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This post is a revised and expanded version of an article written in 2018. ❡ While searching online for “Emperor Wu of Han,” I came across a story about a bronze phallus discovered in the emperor’s tomb.
My first reaction was, “Of course it was Liu Che!”
After laughing for a while, I traced the s...
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In modern Korean culture, people often say “ddabong!” while raising their thumb to praise someone in casual situations. This article traces the origins of the thumbs-up gesture in East Asian classical literature. ❡ First, the origin of the word “ddabong” (따봉) itself is clear. “Ddabong” comes from...
