15 Beautiful & Meaningful Chinese Idioms for Tattoos

Chinese calligraphy tattoos have been popular in the West for decades. However, instead of tattooing single words like 'love' or 'strength', tattooing a Chengyu (four-character idiom) offers a much deeper, poetic, and classic way to express your philosophy of life. Here are some of the most beautiful and inspiring Chinese idioms perfect for tattoos.

上善若水

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顺其自然

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自强不息

zì qiáng bù xī

English Meaning: Constantly striving to improve oneself; relentless self-reliance.

Chinese Definition: 自强自己努力向上；息停止。自觉地努力向上，永不松懈。

Derivation: 《周易·乾》天行健，君子以自强不息。”

Example Sentence: Despite many setbacks, she embodied self-reliance and kept improving.

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大智若愚

dà zhì ruò yú

Chinese Definition: 某些才智出众的人，看来好象愚笨，不露锋芒。

Derivation: 宋·苏轼《贺欧阳少师致仕启》大勇若怯，大智如愚。”

Example Sentence: 执雌守黑，不敢自遂，～，于是乎在。★章炳麟《箴新党论》

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