【明報專訊】You might have seen these elegant symbols. Are you interested in their design? Can you tell the difference between Eastern and Western emblems (徽章)?

In the medieval (中世紀) period, a coat of arms was the cloth covering a suit of armour (盔甲), which showed whom you fought for. The pattern was sometimes related to battles. The emblems of the University of Hong Kong (top) and the UK both have a shield in the middle and a helmet at the top. Also, a coat of arm often has two symbols on either side, to support the shield.

In Japan, an emblem is called a "mon" (紋). Unlike the western tradition, Japanese emblems are simpler and each feature one item, like the paulownia (泡桐) in the government seal (top), and the chrysanthemum (菊花) in the national one.

[Smarties' Power English 第231期]