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Thread: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

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    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
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    Default Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    Quite some time ago I related the story of a Chinese friend of mine telling me that many people getting Chinese character tattoos are REALLY wearing derogatory and offensive words. Some dismissed this as an "urban legend" or waved it off because of my ( ADMITTED ) dislike of about 98 to 99 % of tattoos.

    Now there is confirmation. In Sunday's New York Post focusing just on some "ink errors" worn by some celebs.

    Rihanna's Sanskrit tat on her right hip is meant to read : " forgiveness, honesty, supression ( ? ) and control." It is misspelled and jumbled and the "artist" ( ? ) "Bang Bang" admits it.

    Justin Timberlake's left ankle tat is supposed to say "song". Sloppy inking has it saying: "bent" , "crooked" or "wrong". On the other hand, considering some of his recent behavior, maybe that's what it should say.

    Brittney Spears ( Of Course ! ) has a tat on her stomach that's supposed to mean "mysterious". It actually means "strange". Since she's returned to relative normalcy, she might want to visit the laser clinic or have it redone.

    Chinese calligraphy is VERY tricky. Like Japanese, proper writing of the characters is considered an art and a skill. It takes years of practice just to become competent in Oriental penmanship. Tiny, slight variations or errors can completely change the meaning completely. Especially when they're done by a Western hand totally ignorant of the language.

    Those are just the unintentional translation errors.

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    Veteran Member *~Angel~*'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    I dont know, but is kanji the same thing as that, or am I totally confused.

    ^^
    But I do think they look pretty good
    ME: Your done already?!? Frickin b*****!

    http://www.myspace.com/youclippedmyangelwings

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    God/dess verfolgung's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    ^ Yes Kanji are the Chinese characters used in modern Japanese, but they do not always mean the same thing in each language. Thus, even if your tattoo artist got the symbol correct, it may not translate into what you mean if read as a Japanese character vs. a Chinese one. Also, a single Kanji can have multiple meanings.


    I know many of us have had laughs at samples of Engrish we find in Japan. Use of asian symbols has basically the same effect.
    If you can't win. Make the fellow in front of you break the record.


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    Banned Eric Stoner's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    The Japanese written language was borrowed or learned from the Chinese. China was a source of much of Japanese culture for thousands of years. However, as Verfolgung points out, the characters mean different things in each language.

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    God/dess JayATee's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    It's the same with many foreign languages. Ppl pick things that they don't do enough research on and don't have an artist that's actually any good and they wind up with horribly butchered sayings/phrases on their body.

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    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    I find this hilarious

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    Featured Member Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    I remember Nicole Ritchie admitted to getting a tattoo that was supposed to mean "Flowering Love" but she later found out it meant "Sleeping toad"

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    Featured Member vivianbear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    Quote Originally Posted by verfolgung View Post

    I know many of us have had laughs at samples of Engrish we find in Japan. Use of Asian symbols has basically the same effect.
    Oh totally! I have a couple of great "Engrish" shirts I found in a boutique outside of Tokyo. One with a small child that says "We want bigger, BETTER wars!" ?! What is that even supposed to mean?! I saw Japanese tourists in Guam wearing even better ones that were more ridiculous.

    This just goes to show that cultural appropriation is pretty stupid anyway. If you don't have any relevant attachment to a language or culture besides just finding it "exotic", why permanently brand yourself with symbols you don't even fully understand?
    "SS=stripper shit, in the same spectrum as CS=customer shit, which is within the spectrum of SaS=sales shit, which is all contained in the universe of BS=bullshit." -- Jay Zeno (mod)

    "Show me a hot chick and I'll show you someone who's tired of fucking her."






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    Senior Member inThePine's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    I never thought I'd be a victim of this, but it was more my artist's incompetency. I have a Hebrew word on the back of my arm "Timshel" (in Hebrew of course). it means "thou mayest"
    the characters and all are right, but he made the second one (it looks kinda like a W) a little lopsided. I wanted to alter it a little anyway, so i'll see if my next artist can fix it up.

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    God/dess Gia2608's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    Thou mayest what?

    Pretty sexy
    XoXo Gia
    Danielle Fishell (the Dish): "If the Super-Star thing doesn't work out, Gia makes a great stripper name"

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    Featured Member redhothoney's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    It is kind of funny... I have to agree, but I do feel sorry for the people that have gotten the chinese tatts. I do find them sexy.
    REDHOTHONEY

    Quote Originally Posted by MichelleJade View Post
    In my opinion, there are no normal strippers though... it's like a bag of jelly beans, they're all made of sugar but come in all different colors and flavors. (I think I'd be the root beer kind... mmmmm.)

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    Senior Member inThePine's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    Quote Originally Posted by Gia2608 View Post
    Thou mayest what?

    Pretty sexy

    exactly. and thank you.
    thou mayest whatever you choose, or thou mayest not. I got it from the book East of Eden by John Steinbeck - it's originally from a version of the story of Cain and Abel, and god says thou mayest rule over sin.

    and steinbeck's spin was - "that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man."

    I would bring him back from the dead in a heartbeat so I could marry him...

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    Senior Member inThePine's Avatar
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    Default Re: Chinese Tats - I told you so !

    Attachment 21862

    here's a pic, sorry it's upside down, it's the only way i could get a pic of the back of my arm! I think it's too bubbly, and i'm going to color them in solid black and add some illustration around it. one day when i have extra money again... and a new artist i like..

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