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China
Information
Chinese
Symbol Tattoos |
A
Beginners Guide
Chinese symbol tattoos are rapidly growing in popularity all round the
world. In fact, more than six thousand people search for the phrase
"Chinese Tattoos" on the internet every single day.
But
that 's not surprising as Chinese symbol tattoos are extremely
beautiful and mysterious. Thanks to the movies and popular culture,
most people in the west can recognize these Chinese symbols but can't
understand them. So that makes these tattoos a rather exotic form of
self expression.
But beyond that, there are other
more gender specific reasons for the popularity of these tattoo designs.
Women
are attracted to the numerous subtle meanings and over-arching themes
that the Chinese symbols can express, such as hope, freedom and love.
Men, on the other hand, are drawn to Chinese symbol tattoos because in
western culture they're strongly associated with martial arts movies.
So
if you're considering getting a Chinese tattoo, here 's a quick
beginners guide to Chinese symbols.
The
system of Chinese writing began more than 4000 years ago and doesn't
have an alphabet. This is perhaps the biggest difference for non
Chinese people to understand.
Instead, Chinese
writing relies
upon a large number of symbols that represent spoken ideas or concepts.
Each symbol represents a different spoken word.
In
1710 AD the
Kangxi Dictionary was created by imperial decree and contained more
than 47,000 symbols. However, since then that number has risen to more
than 70,000 symbols to represent the growing number of nuances and
meanings in the modern language.
But having said
that, the
average Chinese person only needs to know around 5,000 of these Chinese
symbols to be able to read and understand anything that 's written in
Chinese.
Can
anything be written in Chinese symbols?
Thanks
to the sheer number of symbols available, anything can be translated
into Chinese. Even the most subtle meanings and nuances can be achieved
using a combination of symbols.
What
is Kanji?
Kanji
is
the term used to describe Chinese symbols that have been adapted to
mean Japanese words. The meaning of the symbols in Chinese and Japanese
can be the same but they may be pronounced differently. Alternatively,
they may express completely different ideas.
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Can
I
get my name, or someone else 's name, translated into Chinese Symbols?
Yes,
of course. But it 's worth bearing a couple of things in mind. First,
Chinese names are written in reverse order, which means that your last
name appears before your first name. Second, if your name is foreign to
the Chinese language, symbols will have to be selected that represent
your spoken name.
As you can see, the whole issue of
Chinese
writing is extremely complex, so the first major rule when you're
getting a Chinese symbol tattoo is to...
Make
Sure
That Your Chosen Words Are Correctly Translated
Before
you allow anyone to put a tattoo needle anywhere near your skin, make
sure that you have discussed your chosen design with someone who can
understand Chinese writing. And make sure that they are used to
advising people about the meaning of Chinese symbols for use in tattoos.
Whatever
happens, resist the temptation to ask the first Chinese person that you
know to check the meaning of your intended design. They may not know
the exact meaning that you want and provide you with the wrong symbol.
For
example, one women asked a waiter at her local Chinese restaurant to
draw the Chinese symbol for free on a napkin. Unfortunately, this
English word can be translated into Chinese in one of two ways. She
wanted "Freedom" he gave her the symbol for "Free of charge".
So
consult a Chinese speaking tattoo specialist and you'll avoid the
permanent embarrassment of a Chinese tattoo that doesn't mean what you
thought it did.
The second rule of getting a
successful Chinese symbol tattoo is to...
Get
A
Custom Design
To
create a high quality tattoo, your artist will need a quality design to
work from. So it 's important to spend some money on getting a custom
design professionally made to your order. This will provide you with a
crisp, clear Chinese tattoo that means what you think it does.
Okay,
you could search the internet and find a free translation service, but
in most cases the end result will be a small and poorly defined image
which is unsuitable for creating a quality tattoo. If you find a tattoo
artist who is prepared to use such a poor design you'll end up with a
blurred mess which may have lost its meaning.
Chinese
symbol
tattoos represent a highly individual and beautiful way to express your
personality. If you follow these basic guidelines you will be rewarded
with a unique piece of body art which will last you for the rest of
your life.
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Chinese
Symbol Tattoos
Disclaimer:
We've tried
to make the information on this web site as
accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no
responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by
anyone
resulting from this information. You should verify critical information
(like
visas, health and safety, customs and transportation) with the relevant
authorities before you travel.
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