The Han Dynasty in 100 A.D. is the first origin of Chinese characters. The Chinese dictionary completed at that time included around 9,353 characters. The next version of the Chinese dictionary came out of Qing Dynasty and was called the "Kangxi" dictionary. The 42 booklets contained over 46,964 characters, which most are not even used today. There are variants on the characters, revised and refined in the current simplified edition of the Chinese language. This edition was put out by the People's Republic of China in 1956. This book narrowed the characters down to about 6,500. This is considered a simplified form and is the most common form used now, though some remain committed to using the old traditional ways.



Chinese characters have been defined as complicated yet beautiful in their meaning. They are complex in relation to other writing languages. Romanization is used in terms of relation or simple visual information, however the meaning of the character remains mysterious as the art styles behind it. Some Chinese characters mimic similar tones of other characters, yet have different meanings. Some characters written with just an added dot or stroke, turn into something totally different.

What kind of brush strokes would best represent the meaning of the words I had chose? I could go with a more classic, traditional style used in ancient times or even something called the "grass" style, looking more whimsical to me. I had not realized the depth of expression involved not only in searching a tattoo, but the actual essence, personality, and layers upon layers of meaning associated with this beautiful art.

As you learn Chinese calligraphy, you will notice that traditionally certain materials are used in a particular way to produce the eloquent results. The Chinese use special brushes made of rabbit hair or sheep. One brush is for sharpness in line drawing, and the other for rhythm and depth all equaling to the subject's inner self. Also used in Chinese calligraphy, is a thick ground ink combined with water and applied to Chinese paper (also called rice paper) or silk. This form shows depth, contrast, density and texture and creates a rhythmic balance. When the Chinese apply color to this art form, it is to show the subject's characteristics or moods.

The more I searched on Chinese calligraphy, the more infatuated I became of the work, yet I was not getting closer to choosing a tattoo because, quite honestly, each word or quotation inspired a feeling in me. There were simply too many I identified with on a deeper, more spiritual level.

More than likely, you will choose a few complimentary to your own personality and self-expression. Rich information and cultural history is born from learning to write Chinese characters. The ability to dive into a whole new world is invigorating and creating the beautiful work is self actualization process all on it's own.

When you learn Chinese calligraphy, it is easy to become infatuated with the art form and easy to be immersed completely into cultural richness that has been alive for over a 1000 years.

There is a quiet appreciation for Chinese calligraphy (called "Shu Fa" in Chinese). We see it everywhere. It has been around for thousand's of years, and has danced it's way into the western world. Character techniques were refined throughout the history of China as their culture's social circumstances changed. Self expression thru disciplined understanding of form and technique has been handed down by the great masters of Chinese calligraphy, with each master leaving a unique, personal style. Within this heritage many artists have taken some influence from it for their own works. Picasso and Matisse are two artists who used some Chinese calligraphy in their art. It is considered an art form and with it's amass of many followers, it is now a sought after as a class in which one can learn the art of Chinese calligraphy.