Not an exact comparison, but I would say a well-chosen Chinese idiom carries a similar weight to reciting a well-chosen stanza from Shakespeare. An idiom in the right context isn’t cliche or trite, it can be a clever statement with deeper meaning.
For example, when I was in China, I would sometimes get compliments on my Chinese. The polite thing to do would be to say that my Chinese wasn’t actually that good, and decline to embrace the kind words. A friend of mine suggested responding with an idiom, lan yu chong shu, which sort of implies that I was an untalented person blending in with artists. That response was always very well received.
You understand, though, that hearing an idiom from a foreigner (who I presume you to be, since you’re complimented on your Chinese) is different from hearing one from a native speaker, right?
If a random (say) Japanese tourist showed up in Anytown USA, asked for directions and finished with a Shakespeare verse, I’d be mightily impressed too. But if an English speaker did the same thing, he’d just get the “Are you for real?” look.
Even among circles of Chinese speakers, the only times I’ve heard idioms used non-ironically were in times of surrender and resignation, in the vein of “Yeah, I know, but that’s just life.” In Chinese there would probably be a more specific idiom for any given situation, but it still boils down to “I’m tired of this discussion and I realize there is nothing more to be said so I’ll quote a dead guy who felt the same way, signaling to you that we should move on” – which is somewhat distinct from using them to actually prove a point or to garner respect points.
And for what it’s worth, I’m not trying to be intentionally hostile to the idea, but in Chinese they say “紋身一次, 哭很多次” – tattoo one time, cry many time.
Well, no, they don’t really say that. But still, getting permanent ink of a language and culture you don’t really understand during a time of emotional distress… may not be the best idea. At the very least it should warrant some serious consideration rather than a spur-of-the-moment decision. Strictly IMO, of course.
I taught in Sichuan province, and had a hell of a time teaching my students that in English debate, proverbs are meaningless. My understanding is that in Chinese debate, at least academically, deft use of appropriate proverbs is a big part of the activity and an important part of language knowledge. Among younger and hipper crowds, they may be passé in conversation. But using the proverbs just right is a sign of intellectual heft… Like a professor who can quote literary passages or an artist who peppers their conversation with French.
It could certainly be a class/location thing. In my town, it wasn’t unusual to see full on Mao suits. My students came from villages that might be a three hour walk from the closest road. But it’s also pretty representative of a big chunk of what is a huge country.
Even Sven has it pretty correct. If you are Chinese and use the *proper *proverb in the *correct *context, it’s like *summarizing * or *emphasizing *your argument, tying a bow and presenting it on a silver platter. Please note it is a supplement and not actually your point. You just can’t spout off a platitude and you Bob’s your uncle.
Foreigners that lean Chinese generally all go through a phase of using proverbs. you can say really complex things like "when in Rome…"with a 4 character proverb. Foreigners often quote really obscure proverbs because they have no context, eg learned it from a text book. At least those were the phases I went through thinking myself really clever before learning the proper usage. My personal favorite is “pot kettle black” although Chinese use this one very rarely if ever (五十步，笑百步）。
By the way, I would definitely defer to China Guy on the mu/muqin question. But in terms of coolness of a tattoo, especially if someone doesn’t plan to go hang around in China for long periods of time, I would still say an idiom with actual meaning is waaaaay better than just a one-word tattoo. Which story would you rather tell?
Also, it looks like boobs. When viewed sideways. Who can argue with a tattoo of boobs? Okay, I can because I think tattoos are stupid. But if you just have to have a tattoo, go with boobs.
