文身

Chinese

Etymology 1

		to tattoo	body; torso; person body; torso; person; life; status; pregnancy; (a measure word used for clothes) suit
trad. (文身)		文	身
simp. ^#(文身)		文	身
alternative forms		紋身／纹身

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wénshēn

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): man⁴ san¹
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bûn-sin

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wénshēn
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄣˊ ㄕㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wúnshen
  - Wade–Giles: wên²-shên¹
  - Yale: wén-shēn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wenshen
  - Palladius: вэньшэнь (vɛnʹšɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wən³⁵ ʂən⁵⁵/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    文身
    紋身 / 纹身
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: man⁴ san¹
  - Yale: màhn sān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: man⁴ san¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: men⁴ sen¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɐn²¹ sɐn⁵⁵/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    文身
    紋身 / 纹身
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bûn-sin
  - Tâi-lô: bûn-sin
  - Phofsit Daibuun: bunsyn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bun²⁴⁻²² sin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bun²⁴⁻²² sin³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bun¹³⁻²² sin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bun²⁴⁻¹¹ sin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bun²³⁻³³ sin⁴⁴/

Verb

文⫽身 (verb-object)

to tattoo
- 東方曰夷，被髮文身，有不火食者矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  东方曰夷，被发文身，有不火食者矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Dōngfāng yuē yí, pīfà wénshēn, yǒu bù huǒshí zhě yǐ. [Pinyin]
  The tribes on the east were called Î. They had their hair unbound, and tattooed their bodies. Some of them ate their food without its being cooked.
- 共來百越文身地，猶自音書滯一鄉。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  共来百越文身地，犹自音书滞一乡。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: c. 815, Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元),《登柳州城樓寄漳汀封連四州》
  Gòng lái bǎiyuè wénshēn dì, yóu zì yīnshū zhì yī xiāng. [Pinyin]
  We are together banished to this barbaric southern land,
  As though I’m stuck in a place cut off from communication.
  Notes: Here this word is used to describe the uncivilizedness since most primitive tribes have the custom of tattooing human skin.

Usage notes

On the Chinese mainland, 文身 is preferred over 紋身／纹身 yet less commonly used.

Etymology 2

		language; culture; writing language; culture; writing; formal; literary; gentle	body; torso; person body; torso; person; life; status; pregnancy; (a measure word used for clothes) suit
trad. (文身)		文	身
simp. ^#(文身)		文	身

Pronunciation

Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bûn-sin

Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bûn-sin
  - Tâi-lô: bûn-sin
  - Phofsit Daibuun: bunsyn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bun²⁴⁻²² sin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bun²⁴⁻²² sin³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bun¹³⁻²² sin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bun²⁴⁻¹¹ sin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bun²³⁻³³ sin⁴⁴/

Adjective

文身

(Southern Min) skinny and tall
(Southern Min) refined; gentle; not using physical labour to work

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
文	身
いれずみ
Grade: 1	Grade: 3
jukujikun

The kanji is jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 文身 (wénshēn).

For pronunciation and definitions of 文身 – see the following entry.

【いれずみ】

[noun] a tattoo (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle)

[noun] a punishment in which a criminals were given a tattoo as a mark of their criminal record

[verb] to tattoo

Alternative spellings
入れ墨, 入墨, 刺青, 黥

(This term, 文身, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
文	身
ぶん Grade: 1	しん Grade: 3
on'yomi

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ぶんしん [bùńshíń] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [bɯ̟̃ɰ̃ɕĩɴ]

Noun

文(ぶん)身(しん) • (bunshin)

tattoo

Korean

Hanja in this term
文	身

Noun

文身 • (munsin) (hangeul 문신)

hanja form^? of 문신 (“tattoo”)