Monday, March 26, 2012

Common Chinese Characters

Because of their abstract beauty, Chinese symbols, or characters, are widely used for decoration and tattoos. Posters, framed paintings, shirts, hats, and many more items can be bought that are adorned with Chinese writing (other languages like Japanese are also used). Below are some commonly used words with their translations provided. Click the pictures for larger versions.

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Vitality / Breath
Strength
Longevity
Love
Happiness / Prosperity
Qi ()
Li ()
Shou (寿)
Ai ()
Fu ()





Wood
Fire
Earth
Metal
Water
Mu ()
Huo ()
Tu ()
Jin ()
Shui ()





Wisdom
Courage
Kung Fu / Effort
Dragon
Chinese Lion
Zhihui (智慧)
Yongqi (勇气)
Gongfu (功夫)
Long ()
Shi ()