Chinese symbol
Chinese Symbols in tattoos: Tattoo is called as Ci Shen or Wen Shen in the Chinese language. The phrases literally mean to puncture the body. The art of tattooing has been known and followed in China for a long time, however it was never considered desirable, artistic, or even acceptable, since the body was seen as a gift that one had no right to defile. Originally, the Chinese tattoo was viewed as the mark of a criminal, because anyone who was judged as guilty in a crime had a tattoo put on his face for everyone to see. Even today, any person in china with a tattoo may be seen as someone from the criminal underground, although, in the rest of the world, tattoos have become a part of popular culture now. The appeal of Chinese symbols in tattoos is easy to understand. They are exotic, mysterious and aesthetically pleasing, and have connotations of wisdom. Also, these symbols are considered trendy, associated with martial arts, samurai movies, etc., which explains their popularity. Tattoo designs using Chinese symbols add intellectualism to sentiments, and are a clever way to express a message. They make great conversation pieces, and allow you to portray yourself in an interesting and unusual way.
Signs of the zodiac as tattoos: Some of the most simple, yet beautiful designs are the Chinese zodiac tattoo symbols. Each one represents a symbolic animal for the lunar period. The lunar calendar is cyclic rather than linear. Chinese astrology and the lunar calendar are organized around 12 animal signs: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the boar. The animal signs are repeated every twelve years and follow a certain order. An ancient Chinese legend says that the animal signs were created by the Yellow Emperor, around 2637 B.C. Although, a more likely explanation is that the folk method for naming the years in traditional China used the rotating cycle of twelve animal signs. These animals, or the calligraphic symbols for them, are common and popular choices for tattoos. Many tattoo artists make aesthetic and noticeable tattoo designs based on the symbols for these zodiac signs. These tattoos are rich in symbolic connotations.
Words as tattoos: The most common Chinese symbols in tattoos are words representing ideas like love or strength. For example, many people would have the phrase “for strength” tattooed on themselves. Transliteration of one’s name is also quite common as a tattoo. Since they are usually intended for a Western audience, the meaning is not critical and aesthetics are the first consideration. Aficionados of this form of self-expression usually try to find a saying that sounds well in the characters, or pick up an existing saying from the language. At the least, they try to ensure that the writing means what they think it does. To accomplish that, they consult native speakers for a translation of the characters, to make sure of the message. Many online resources offer free samples of these symbols for tattoos as well as a translation. Also, there are numerous “fonts” in these characters, so people can choose one that suits the meaning of the tattoo they intend having.
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