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Why We Don't Do Tattoos |
| 1. Nonsense Chinese |
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What looks mystical and intelligent often has a nonsensical or embarrassing meaning.
Probably neither the wearer nor the tattoo artist understand what the characters actually mean.
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| 2. Wisdom on body modification |
Our bodies, to every hair and bit of skin, are received by us from our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound them. This is the beginning of filial piety.
Confucius, The Book of Filial Piety |
| 3. Language changes, tattoos don't |
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Even if you were to find a well-researched Chinese name or idiom and get it tattooed, the meaning may change a year later. You could be stuck with an unwanted association.
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Try These Instead |
We suggest thinking twice before putting permanent foreign symbols on your skin. Why not wear your Chinese name on a t-shirt instead? Just as beautiful, and it comes off.
• Personal Name Stamp
• Personalized Embroidered Apparel
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Because we love the Chinese language, we don't wish to contribute to the language's misuse for the sake of a fad. For people who don't know Chinese, flaring the characters across an arm may appear elegant, exotic, or intriguing. Yet what looks mystical and intelligent often has a nonsensical or embarrassing meaning. Probably neither the wearer nor the tattoo artist understand what the characters actually mean.
NBA player Marcus Camby is a popular example of the rave of tattooing Chinese characters. Neither Chinese nor Japanese people could understand his tattoos, however, until Camby gained millions of dollar's worth of publicity "explaining" what his tattoos are suppose to mean. Of course, the average Joe doesn't have this kind of opportunity.
"But I'm not Chinese or Japanese. It just looks cool to me."
An interesting article suggests for you to imagine the reverse situation: A tough Chinese man with schoolish handwriting scrawled across his large bicep that reads: SPILLED WATER DIFFICULT COLLECT. Is his clever skin modification intelligent? Sexy? Macho? It doesn't even make sense. Picture Camby with that tattoo. Perhaps this helps you see what it is like for a Chinese person to read (much less contribute to) transliterated nonsense.
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