New Members Blackbirdie Posted August 4, 2019 at 07:59 AM New Members Report Share Posted August 4, 2019 at 07:59 AM Can somebody please help me translate this old sailors tattoo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerrPetersen Posted August 4, 2019 at 07:02 PM Report Share Posted August 4, 2019 at 07:02 PM 恒〔恆〕 héng NOUNperseverance 有恒 yǒuhéng persevere ADJECTIVE 1 permanent; lasting 永恒 yǒnghéng eternal; perpetual 2 usual; common; constant See 恒言 欠 qiàn VERB 1 yawn 哈欠 hāqiàn yawn 2 raise slightly (a part of the body) 欠脚儿 qiàn jiǎor slightly raise one’s heels VERB 1 owe; be behind with 欠租 qiànzū be behind with the rent 我欠他十块钱。 Wǒ qiàn tā shí kuài qián. I owe him ten yuan. 我还欠图书馆一本书。 Wǒ hái qiàn túshūguǎn yī běn shū. I still owe the library a book. 2 be not enough; lack; be insufficient 说话欠考虑 Shuōhuà qiàn kǎolǜ be too free with one’s tongue 文字欠通。 Wénzì qiàn tōng. The writing is not altogether grammatical. or The wording is somewhat awkward. 欠三天就是一个月了。 Qiàn sān tiān jiù shì yī ge yuè le. It’s three days short of a month. 你这样做有点儿欠聪明。 Nǐ zhèyàng zuò yǒudiǎnrqiàn cōngming. You weren’t shrewd enough in your handling of the matter. or It wasn’t very wise of you to have done that. 3 DIALECTbe fidgety and bungling 嘴欠 zuǐ qiàn have a loose tongue 他手欠着呢。 Tā shǒu qiàn zhe ne. He always likes to fiddle with things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted August 4, 2019 at 07:34 PM Report Share Posted August 4, 2019 at 07:34 PM The tattoo says 恒久 'permanent, everlasting, eternal, perpetual'. I have reason to believe it's a Japanese tattoo, since the word appears more frequently in Japanese than in Modern Chinese. For example, in 日本国憲法 or The Constitution of Japan, we have 日本国民は、恒久の平和を念願し、…… We, the Japanese people, desire peace for all time . . . 日本国民期望持久的和平，…… 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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