Chinese Tattoo 慈悲: Meaning & Design Guide
慈悲 means “mercy”, pronounced ci2 bei1. Below: each character broken down, and how the phrase works as a tattoo.
Character by character
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 慈 | cí | kind, charitable, benevolent | 13 |
| 悲 | bēi | sorrow, grief; sorry, sad | 12 |
Per-character data: Unihan (Unicode).
Words using these characters
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 慈善 | cí shàn | benevolent | newest-7 |
| 仁慈 | rén cí | benevolent | newest-7 |
| 慈祥 | cí xiáng | kindly | newest-7 |
| 悲剧 | bēi jù | tragedy | newest-6 |
| 悲伤 | bēi shāng | sad; sorrowful | newest-6 |
| 悲哀 | bēi āi | grieved | newest-7 |
Words: HSK vocabulary list · meanings: CC-CEDICT.
Placing 慈悲
慈悲 is evenly weighted across its 2 characters (12–13 strokes), so it lays out cleanly in a line or a block without optical correction. It totals 25 strokes, so it needs a placement with room — the inner forearm or upper back rather than a narrow spot. Bring the stencil together with the pinyin and the meaning, and ask the artist to follow the stencil rather than redrawing the character freehand — freehand redrawing is the most common way a correct character loses a stroke and becomes a different one.
Design notes for 慈悲
慈悲 is a fixed expression meaning “mercy”, read ci2 bei1. Because it is set, swapping any character changes the meaning — have the exact wording checked by a native reader before it goes on skin. Regular script (楷书) keeps every stroke countable, which matters when a Chinese reader checks it. Avoid mirroring or rotating the character, and avoid very fine or cursive styles at small sizes, where strokes merge into a shape that reads as a different character.
Frequently asked questions
What does 慈悲 mean?
慈悲 means “mercy”.
How is 慈悲 pronounced?
慈悲 is pronounced ci2 bei1.
Is 慈悲 a fixed expression?
Yes — it is a set phrase, which is safer than assembling characters yourself. Fixed expressions keep their established wording and meaning.
How should 慈悲 be laid out?
Keep all characters the same size on an even baseline, and do not mirror or rotate any of them.
Which style suits 慈悲?
Bold regular script keeps every stroke clear. With multiple characters, avoid very fine or highly cursive styles — the smaller each character gets, the more the strokes merge.
Do I need to verify the phrase?
Yes. Confirm the wording, the meaning and the full context with a native reader, and check that the phrase is not a quotation about misfortune or parting.
How many strokes in total?
慈悲 is written with 25 strokes across 2 characters — which is why it needs more space than a single character.
Want 慈悲 as a ready-to-use stencil with a native-checked meaning card, sized for your tattoo artist?
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Character data: Unihan (Unicode) · words: HSK vocabulary & CC-CEDICT · How we verify this