文身，外文名（Tattoo）在古代起因很多，也比较复杂，不同的地方有不同的习俗。早在原始人类时期，那时的古人就会用白泥或燃料在身上、脸上画出纹络。其作用一是美化自己，二是吓唬敌人。初民最初用粘土、油脂或植物汁液来涂抹身体，是因为认为这对身体是有益的，如古代挹娄人“冬以豕膏涂身以御风寒”，后来，逐渐觉得这样涂抹身体是美的，于是就为了审美的快感而涂抹其身体。战斗和狩猎负伤而留下的疤痕被妇女认为是勇武壮美的男子的标志，也会使残体装饰盛行起来。而更多的原始人在自己的皮肤上画一些被认为是他们部落祖先的动物-图腾，一旦它作为本氏族正式成员的标志确立起来，文身也就成了一种制度。至于有些古书上记载的“文身以避蛟龙之害”则又是另一种风俗观念了。估计约一万四千年以前的石器时代，埃及金字塔内存放超过四千年的木乃伊，男女贵族身上各刻有明显的文身杰作。文身被定义为他们社会等级和部落联盟的诠释。
Tattoos, a foreign name, have many origins and are quite complex in ancient times, with different customs in different places. As early as the primitive human era, ancient people would use white mud or fuel to draw patterns on their bodies and faces. Its function is to beautify oneself and scare the enemy. The early people initially used clay, oil, or plant juices to smear their bodies because they believed it was beneficial for the body. For example, the ancient Yilou people used "glutinous rice paste to apply to the body in winter to ward off the cold". Later, they gradually realized that applying the body in this way was beautiful, so they applied it to their bodies for aesthetic pleasure. The scars left by combat and hunting injuries are considered by women to be a symbol of brave and magnificent men, and can also make residual decoration popular. And more primitive people painted animal totems on their skin that were believed to be ancestors of their tribe. Once it was established as a formal member of their clan, tattoos became a system. As for some ancient books that record "tattooing to avoid the harm of dragons", it is another custom and concept. It is estimated that during the Stone Age around 14000 years ago, Egyptian pyramids contained mummies dating back over 4000 years, with prominent tattoo masterpieces engraved on the bodies of male and female nobles. Tattoos are defined as the interpretation of their social hierarchy and tribal alliance.
文身还有另外一种特殊的意义，这就是原始初民得到了能过性生活的权利。大量的民族学材料证明，作为民族图腾标志的原始文身，虽然在文身的氏族里人人必行，但是在时间和泥杆 保定古筝 塑料增韧剂 拱形护坡模具 保定空调维修  托辊生产线年龄上却有固定的要求，即一般以成年入社式为中心，或者从童年开始，到举行成年式时完成，或者从成年式时开始，过后几年完成。
Tattoos have another special meaning, which is that the primitive people were granted the right to have sex. A large amount of ethnological materials have proven that the original tattoo, as a symbol of national totem, although it is mandatory for everyone in the tattooed clan, has fixed requirements in terms of time and age, that is, it is generally centered around adult social integration, or completed from childhood to adulthood, or from adulthood to several years later.