Thursday, April 28, 2005

"Destiny"



    Reader "ZZ" emails:

    "Hi Tian! That it's my first tattoo and it is supposse to mean 'destiny' is it correct? Thanks"

    The translation for the tattoo is correct, but the second character 命 is missing a horizontal stroke.

    Typically in Chinese, "fate" or "destiny" is translated as 命運; and in Japanese, both 命運 and 運命 are accepted.

    運 = luck, fortune; ship, transport
    命 = life; destiny, fate, luck; an order, instruction