A hieroglyph is a sign of writing, used in ancient times, when there were no alphabets and letters, each symbol meant an object or phenomenon. Literally, its name translates as "sacred carved", carved on 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 writing, varieties of kanji, kokuji and hancha are used.
Chinese characters: the history of occurrence
Chinese writing has been used by people since ancient times. The first surviving mention of it dates back to 1400 BC, which falls on the reign of the Yin Dynasty. Writing hieroglyphs has become a kind of art of calligraphy 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, allparts of the hieroglyph must be written from left to right and from top to bottom, first vertical lines, and only then horizontal ones.
Chinese character meanings
Each sign usually means a word, so there are a huge number of them, which is growing 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 completely and completely in their entire lives, so they always indicate Chinese characters with translation for better understanding. Most often, their images resemble the things they represent, this is due to the fact that hieroglyphs are a kind of pictograms that display an object due to its main features and shape.
Chinese alphabet
There is also 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 in it, because it is quite difficult to study the language in detail. The alphabet was romanized not only for foreign citizens, but also for Chinese residents 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 international students.
Key Chinese characters with Russian translation
Consider some familiarmost of the words in Chinese with Russian translation, which are key, that is, the basis for other hieroglyphs. The hieroglyph for the sun is 日. One of the most ancient and widespread signs, it also exists in Japanese and Korean. It used to be drawn round rather than rectangular, but due to its chaotic appearance, it was given a clear shape, like other rounded signs. The hieroglyph for the sun is a component in others, denoting "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 - remnant. The meaning of this character 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 been part of something more than simple writing. They are given special meaning not just as words, but also as symbols that affect life and space itself. 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 especially popular. One of these is 氣, meaning "Qi" - life energy. This symbol is firmly included in Chinese philosophy, the basis of all things and even the universe. Subdivided into three mainthe meanings of this sign: 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 also used in feng shui - the symbolism of the organization of space, as well as in medicine.
Popular Chinese characters
The most popular values will be useful for those who want to get a tattoo. Chinese characters with translation are in demand, especially if their meaning is important to a person. Probably the most popular hieroglyph can be safely considered "Fu" - 福. It denotes three important aspects of our life: happiness, we alth, well-being. To celebrate the New Year, every family in China hangs this sign on their front door, and when combined with the character for "family", it means "family happiness." The symbol can be shown twice, which will mean "double happiness", and used in marriage and love relationships. The sign 富 also has the sound "Fu", it is used to add we alth. The character "gian" - 钱 - has a similar meaning. The character "yankang" means he alth and is depicted as 健康. Prosperity, luck and success will be given by the symbols "fanrong" and "chenggong", and longevity by "changshou". Other symbols: "ai" - love, "xin" - soul, "qing" - feelings, "zhong" - fidelity, "ren" - endurance.
Hieroglyphs for tattoos
Chinese characters with translation are often used to make a tattoo. People believe that the signs stuffed on the human bodyhave great power and influence. Usually, the most common characters are used for this, for example, “xi”, which means happiness. "Ji" means good luck, the hieroglyph "mei" - attractiveness, "he" - harmonious, "te" - virtue. Some people got ideas for tattoos in oriental films, so you can often meet someone who wants to prick himself with a “moon” dragon or a “changsha” warrior.
The names of relatives are also common, for example, mother - "muqin" or father - "fuqin". Chinese characters with translation are suitable for those who have not yet decided on the choice. If they don’t want to think too much about the meaning, they simply translate their own names or lovers into Chinese. For this, there are special tables that indicate the hieroglyphs corresponding to the desired name, usually the most common one.
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. It would be a deliberate act to check the meaning of the sign in all languages, so as not to get into an uncomfortable position.
Chinese Phrases
There are people who do not want to limit themselves to one word or one character, for this there are whole phrases where Chinese characters are used. Photos with translations of such phrases can be easily found on the Internet, but there are common and well-known ones. For example, the famous Buddhist precept: "Do not speak evil, do not listen to evil, do not see evil." There are other phrases pleasant to the ear: autumn flower,new strengths, the superiority of the heart and soul, the strength of the spirit, and many others. All of them are depicted with several symbols, such tattoos will fit well on large areas of the body. You can also use whole sentences or sayings: "Respect the past, create the future." There is a well-known expression "Concentrate your heart and develop your spirit." All these expressions have already been translated, but if you want to use a phrase of your own composition, then it is best to contact professional Chinese translators and not trust the Internet translation.
