纹身

紋身
wénshēn
noun

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 tattoo
  2. 2 to get a tattoo
  3. 3 tattooing

Examples

Tā gēbo shàng yǒu yí ge lóng de wénshēn.
He has a dragon tattoo on his arm.
Zài Zhōngguó yǒuxiē dānwèi bù yǔnxǔ yuángōng wénshēn.
In China, some employers do not allow their staff to have tattoos.

Tips

history
Written 纹身 (pattern + body) or (writing + body) — both are accepted, though is historically older. Tattooing in China was long stigmatized as a mark of criminals or bandits (see the Water Margin outlaws), but has become mainstream among urban youth since the 2000s.

Stroke Order

wén
shēn