If you want to get a Chinese symbol for a tattoo, make sure you get a native speaker to tell you what it means first
Getting a tattoo, whether permanent or henna, seems to be de rigeur for travellers these days. Especially popular are chinese symbol tattoos, carrying an exotic aesthetic beauty and meaning. Trouble is, a lot of the time, literal translations of English phrases into Chinese can be completely garbled. Enter AuthenticAsian, a site with a small but perfectly formed collection of Chinese symbol specifically chosen for use in tattoos. Site owner Meng (a native Chinese studying in the States, I think) not only gives the explanation and history of each Chinese symbol, he also provides downloadable examples for you to print and take to the tattoo parlour! Got to admire that sort of dedication. As Meng puts it:
“Most of those with tattoos of Chinese characters or Japanese kanji merely treat them as an exotic fashion statement. Many people get their tattoo designs from their Asian friends whom, after growing up in America, may not be so Asian after all. Other people even ask waiters from Chinese restaurants to translate English expressions directly into Chinese. Evidently, these are not the smartest ways to decide what you will have on your body for the rest of your life. Therefore, I hope to provide designs of authentic Chinese characters, words, idioms or art, each with an explanation that touches on the meaning of the design and the related cultural background.”
Find out more at AuthenticAsian.com
If you’re interested in reading more about tattoos and body modification in general, there’s an in-depth article about The Customised Body over on our sister site, Spike Magazine. You might also want to check out the spectacular body modification rites of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.
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