Saturday, January 20, 2007

Sad & Happy

The character 樂 has multiple meanings depending on the context. Commonly it means "happy/joy". When combined with other characters, it would then mean "music".


http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A70113/high/bmepb429211.jpg

I don't know this young man's original intention when he picked what appears to be 喪 (sad/mourning) and 樂.

I could only assume he wanted "sad & happy", however this appears to be "dirge", or "funeral music".
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8 comments:

  1. AlexJanuary 20, 2007 at 6:07 PM

    “丧”in 文言文 has a rare usage where it serves as a transitive verb: "loss of delight."

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2007 at 9:11 PM

    Well, maybe he wanted "dirge"? It's plenty goth. ;P

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  3. KeithJanuary 22, 2007 at 8:43 AM

    Looks like it could be chang, 'long'

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  4. EyedunnoJanuary 24, 2007 at 3:51 AM

    In Japanese, there is the four-character compound 喜怒哀楽, which refers to emotions in general (happiness, anger, sadness, pleasure). I would assume it comes from Chinese as most such compounds do, but anyway, that tattoo is missing the first part, the first kanji is messed up, and it's a lame idea for a tattoo anyway.

    Incidentally, 哀歌 works better in Japanese for lament, though some compounds do use 楽 for music (洋楽、邦楽、弦楽、吹奏楽、etc.).

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2007 at 4:42 PM

    Yea..哀樂 from 喜怒哀樂 seems to make a bit more sense. Perhaps he mistook 喪 for 哀? They do look similar.

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  6. maosFebruary 3, 2007 at 2:17 AM

    last summer i saw this girl with 死鳥 written on her back. :/ i wonder what she thought it meant.

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  7. Baka_toroiFebruary 5, 2007 at 3:38 PM

    Perhaps she tryed to get 不死鳥 (Phoenix Bird) and couldn't afford to pay for the 1st kanji...

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  8. ulasFebruary 5, 2007 at 4:07 PM

    死鳥 "Dead bird" or "Bird of Death" that could have been done on purpose.

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