The hieroglyph is a sign of writing, used even in ancient times, when there were no alphabets and letters, each symbol meant an object or phenomenon. Literally, its name translates as “sacredly carved”, carved in stone. The first mention of hieroglyphs dates back to ancient Egypt, in those days and to this day they convey not only individual signs and syllables, but whole words and meanings, or, as they are called, ideograms. To date, hieroglyphs are used only in Chinese, in Japanese and Korean dialects and scripts they use varieties of kanji, kokuji and hancha.
Chinese characters: a history of occurrence
People have used Chinese writing since ancient times. The first surviving mention of it dates back to 1400 BC, which falls on the rule of the Yin Dynasty. Writing hieroglyphs has become a kind of calligraphy art in China, passed down from generation to generation from the very beginning of their appearance. This business requires great concentration and skills, knowledge of all the rules and fundamentals. For example, all parts of the character must be written from left to right and from top to bottom, first vertical lines, and only then horizontal.
The meanings of Chinese characters
Each sign usually means a word, so there are a huge number of them, which grows every day. Today it has reached eighty thousand characters. Even the indigenous people of China, who have been speaking and studying the language since birth, cannot cover and study it in their entirety for their whole life, therefore they always indicate Chinese characters with translation for a better understanding. Most often, their images resemble the things that they denote, this is due to the fact that hieroglyphs are a type of pictogram that displays an object due to its main features and shape.
Chinese alphabet
There is such a thing as the Chinese alphabet. Hieroglyphs with translation indicate thanks to him, since his creation is aimed at learning and understanding the language, as well as for simplified communication on it, because it is quite difficult to learn the language in detail. The alphabet was latinized not only for foreign citizens, but also for residents of China who want to communicate outside the country. Thanks to the alphabet, a system such as pinyin appeared, which allows you to record the sounds of the Chinese language in Latin letters. Unlike the alphabet, pinyin is officially recognized and studied by all foreign students.
Key Chinese characters with Russian translation
Consider some, familiar to most words in Chinese with Russian translation, which are key, that is, the basis for other characters. The hieroglyph denoting the sun is 日. One of the oldest and most common characters, also exists in Japanese and Korean. Previously, it was drawn round, rather than rectangular, but due to the chaotic appearance it was given a clear shape, like other rounded signs. The hieroglyph of the sun is a component in others, meaning "dawn" - 旦, "ancient" or "old" - 旧. One of the keys - 人, which means "man", is part of such words as 仔 - child, 亾 - death, 仂 - remainder. The meaning of this symbol is also the same for Japanese and Korean. The hieroglyph 厂 means "cliff" and is 厄 - disaster, 厈 - cliff. The symbol 土 is the earth or soil, used in the words: 圥 - mushroom, 圹 - grave, 圧 - crush. These are the four main characters that form a large number of words in Chinese.
Chinese character "Qi"
Hieroglyphs have long become a part of something more than simple writing. They are given special significance not only as words, but also as symbols that affect life itself and space. For this reason, they began to be used in interior decoration, things and applied to the body. There are well-known Chinese characters with translation, which are very popular. One of these is 氣, meaning "Qi" - vital energy. This symbol is firmly included in
Chinese philosophy, the foundation of everything and even the universe. Three basic meanings of this sign are divided: the substance of the Universe,
vital energy, harmony of body and spirit. In another way, they can be called three forces: heaven, earth and man. The hieroglyph is used in feng shui - the symbolism of the organization of space, as well as in medicine.
Popular Chinese characters
The values of the most popular will be useful to know for those who want to get a tattoo. Chinese characters with translation are in demand, especially if their meaning is important to humans. Probably the most popular hieroglyph can definitely be considered "Fu" - 福. It refers to three important aspects of our life: happiness, wealth, prosperity. In honor of the New Year, every family in China hangs this sign on the front door, and in combination with the hieroglyph "family" it means "family happiness." The symbol can be depicted twice, which will mean "double happiness", and used in marriage and love relationships. The 富 sign also has the sound "Fu", it is used to add wealth. The symbol "hyan" - 钱 has a similar meaning. The hieroglyph "yankang" means health and is depicted as 健康. Prosperity, good luck and success will be given by the symbols “fanrong” and “changgong”, and longevity “changshow”. Other symbols: “ah” - love, “blue” - soul, “qing” - feelings, “chjun” - fidelity, “ren” - endurance.
Hieroglyphs for tattoo
Chinese characters with translation are often used to make a tattoo. People believe that signs stuffed on a person’s body have great power and influence. Usually, the most common hieroglyphs are used for this, for example, “xi”, which means happiness. “Ji” means luck, the hieroglyph “mei” means attractiveness, “heh” means harmonious, “de” means virtue. Some got ideas for tattoos in oriental films, so you can often meet someone who wants to stab himself with a dragon “moons” or a warrior “Changsha”.
The names of relatives are also common, for example, mother - "mucin" or father - "fucin". Chinese characters with translation are suitable for those who have not yet decided on the choice. If you do not want to think about the meaning, just translate your own names or lovers into Chinese. For this, there are special tables in which hieroglyphs are indicated corresponding to the desired name, usually the most common.
But before going to the tattoo parlor, you should not forget about one important detail. It happens that the same character is found in Japanese, Korean and Chinese, but has completely different meanings. A deliberate act will check the meaning of the sign in all languages, so as not to get into an uncomfortable position.
Phrases in Chinese
There are people who do not want to be limited to one word or one character, for this there are whole phrases that use Chinese characters. Photos with the translation of such phrases can be easily found on the Internet, but there are common and well-known. For example, the famous Buddhist covenant: "Do not speak evil, do not listen to evil, do not see evil." There are other phrases pleasing to the ear: an autumn flower, new powers, the superiority of heart and soul, fortitude and many others. All of them are represented by several symbols, such tattoos will fall well on large areas of the body. You can also use whole sentences or sayings: "Respect the past, create the future." The expression "Focus your heart and develop your spirit" is known. All these expressions have already been translated, but if you want to use a phrase of your own composition, it is best to turn to professional translators from Chinese and not trust the translation of the Internet.