Chinese symbols are one of the most popular tattoo designs. You should consider consulting a Chinese linguist or a Chinese artist before deciding on a particular Chinese symbol tattoo, though.
Why You Want One
Before you even consult an expert, know why you want a Chinese symbol tattoo. Of course, they obviously look cool but you need to be certain that it is what you want. You need to have the right reasons to be able to appreciate your tattoo.
- For most people with Chinese blood, they may want a Chinese symbol tattoo because it links them to that part of them that is Chinese. A Chinese inspired tattoo is a way of connecting to your roots.
- The masterful calligraphy of a real Chinese symbol tattoo is absolutely beautiful to look at. Tattoos of Chinese characters actually look elegant, exotic, artistic and clean.
- Of course, there are also some people also want to have Chinese symbol tattoos simply because of the link of Chinese symbols to mythology, mystery and even martial arts pop culture. In a deeper level, Chinese characters have also been associated with ancient wisdom and values.
Why You Need an Expert
It is usually a good idea to get paid expert service to come up with a customized Chinese symbol tattoo that is just for you. Here are some valid reasons why you need an expert:
- The system of writing is complicated and usually very intricate. Although Chinese people usually need to master only about 3,000-5,000 characters, there are more than 70,000-80,000 Chinese characters in existence. There is a therefore a high chance that you could get the wrong symbol on your skin. Furthermore, the English language has a lot of words that are the same but may have different meanings and connotations. Translating multiple meaning words in Chinese could get tricky because there are many possible characters that could have different definitions for a single English word.
- There are many different Chinese calligraphy styles. You can choose a Chinese symbol tattoo in cursive, classic, old style and many more. This does not mean though that a tattoo artist is free to put his own flair on a Chinese symbol tattoo. Chinese calligraphy may have many styles but it is an exact art. Putting artistic flair could ruin a Chinese symbol tattoo or its meaning could change.
- You need an expert to make sure that your symbol is applied correctly. Because you and your tattoo artist are not familiar with Chinese, you could unintentionally put a symbol backward or upside down. You might also miss some strokes. This could change the meaning of your symbol or make it completely meaningless.
- Aside from paying an expert, you could ask friends, artists and online dictionaries to translate characters for you. Sometimes though, translations could be wrong. This is especially true if you have a friend who is not so well versed in the nuances of either the English or Chinese languages. An expert would be careful of double meanings.
