But it doesn't really look like the real thing.

但它看起來跟真正的心臟其實不像。

Zackary Crokett at Priceonomics has looked into the history of this.

Priceonomics 的 Zackary Crokett 探究了這個符號的歷史。

He says that there are relics resembling the heart shape from 3000 BC, but these shapes stood for ivy or fig leaves, not the heart.

他說西元前 3000 年就有些與愛心符號相似的古文物，但它們象徵了長春藤或無花果樹葉，而不是心臟。

It wasn't until several centuries later that the heart became a symbol representing "love".

心型一直到幾個世紀後才開始成為「愛」的象徵。

But the problem, was they didn't really know what the heart looked like,

但問題是，他們不確切知道心臟的樣貌，

partially because of the Catholic Church prohibited autopsies.

部分原因可歸咎於羅馬天主公教禁止解剖屍體。

So, when artists tried to draw the heart as a symbol of love, like in this French manuscript from 1250, it looked like this.

因此當藝術家嘗試畫出心型來代表愛的象徵，像這幅 1250 年法國畫稿中顯示，它長得像這樣。

By the time detailed anatomical drawings appeared, like those of Leonardo Da Vinci in the early 16th century, the simplified symbol had already taken root.

到精細的心臟解剖圖出現時， 例如達文西在 16 世紀早期所繪製的心臟圖，這個簡化的符號早就已經被廣泛使用。

It became a popular image in Catholic symbolism as well as secular things like decks of cards.

它除了成為天主教象徵手法中流行的圖樣，在像撲克牌一樣的日常物品中，也很盛行。

Eventually, New York City's 1977 campaign turned the heart symbol into a verb.

最後，紐約市 1977 年的競選廣告將愛心符號轉化為動詞使用。

"I love New York," replacing the word "love".

在「我愛紐約」這句話中，愛心符號取代了「愛」這個字。

Now it's used in everything romantic:

現在它被用在任何浪漫的事物上：

Valentine's Day cards, emojis, chocolate.

情人節卡片、表情符號和巧克力。

But you can also find it in video games, on twitter, and in ads for heart-healthy food.

但你也可以在電動遊戲、推特以及有益心臟健康的食物廣告中看到。

It might be a poor likeness for the human heart, but that's what makes it such an enduring and versatile symbol.

雖然它和心臟的樣貌相差甚遠，但這也才造就它成為歷久不衰且萬用的符號。