A Silver Coin's Meanings for Life: Building a Family through Qian and Kun, Mutual Support between Twin Fish, and Coexistence between Two Dragons — New Cultural Interpretations of Double Happiness (囍), Twin Fish (𩺰), and Double Dragons (龖) 《一枚銀幣的生命寓意:

Wang, Lawrence K. 王抗曝 (2026), "A Silver Coin's Meanings for Life: Building a Family through Qian and Kun, Mutual Support between Twin Fish, and Coexistence between Two Dragons — New Cultural Interpretations of Double Happiness (囍), Twin Fish (𩺰), and Double Dragons (龖)"《一枚銀幣的生命寓意:乾坤成家、雙魚相依、雙龍共存——囍、𩺰、龖的文化新解》 , Global Humanities and Liberal Arts, Lenox Institute Press, USA. 2026(10A); 56 pages. ABSTRACT: 本文以「中外通寶・關平銀壹兩」式樣的錢幣圖像為引,結合錢幣文化、婚姻記憶與退休生活,探討雙龍、太極及八卦如何成為生命書寫的媒介。作者由雙龍聯想到「龖」的彼此尊重與雙贏共存;由太極陰陽兩半聯想到雙魚相依,賦予「𩺰」相濡以沫、相伴到老的寓意;再由八卦中的乾坤與天地之象,連結傳統婚禮的拜天地、拜高堂及夫妻對拜,延伸至「囍」所寄託的成家與共享幸福。文章亦對照古典八卦與現代口語「八卦」的不同意涵,思考日常言談中的體諒與分寸。上述聯繫屬作者的當代文化詮釋,並非文字起源或原鑄幣者設計意圖的考證結論。透過「乾坤成家、雙魚相依、雙龍共存」的主題,本文將一枚錢幣所引發的聯想,化為對夫妻相伴、家庭情感與和平共處的期望,記錄退休之年的觀物之趣與人生體會。關鍵詞:中外通寶;關平銀壹兩;雙龍共存;太極雙魚;八卦乾坤;傳統婚禮;囍、𩺰、龖;生命書寫;退休生活; 王東林 ; 王清臨; ABSTRACT: This essay explores how the imagery of a Zhong Wai Tong Bao Kwan Ping one-tael (中外通寶・關平銀壹兩) coin design connects coin collecting with family memory, marriage, and retirement. Qian and Kun (乾坤), the Heaven and Earth trigrams, evoke traditional wedding rituals and inspire the author's interpretation of Double Happiness (囍) as building a family and sharing lifelong happiness. The taijitu (太極圖) suggests Twin Fish (𩺰), symbolizing mutual support and enduring companionship, while the surrounding dragons evoke Double Dragons (龖), expressing mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. Memories of collecting coins and stamps with his elder brothers after moving to Taiwan in 1949 provide the autobiographical setting. The essay also contrasts the classical Eight Trigrams (八卦) with the colloquial use of bagua to mean gossip, encouraging care in everyday speech. These meanings are personal, contemporary interpretations rather than claims about character origins or the original designers' intentions. The historical design is distinguished from the photographed specimen, whose date and material remain unverified. A coin thus becomes a medium for reflecting on family affection, shared responsibility, and peaceful relationships. KEYWORDS: Zhong Wai Tong Bao; Kwan Ping tael; Double Happiness; Twin Fish; Double Dragons; yin–yang; Eight Trigrams; Chinese wedding rituals; life writing; retirement; Tony Tung-Lin Wang; Justin Ching-Lin Wang.