"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

"Fascism-Party Member"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A10925/high/4b3e088.jpg

I was a bit surprised by this person's Japanese tattoos. There is nothing wrong with characters themselves, but the context.

It is obvious that he is Caucasian and the middle tattoo states that he is a believer of "racial/ethnical superiority", then why did he get a tattoo in an Asian language?

反対者 = foe, opponent, adversary, dissenter

民族主義者 = Nationalist (or person believes in racial/ethnical superiority)

フアシスト党員 = Fascism-party member

"Entering Dragon's Luck"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A30404/high/tatoo11.jpg

The top character appears to be a miswritten 進, which is missing a horizontal stroke in the right side partial. When written correctly, the charact would mean "advance, make progress, enter".

The middle character was suppose to be 龙, which is a simplified version of 龍, and it means "dragon". Too bad it is also incorrectly written, it is missing a dot on the right upper corner.

The bottom character 祥 is correct and it means "good luck, good omen; happiness".