I dunno.  Maybe something like "when you feel shame, your heart pumps blood to your ears to turn them red"?  That's just off the top of my head.  I've never been good with stories, I just used the Amelia Earheart one.

I go, rather, that the only thing I can hear when deeply ashamed is the rushing of the blood in my ears. Needs a little rephrasing to work in the heart, though; I've already forgotten the original phrasing of the story.

It's true that they don't need to make sense, but for me the physiological connection is strong.

~J

Last edited by woodwojr (2008 July 16, 12:54 am)

fuaburisu wrote:

This chinese character explains how shame stands between social expectations (the ear listening to the outside world) and one's own expectations (one's heart).

The one I posted in the study area is presumably based on etymology, I can't remember where I found it, but I thought I'd point out that I didn't make it up. I just looked it up on zhongwen.com but it doesn't seem to have a chinese equivalent.

PS: the story means that shame can come from a conflict with inside or outside expectations (or both!), with inside and outside represented by the ear and the heart.