"Destiny"

Reader "ZZ" emails:"Hi Tian! That it's my first tattoo and it is supposse to mean 'destiny' is it correct? Thanks"The translation for the tattoo is correct, but the second character 命 is missing a horizontal stroke.Typically in Chinese, "fate" or "destiny" is translated as 命運; and in Japanese, both 命運 and 運命 are accepted.運 = luck, fortune; ship, transport命...

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"Fascism-Party Member"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A10925/high/4b3e088.jpgI was a bit surprised by this person's Japanese tattoos. There is nothing wrong with characters themselves, but the context.It is obvious that he is Caucasian and the middle tattoo states that he is a believer of "racial/ethnical superiority", then why did he get a tattoo in an Asian language?反対者...

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"Entering Dragon's Luck"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A30404/high/tatoo11.jpgThe top character appears to be a miswritten 進, which is missing a horizontal stroke in the right side partial. When written correctly, the charact would mean "advance, make progress, enter".The middle character was suppose to be 龙, which is a simplified version of 龍, and it means "dragon". Too...

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"Outside Residence"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A30419/high/pictures2153.jpgThe character 外 means "out, outside, external; foreign", and the character 宅 means "residence, dwelling, home".If the tattooed phrase was read from right-to-left, it would mean "the exterior of a house".But if it was read from left-to-right, then it would mean "outside house" or "out house":outhouse...

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Loving Mother's Hope, Infurating Father's Knowledge

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50418/high/bmegl051849.jpg愛 = love, be fond of, like母 = mother; female elders; female望 = to look at, look forward; to hope, expect愛母望 could be translated as "loving mother's hope", or "love mother's gaze".氣 = air, gas, steam, vapor; spirit父 = father智 = wisdom, knowledge, intelligence氣 can also be interpreted as "angry"...

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Something Extra on the Bed Sheets

Anonymous reader emailed me from Germany:"Hi, I found this bed-cloth ad in a brochure of a German wholesale market (www.selgros.de). Perhaps its interesting for your site, dont know, cant read kanji :)"The verticle stroke in this character, what appears as 生, is too long.生 = life, living, lifetime; birthThe circled character 女 has an extra dot to it.女...

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"Oil Crisis"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50420/high/bmegl053655.jpg油断大敵 is a Japanese phrase that means "unpreparedness is one's greatest enemy" or "he that is too secure is not safe".But in Chinese, the tattoo above would then read as "lack/sever of oil, big enemy/problem" or "oil crisis". Perhaps the owner of this tattoo drives a large SUV?油 = oil, fat, grease,...

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Mark of the Bovinae

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50414/high/bmegl050199.jpgHere is a question for all the ladies out there:Would anyone of you mark yourself with a tattoo saying you are a "cow", or perhaps a "heifer"?If your answer is "no", then why would you do it in another language that you probably don't fully understand?Granted, there are cultures that do regard...

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"Peaceful Prisoner"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50418/high/bmegl051075.jpghttp://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50418/high/bmegl051080.jpghttp://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50418/high/bmegl051071.jpgMy first impression of this tattoo was "it could be a screwed up 智 (wisdom)".The top half of 智 is suppose to be 知, not 和; and the bottom partial should be 日, not a 囚.Or the guy really...

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Hell on Wrist

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50414/high/bmegl048474.jpgBy marking "hell" on the left wrist, is this guy telling everyone that masturbating with his own left hand is like "hell"? Perhaps he is a "righty", and he has the tattoo of "heaven" on it.Also he did not even get "hell" correct. The left partial in 獄 is missing a stroke.地獄 = h...

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Kanji Carpet

Reader Gert emails from Belgium:"Hi! I got this carpet thingy from a friend but he didn't know what it meant & neither do I since I cant read Kanji :) Would you be so kind to tell me what I've got hanging on my wall? And if I put it up the right way.. :/ I'm very anxious to know what it means, thanks again!"In the original image Gert has send me,...

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Aggressor Alert

http://www.craigslist.org/sby/rnr/68093346.htmlReader Margaret emails me a link to a Craiglist posting. The anonymous individual wrote following:"Can someone please tell me what this means? So, I've been dating this guy and he just got this new tattoo. He claims that it says one thing but I believe it says something else. It's obvious that the "IV"...

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Third Time May Be A Charm

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A50106/high/bmegl005455.jpgI don't understand why this person decided to have all the strokes in each characters to be various width.Out of nine characters, two of them 義 are repeats, and both were still wrong. One would think the tattoo artist used the first one as a practice trial.Starting from the left upper corner...

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Exotic "Otherness" Theory

Alex Strasheim emails me and offered an explanation called "Exotic Otherness" of why Westerners are so fascinated with Chinese characters: I really love your blog -- it's a lot of fun, and I think that you're saying something about a fad that should be said. One of the big issues your site raises is "why"? Why would people want text from a language...

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"You Saved Me!"

Reader Taryn M. emails me this great letter:"Hey! I know you get tons of emails but I just wanted to say that I love your site. Reading it help me realize that I do NOT want or need to get a tattoo in Japanese, Chinese, or any language that I don't understand. I saw how ridiculous it can look when someone has nonsense on him or her either because they...

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Elektra: Forever the Dead Soldier is Wicked

Reader TK emailed me about Elektra DVD's cover starring Jennifer Garner.At first I thought the cover was a Chinese bootleg copy due to its poor translation, then I realized it was a legit copy on sale at Amazon.com.The English title says "She's all that stands between good and evil", but the characters are translated as "Forever the dead soldier is...

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"Healthy Empty Peaceful Fist"

Starting from the left upper corner and going clockwise direction:1. It suppose to be 康, but the 隶 partial is all blurred together.2. I have no idea what this character suppose to be.3. 空 with the 穴 partial missing a dot on the right side.4. 安 is correct and means "peaceful, tranquil, quiet".5. 拳 with missing dot on the left upper corner and 手...

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Secret Asian Man: Tattoo You!

Reader Marty has emailed me a comic strip from "Secret Asian Man" by Tak Toyshima. I wonder how long I have to wait till my own action figure hits the mark...

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VOA News: Americans Misuse Chinese Characters

Voice of America (VOA) recently has aired a report titled "Americans Misuse Chinese Characters" by Ted Landphair based on Hanzi Smatter.Here is some background information about VOA:"The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board...

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