非 – Fei – Very
As far as I know, Fei by itself doesn’t mean anything, but as Feichang (非常) it means “very” or “particularly.” It’s so pretty, with two wings side by side.
Unusual Chinese Characters
That’s right, there is a single-syllable word in Chinese that means “to sell e.g. one’s own child during e.g. a famine,” and in a delicious little irony, it’s derived from 粥 “gruel” which makes it cognate to 育, “bear/raise children.”
If you thought you knew everything there is to express in the Chinese language, Bokane’s latest post will probably enlighten you. It’s a delicious trek through linguistics and the derivation of characters as seen through a modern non-native viewpoint. Warning: salient language ahead.
Justin Timberlake’s Chinese Tattoo
Justin Timberlake has the four elements tattooed on his torso in Chinese characters:
The tattoos should read 风土水火 (feng, tu, shui, huo) or Wind, Earth, Water, Fire. As far as I can tell, they’re done correctly! Hurray for the four elements.
Chops: Chinese Wax Seals
If you’re interested in Chinese name stamps, normally called chops, you should check out this flickr group devoted to them. They’ve got hundreds of photos of the stone stamps, some of which are quite stunning:
Asian Tattoos — Seen in Mexico
The first is either a 失 or the 知 of 知道 without the 口. It was spotted in Cancun, Mexico, on the back of a French tourist:
The second is harder to identify. It is something, maybe a 恭, followed by a 喜:
I am going to send these over to Tian at Hanzi Smatter for his expert opinion, and let you know what he says.
