中国邮政月初发行的《壬寅年》虎年特种邮票引发了争议，中国邮政说这套写实风格的猛虎“气宇轩昂”，然而有的网友却认为老虎”满面愁容”。
其实，不只中国人民对虎的理解各不相同，虎在中外文化中的形象也大异其趣。
美国作家马意骏在中国日报撰文分享了他想到的有关老虎的故事。
▌当亚洲老虎遇上美国甜玉米麦片
马意骏提到，老虎在美国可以是有趣、可爱的朋友。头一个代表是美国最著名的儿童早餐麦片动画形象 “老虎托尼”（Tony the Tiger）。
For many decades, thanks to breakfast cereal maker Kelloggs, the cute adorable tiger has been the mascot for their famous "Frosted Flakes" cereal, providing breakfast for millions of children across the United States before they leave for school. I can confirm that Tony's Frosted Flakes cereals were often on our breakfast table while I was growing up in 1970s Yonkers, New York. “几十年来，托尼这只可爱的老虎一直是早餐麦片制造商家乐氏著名的‘糖霜玉米脆片’的吉祥物，是全美数百万儿童在上学前的早餐。我可以确定，当我在20世纪70年代的纽约扬克斯长大时，我们的早餐桌上经常会出现画着老虎托尼的甜脆玉米麦片。”
关于虎的象征意义，马意骏提到更有意思的一点是“亚洲四小龙”这个引发全球关注的概念。
上世纪60至90年代，四个亚洲经济体——韩国、中国台湾、中国香港和新加坡——发展迅猛，在中文中用”龙“来比喻，但是在英文原文中，它们是“亚洲四虎”（Four Asian Tigers）。
图源：东方IC
马意骏说，老虎在亚洲国家和中国古代的文化中，大都代表了力量和勇气。
Mostly, tigers represent strength and fearlessness. We find across China, the Republic of Korea and Japan that the dragon and the tiger are thought to govern the elemental forces of wind and rain, and form a powerful symbolic pairing, with tigers even regarded as a symbol of luck. 大多数情况下，老虎象征力量和无畏。在中国、韩国和日本，龙和老虎被认为拥有呼风唤雨的力量，是具有强大能力的符号，甚至被认为是好运的象征。 Evident in Chinese culture thousands of years ago, a tiger's majesty, vigor, bravery and skills inspired soldiers. During the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), tiger images were often found on household items, beddings and handicrafts, as they were considered divine animals that warded off evil spirits and influences. And carrying of small tiger-shaped jade pieces was popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). 在几千年前的中国文化中，老虎的威严、活力和勇猛激励着士兵。在金朝(1115-1234)时，老虎的形象作为辟邪的神兽出现在家居用品、床上用品和手工艺品上。明朝(1368-1644)时期流行过携带虎形的小玉器。
图源：中国日报 马雪晶
对于此次邮政邮票老虎形象的争议，马意骏有个别开生面的解读。
Indeed, looking at the stamp, famous artist Feng Dazhong's tiger does seem a bit relaxed and peaceful rather than ready for an imminent fight with an enemy, and I think I figured out exactly why. It was morning and Feng Dazhong's tiger had just finished eating a happy Tony the Tiger bowl of Frosted Flakes. 事实上，知名艺术家冯大中为这款邮票所绘制的老虎看起来有些放松和平静，而不是准备与敌人战斗。是不是邮票里的老虎刚在清晨饱餐了一顿老虎托尼的糖霜玉米脆片呢？ There are definitely some China hawks in the US who might want a war, but Tony the Tiger and Feng Dazhong's tigers want a friendly, peaceful world. So do all of us. 美国肯定有一些对华鹰派想挑起战争，但是老虎托尼和邮票里的老虎想要的，是一个友好、和平的世界。这也是我们共同的期盼。
最后，他祝大家早餐用餐愉快！虎年大吉!
Enjoy your breakfast, and have a wonderful Year of the Tiger!
编译：潘宜萱
来源：中国日报
原文作者：Mario Cavolo（马意骏），美国作家，现居中国，中国与全球化研究中心高级研究员
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