Symbols, numbers, colors, animals

44 cards in this category — of which 32 complete, 12 drafts.

• The number 4 (tetraphobia - East Asia)Homophone of "death": no 4th floor in Seoul or Tokyo hospitals.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The number 13 (triskaidekaphobia - West)Friday the 13th = Western folk curse. Skyscrapers in Manhattan, Toronto and Paris skip floor 13. A multi-million-dollar scare for the real estate industry.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The number 17 (deadly taboo - Italy)In Italy, 17 in Roman numerals (XVII) reads as "VIXI" (I lived = I died). No row 17 on planes, no room 17 in hotels.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The number 8 (prosperity - China)The 8 sounds like "fortune" in Mandarin. In Hong Kong, an "8888" license plate sells for 4 times more than a normal one. Phone numbers with 8 are worth 10 times their basic price.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The number 7 (good luck West, bad luck China)The 7 is lucky in the West (seven wonders), but a bearer of mourning in China (7th lunar month = Festival of Ghosts). The same number, two opposite destinies.
  CompleteCuriosity
• White (mourning - China, Japan)White = innocence in the West. White = death in East Asia. The same white suit = wedding dress in Paris, mourning suit in Tokyo.
  CompleteInsult
• Black (mourning - West)Black = strict mourning in the West (black suit, black tie). White = mourning in East Asia. Two opposing codes, two incompatible rituals.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Red as Wedding and Happiness in ChinaIn China, red has been the color of happiness since the Zhou dynasty: bridal dress, red envelopes, festive decorations.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Red as Danger and Stop in the WestIn the West, red signals danger, prohibition and stop: traffic lights, stop signs, emergency alerts.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Green as Sacred Color in IslamGreen is the color of the Quranic paradise and the Prophet Muhammad's favorite color: flags, minarets, liturgical garments.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• Imperial Yellow in ChinaIn imperial China, yellow (chih-huang) was the Emperor's exclusive color since the Tang dynasty: golden dragon, palace roofs, imperial robe.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Purple as Mourning Color (Thailand, Brazil)In Thailand, purple is the color of widows in mourning. In Brazil and Catholic Central America, it is linked to Holy Week and the Passion of Christ.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The pig (dirty west, prosperous China)Impure animal in Islam and Judaism, emblem of happiness in the Chinese zodiac.
  CompleteInsult
• The dog (Western friend, impure Sunni Islam)Best friend in the West; absolute rival of this status in strict Sunni Islam, where it remains ritually impure and a desecrator of sacred space.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The raven (dead West, lucky Asia)Messenger of wisdom in Asia; bird of death in the West: two radically opposed cosmologies.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The elephant (Indian wisdom, Ganesh deity)Ganesh, Hindu deity with elephant head, universal symbol of wisdom and luck in India. In the West, a rare and fascinating animal.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The dragon (Chinese power, Western evil)Imperial Dragon China symbolizes power and prosperity. The West opposes it to the knight and virtue as the embodiment of Evil to be vanquished.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The swastika (Hindu/Buddhist vs Nazi auspice)An auspicious Hindu/Buddhist symbol for 5000 years. Nazi hijacked it 1920-1945. The West can now only see it in trauma.
  CompleteTaboo
• The cross (Christian divinity vs. rejection of Islam/Judaism)Heart of the Christian faith. Absolute rejection in Islam (idolatry) and unease in Judaism (historical persecutions).
  CompleteOffense
• Le croissant (islam vs malaise chrétienté/West/Western)Luminous symbol of Islam. West links it historically to Ottoman threat; fear persists despite contemporary normalization.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Star of David (Judaism vs Nazi identity)Deep Jewish identity. Nazi trauma: forced yellow star. Symbol of Israel's resilience versus Arab rejection and occupation.
  CompleteOffense
• The pentagram (pagan protection vs. Christian fear/sorcery)Pagan symbol of protection/balance. Christianity associates it with witchcraft/demonology. Contemporary New Age valorization VS persistent folk fear.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The rainbow (LGBTQ+ vs. Christian Covenant)Noah's divine covenant vs. LGBTQ+ Pride: two cosmologies of the same symbol create contemporary identity conflict.
  CompleteInsult
• The Hand of Fatima / Hamsa (Abrahamic protection)Fatima Hand, Abrahamic protector. Judaism-Islam-Christianity unity. Exotic Western folklore.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The red thread (Kabbalah/Chinese luck vs. superstition)Red thread Kabbalah spiritual protection; China link destiny love; West trivializes it superstition.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The feather (Native American sacredness vs. trivialization)Native American sacred feather. West trivializes cultural appropriation. Indigenous respect demanded.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The number 9 (unlucky Asia vs. neutral West)9 taboo Asia (homophone death). West sees it as neutral. Misunderstanding price/floor mixed architectures.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Japanese lucky black cat (kuroneko)Japanese Kuroneko: radiant good luck charm. Western black cat: sinister omen. The same feline, two opposing symbolic universes.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The gift of the frog (kaeru - safe return)Kaeru: a frog meaning "return". A Japanese homophone that makes for a rich and meaningful gift.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The bat: good luck in China, bad luck in the WestFu: a smiling bat in China, a flying nightmare in the West. Chinese homophone that reverses everything.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The turtle: sacred longevity in Japan, sexual insult in BrazilMinogame sanctified in Tokyo, hidden insult in Rio. Same animal, two emotional universes.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The peacock (sacred India, western vanity)Kartikeya mount in India; bad-luck superstition at the English theater.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Blue against the Evil Eye (Mediterranean, Turkey)The Turkish nazar boncugu — cobalt blue glass bead — protects against the evil eye throughout the Mediterranean basin and the Muslim world.
  DraftCuriosity
• La chouette (sagesse Ouest, mort Inde)Minerve pour les Grecs, présage funèbre pour de nombreuses cultures d'Asie et d'Afrique.
  DraftMisunderstanding
• Le chat noir (chance ou malchance)Malchance en France ; chance en Grande-Bretagne et en Écosse ; adoptable partout.
  DraftCuriosity
• Le pliage du drapeau américain13 plis rituels ; drapeau touchant le sol = faute grave, éclairage nocturne obligatoire.
  DraftInsult
• L'hymne royal thaïlandais (debout obligatoire)Dans un cinéma thaï, rester assis à 18 h : crime de lèse-majesté, article 112.
  DraftOffense
• La photo de l'Empereur japonaisManipulation irrespectueuse d'une photo officielle de l'Empereur : offense culturelle.
  DraftInsult
• Le miroir bagua (feng shui)Miroir octogonal chinois : dévie les mauvaises énergies, devenu marché global du wellness.
  DraftCuriosity
• L'attrapeur de rêves (Ojibwa)Objet sacré ojibwa banalisé en souvenir touristique — débat sur l'appropriation.
  DraftInsult
• Le nazar boncuk turcPerle bleue accrochée partout en Turquie pour conjurer l'œil envieux.
  DraftCuriosity
• Le torii japonaisPortail shintô séparant le profane du sacré : s'incliner avant de passer.
  DraftInsult
• Le trèfle à quatre feuillesPorte-bonheur végétal celte ; le trèfle à trois feuilles reste plus souvent rencontré.
  DraftCuriosity
• Le lotus (pureté bouddhiste)Fleur qui jaillit pure de la boue — emblème bouddhiste majeur, du Tibet à Bali.
  DraftCuriosity