posted by murrayjames on May 3, 2012 | 6 comments
Are 刺青 and 纹身 interchangeable? What's the difference between the two?
As far as I know they mean the same thing, but no-one uses 刺青 anymore. Or... I don't think I've ever heard it, so if it is a regional thing 刺青 must be a southern word. Anyone down there who can confirm?
i live in taiwan and, in my experience, people use 刺青 more often than 紋身
It's an old saying for mainland people. Now everyone says 纹身.--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
zhujunqiang.2007 on May 30, 2012 | reply
一样啦，没差。
masterchinese on June 4, 2012 | reply
刺青 is the precursor of 纹身. At that time, there was no tattoo machine. People in the jail dipped a needle into the ink, and then stick into the body.