Gold Cannot Buy Time

[TSA TV]

So..I'm going to have a chinese tatoo on my arm soon and the quote will be "Gold cannot buy time" but I'm very afraid to stick on google translation and some other pages only and just go. If someone can help please I would be very happy about it. 

[somethingfunny]

Is this a saying that you know exists in Chinese?  I've not even heard of this in English.  Is "money can't buy time" a saying?

 

What exactly is the motivation for having this tattoo in Chinese?

 

This is the closest thing I could find, but I have no idea if its the same sentiment as what you want, nor have I ever heard a Chinese person say it.

[Lu]

Consider just getting that tattoo in your native language. You'll know for sure whether it looks alright and you'll be able to actually read it.

 

If you insist on a Chinese tattoo, 寸金难买寸光阴 would also be my first choice. 'An ounce (?) of gold can't buy an ounce of time' (not sure if it's really an ounce or some other measure of weight). Make sure you find a tattooist who knows what he/she is doing (preferably one who knows Chinese), finds a nice font and can actually reproduce that font. There are already way too many extremely ugly Chinese tattoos.

[somethingfunny]

The phrase seems a bit long for a tattoo.  Not that I know anything about tattoos though.

 

If I ever did get one, I can't imagine it being anything longer than four characters. 

[Lu]

Some people like to get really big, long tattoos. Personally, I don't like those, as Chinese character tattoos go. I'd also not want to have something longer than four characters (actually I don't see myself ever getting a Chinese character tattoo in the first place).

[somethingfunny]

I'm not really a tattoo person.  I wonder how many of the regular members here have character tattoos.  Or if they've seen any genuinely good ones.

[roddy]

Few year back we had a discussion about what we would get, if we had to. Bump away. 

[Geiko]

I've always thought that the tattoo David Beckham has in his flank was one of the best examples of a well done Chinese tattoo, and it's rather long. 

 

[skylee]

寸金難買寸光陰

[edelweis]

@geiko: exactly how much time have you spent "studying Chinese" by oggling shirtless sportsmen? ;)

[Geiko]

Probably a lot, but that was for research purposes only... 

[guest1234]

 

 

 

[edelweis]

Where did you get it done?

[imron]

On his back

[edelweis]

  I was rather expecting "in Manchester" or "three sheets under the wind" based on previous conversation and the butterfly comment.

[guest1234]

removed

[edelweis]

@bagua: thanks for the details. Do you remember how long it took to tattoo the whole thing?

(not that I intend to get a full back tattoo, it's merely curiousity.)

[guest1234]

It was about 50 hrs in total, as it goes a little lower than can be seen. I know a good calligrapher who did the Chinese and would always advise getting them done first by someone who knows . 

[edelweis]

Wow, 50 hours

well, the results are worth it if you're into that kind of thing.

Does it look the same 15 years later as it did then?

[guest1234]

Yes just the same, although I am a bit of a mess. the photo was taken about 8 years after it was done.