More than a Linguistic Game ( M.L.)

In auditoriums, concert halls and other closed public places in China, the side doors for emergency use have marker beacons on them which read “Taipingmen”. The literal translation is “Peaceful door”. I don’t know exactly how this Chinese name came into being, the only reason I can think of is people originally named emergency exit as “Peaceful door” because these exits are not in use and rest in peace in usual circumstances. I have to admit that this name cannot provoke even the slightest sense of emergency, instead everytime I saw the marker I felt safe and relaxed.

When I arrived in Singapore, I was a bit shocked to see so many “Emergency” signs. On bus windows there are signs that read “In case of emergency break the glass”; on certain exits of most buildings there are signs that read “Emergency Exit”; on the campus security call service machine in NUS there is a sign that reads “Emergency Call”. At first I was a little disturbed by all these signs which gave me a feeling of potential danger. But after a while I started to think that “Emergency Exit” is much more appropriate than “Peaceful Door”, since when fire, earthquake or other catastrophe strikes, surely people who see the “Emergency” sign will react towards these exits more quickly.

This reminds me of the Chinese name of insurance which means “Security” when translated literally. When I think about it now, I have a strange feeling about referring the arrangements for accidents and damage as “security”, but I hadn’t felt this way before I came to Singapore. In Japanese the names for insurance means “Japanese Fire” and “Japanese Life” when translated word by word. Now I marvel at the Chinese way of “underestimating” or “neglecting” the fatality accidents when these kind of things. The Chinese terms draw attention to the unlikelihood of accidents and the compensation afterwards rather than to avoiding accidents.

There are other examples where accidents and injuries occurred in elevators or with electrical appliances due to the absense of vital warnings or directions. Perhaps this is because Chinese people tend to think it inauspicious to put up signs suggesting danger directly. Unfortunately we have seldom thought about how ridiculous this is, just think about how many injuries and damages can be avoided if dangers are pointed out in a more direct way. This is more than a linguistic game, it is a matter of attitudes towards danger and catastrophe, and obviously it can be concluded that facing the crisis is a far better way compared with palliating it.