日本和帝制時期的中國一樣，都用「年號」來紀年，用以象徵君主在位的某個期間。日本政府近日公布新年號為「令和」，將於皇太子德仁五月一日即位當天開始使用。「令」意味美好，「和」則有和平、和諧之意。首相安倍晉三解釋說，「令和」來自日本最古老詩歌集《萬葉集》，原文描述嚴寒過後，春天來臨時盛開的梅花之美。他期望能與國民一起，建設出讓年輕人充滿希望的日本。

日本選擇年號的準則
日本選擇年號有六大基本準則，包括用字具優良涵義、由兩個漢字組成、易寫、易讀、過去從未用於年號或諡號，以及在日常生活中未被廣泛使用。今次是年號首次使用「令」字，「和」字則是第二十次出現。

Same as old feudal China, Japan uses an “era name” system to mark the passage of years, thus showing the reign of an emperor. Recently, the Japanese government has announced their newest era name as Reiwa, which will be used starting 1 May, when Crown Prince Naruhito assumes the throne. “Rei” means good, and “wa” means peace and harmony. Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe explained that “reiwa” came from Japan’s oldest collection of poetry, Manyoshu. The poem describes the beauty of plum blossoms that bloom with the advent of spring after a harsh winter. Abe hopes that he can, with Japanese citizens, build a Japan that brings hope to young people.

文：馮霆朗　圖︰星島圖片庫

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