Gestures... and Tai-Chi

Bruno Munari in the '60 wrote a little book called "Supplement to the Italian dictionary" which listed all the Italian gestures most commonly used while speaking. The classic " What do you want?", the "I do not care", the "It wasn't me ", etc.. All listed, analyzed, described in their movement. Personally, another not very famous master (PL.B.) has shown me that in a foreign country it is possible to say virtually everything just using three things: mimic, tonality and creativity. For example the question "Do you think it will rain tomorrow?" can 'be expressed by pointing to the sky, then at one's watch, then imitate the rain, all with an enigmatic and a little dumb face. From there on, my travels have always been a succession of combinations of basic verbs, orangutans's verses and a lot of persistence. And I did it always pretty well.

But yesterday, I had a bad struck about what I believed to be an universally valid language. My Chinese teacher was making strange gestures to indicate the concepts of "yesterday" and "tomorrow". Saying "yesterday", she was indicating in front of her, while "tomorrow" was positioned behind her, over her shoulder. Exactly the opposite of how we western people do! Then I asked for an explanation, and the answer was:

"Yesterday" is something that is past, it is known, it has been seen. So it is in front of our eyes. Instead "tomorrow" still has to come, so we don't have seen it yet: that's why it is on our back. "

Later, when she insisted on telling me that the concept of "next" is indicated pointing downwards, and for "previous" you have to point up, I haven't asked more questions.. and I realized why Munari had specified "Italian"!

But it all makes a kind of sense when you see old chinese people in the park doing some Tai-Chi exercise, and often walking backwards.
So see you soon (I point backward), for the next (I point downward) post.