or flower and sometimes even  some writing in it.

There are also many other symbols used in world flags. Canada uses a maple9 leave in its flag which shows that the country is caring for its nature and environment. The maple tree is Canadas national tree.

As you can see， red and white are dominant10 colors in most of the worlds flags.

Most flags contain primary colours， which are red， blue， green and some countries also use yellow or other colors. Gold is also used in many flags as the colour is associated with the sun and is considered as colour of kings as well.

Colours can have different meanings in different cultures.

世界上国旗的符号、形状和颜色

世界上的国旗使用了不同的颜色和符号，如太阳或月亮，一些文化符号，如国鸟或国花，有时甚至使用了文字。

世界上的国旗中还使用了许多别的符号。加拿大的国旗上使用了枫叶，这表明这个国家关心其自然和环境。枫树是加拿大的国树。

正如你看到的，红色和白色是世界上大多数国旗的主色调。

大多数国旗都使用了红、蓝、绿三原色，有些国家也使用了黄色或其他颜色。金色也被用在许多国旗上，因为它的颜色与太阳有关，也被认为是国王的颜色。

颜色在不同的文化中有不同的含义。

【Notes】

1. decorate [■] v. 装饰 2. distinguish [■] v. 区分;辨别

3. sovereignty [■] n. 主权 4. symbolize [■] v. 象征;用符号表现

5. crescent [■] n. 新月;新月状物  adj. 新月形的

6. divinity [■] n. 神;神性;神学 7. compass [■] n. 指南针，罗盘 8. faith [■] n. 信仰;信念 9. maple [■] n. 楓树 10. dominant [■] adj. 占优势的;支配的