This Ideogram is of the following complicated Mandarin Chinese characters that have been reversed: 坚守 jiānshǒu 坚 jiān (meaning firm, strong, or resistant) 守 shǒu (meaning defensive or guarded) This combination expresses the following: 1. tenaciously defensive 2. never give up 3. perseverance On the skin, this tattoo is approximately 1 1/2" x 3 1/2".