Inmedieval times, most people were unable to read or write. When it came time to sign a document, people who could not write usually made an "X" mark. Of course,an "X" is not much of a signature.To add a sense of commitment, it became customary to kiss the "X" after writing it.
在中世紀, 大多數人的文化水平都比較低. 在簽署文件的時候, 中國人壹般按手印, 西方人如果不知名字怎麽寫, 通常寫壹個"X"作為代替. 當然"X"本身不能作為簽名, 為了添加個人信息, 通常會在那個"X"上親吻壹下.
Kissing the "X" was "performance law," a ritual act that bound thepartiesthe way legal documents bind us today. This act, witnessed by the person who wrote the text, represented asolemn guaranteeof the truthfulness of what was written, and an oath to carry out whatever obligations were stated in the document.
親吻"X"是壹項不成文的法則, 就象現在法律文檔對我們的約束力壹般. 這表明簽字人對所寫的東西保證其真實有效, 勇於對所寫內容承擔責任.
Over the years, the "X" and the kiss became interchangeable. Today, people who can read and write might still add one or more "X" marks to their letters, maybe with a couple of "O"s thrown in for hugs.
許多年過去了, "X"變成了和親吻等價的符號. 人們在寫信時加上"X"代表親吻, 同時加上"O"則表示壹個擁抱.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that X is "used to represent a kiss, esp. in the subscription to a letter.". There is no general consensus on the origins of the O as a hug. The O could relate to the shape formed when two hands are crossed in a hug, forming a type of O. The 'X' may also refer to the pursing of the lips when kissing.
牛津英語字典敘述 X 為“用於表達吻，尤其在書信的署名處”。但對於作為擁抱含義的 O 的起源並沒有普遍***識。字母 O 可能與擁抱時兩手交疊而成 O 的形狀有關系。字母 X 可能也與接吻時撅起嘴唇而成的形狀有關。