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Tattoo translation!


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Posted

This is really the sort of question you should be asking *before* getting something permanently inked on your skin.

  • Like 1
Posted

神信念在我是雍容.

I think it is intended to mean something like "belief in God is natural to me" or perhaps "I believe in the grace of God".

However I'm not sure that it is a grammatically correct chinese sentence I'm afraid (Google translation: "belief in the grace of God I"), although someone with more knowledge of the language than I have may be able to tell you more.

Individual word pronunciations and definitions from www.mdbg.net are below:

神 - shén - God / unusual / mysterious / soul / spirit / divine essence / lively / spiritual being

信念 - xìnniàn - faith / belief / conviction

在 - zài - (located) at / (to be) in / to exist / in the middle of doing sth / (indicating an action in progress)

我 - wǒ - I / me / my

是 - shì - is / are / am / yes / to be

雍容 - yōngróng - natural / graceful / and poised

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Posted

I guess the goal was:

"God's faith in me is Grace" Grace being her daughters name.

It's clever in English. Not sure why she went with Chinese.

But as she won't bump into too many native speakers, the Actual translation doesnt matter as much as her Perceived translation.

And it seems she kinda got close. Interesting. Thank you!

Posted

Well said imron. Yet again the question is being asked after its been done. Hope it is what the OP wanted:)

Brad Patterson 包德
Posted

Oh... I love this topic. I've seen so many westerners with tattoos and they barely even know what they mean, or once a guy had "onion" (圆葱) tattooed on his arm and swore that it meant something spiritual. I wish I had taken a picture. I can't even begin to imagine how he was misled.

Posted

In this case the OP was asking about someone else's tattoo..... do you really need the same knee-jerk reaction every time someone posts a tattoo translation request?

jjpeterson, don't tell her what it actually means. The last two characters (雍容) mean grace as in someone's posture or bearing, it does not have the religious meaning of grace I believe she wanted. It'll be our secret :lol:

Posted

How come someone would tatto himself with a "圆葱" is beyond me.......

"神信念在我是雍容" appears fine though.

Posted
"神信念在我是雍容" appears fine though.

How so? Care to explain?

  • Like 2
Posted

Regardless what it actually means in Chinese, one should never choose 宋体 as the font (especially if the content is purely text) when getting his/her tattoo done. Kind of like having an English tattoo in Times New Roman.

  • Like 2

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