About Chinese Symbol Tattoo -Things That Everybody Ought to Know
Getting a Chinese symbol tattoo has been quite popular among people these days. Many of us are in a keen lookout for unique Chinese characters or meaningful quotes as a cool tattoo to wear. Somehow, there exist some missing points for us to check before we actually get our ink at the tattoo shop, which may very well lead to a disappointing result.
One of the biggest mistakes we tend to make, though, is to ignore the script of the Chinese characters we ink, which is one single powerful factor to decide whether a Chinese tattoo is “cool” or not. In fact, scripts are like colors. Just like different colors can trigger different emotions in us, in Chinese scripts are quite crucial to the “feeling” of the characters. Therefore, failure to match your tattoo word with the right script would inevitably lead to a tattoo that’s far from “smart”.
Script, or font, refers to the style in which a Chinese character is written. During the long history of Chinese characters, there appeared dozens of scripts, some of which can be traced back to more than 1,000 years ago. Yet, when it comes to tattooing, there are basically four types of scripts worth mentioning, which are regular script, cursive script, semi-cursive script and clerical script.
1.regular script, or Kai Shu
Regular script is the most common script in Chinese writing, also the most used script for tattoos.Its popularity is mainly due to the formality and neatness it appears. Actually, the Chinese word for regular script literally means “script for modelling”, in that regular script is most suitable for kids to imitate while they first start learning writing.
As far as tattooing is concerned, regular script would be most suitable for single character such as “strength”, “brave”, “endurance”, etc. In this way it looks neat and concise. When you try this script on multiple characters, however, they look kind of dull and “bookish”. If you really want to ink more than one character, the following scripts would be more appropriate.
2.cursive script, or Cao Shu
Among all existing scripts, cursive script is the most difficult to recognize, yet with the highest level of artistic achievement among calligraphers. For most Chinese people, they appear to be “carelessly” written yet somehow “look good”. In fact, cursive script would be properly appreciated only by those with a decent knowledge of calligraphy. Yet, this script would be quite cool to ink as long as you love the flowing style of it.
It’s recommended that you try this script on abstruse and profound sayings, which go well with cursive script. Truth to be told, you can find this type of script on David Beckham’s body, on which he inked an ancient Chinese saying about fate in this flowing script.
3.semi-cursive script, or Xing Kai
Semi-cursive script is a type of writing that’s between regular script and cursive script. It’s a mix of both, with a flowing style and a sense of formality at the same time. In fact, this type of script is mostly used by Chinese people in handwriting, since it’s quite easy to write and recognize.
For tattoos, semi-cursive script would be a fairly nice choice. You can try this on single characters, which look vivid and smart. You can also try this on sayings, which would definitely appear to be pleasing to both the eye and the mind.
4.clerical script, or Li Shu
Of all scripts shared here, clerical script has the longest history, dating back to more than 2,000 years ago, when the Qin dynasty was built and China was first united into one sovereignty. What’s strange and great, though, is that clerical script is totally recognizable after so many time, and yet look classic and “comfortable”.
Without a doubt, clerical script is quite fit for tattoos. It goes best with phrases, including words that are in two, three and four characters. And words that are thought-provoking and meaningful would be most suitable to wear a clerical script.
Next time you plan to ink certain Chinese tattoo, bear in mind that script truly matters. Before you are able to make a wise decision as to what script is most suitable to go with your tattoo word, it is advised that you first have a basic understanding of the “color” of different scripts and how they may be applied to beautify your tattoo word.