I just saw a Caucasian woman with a Chinese tattoo that says, 'love birds' in Chinese. But that's what she thinks. When read in the Chinese context, it means either you love birds or and you are a bird lover! On the naughty side, it can also mean you love the male organ, you know, the reproductive one. If you don't believe me, trying showing it to anyone in China or Taiwan. So it is really crucial for Westerners who want to tattoo Chinese characters on their body to really know what it means and symbolize. The Chinese calligraphy may look impressive, especially when combined with a Chinese dragon tattoo, but get it wrong and you may be looking like a clown with a puzzle tattoo instead. And by the way, Chinese tattoos are not Japanese tattoos. Some characters may be the same, but most of them have different meanings in the different cultural context. For those thinking of inking the Chinese characters tattoos, I would suggest consulting a Chinese speaking tattoo artist before the procedure. Unless you want to look like a victim of a practical joke, it's better to get it right the first time because tattoos are permanent and removal can be painful. Chinese tattoos with just the characters or writing alone can look quite boring unless the calligraphy is done tastefully, which is rare unless the tattoo artist is trained to write and have practiced Chinese calligraphy for a period of time. I would suggest combining it with Chinese symbols to give a better impact. The Chinese phoenix tattoo is a very powerful symbol for women and the Chinese dragon is a good one for men. Both are mystical creatures from Heaven and symbolize power and luck. If you are more ambitious, you can put all the twelve Zodiac tattoo signs on your back. But you better be tall for this project.
