We have many options to create artwork with Will-Power characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Will-Power Asian character tattoo, you can purchase that on our Chinese and Japanese Tattoo Image Service page and we'll help you select from many forms of ancient Asian symbols that express the idea of Will-Power.
Quick links to words on this page...


These two characters are a way to express "perseverance" with the idea of "willpower" in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. It can also mean "strong willed".
The first character means "strong" and "persistent", while the second means "strength" and "power".


Self-discipline means self-control. It is doing what you really want to do, rather than being tossed around by your feelings like a leaf in the wind. You act instead of react. You get things done in an orderly and efficient way. With self-discipline, you take charge of yourself.
Not sure if this one works for a Japanese audience.
See Also... Discipline | Self-Control



This is the form of will power or self-control is about having the determination or tenacity to keep going.
In Japanese, this is the power of will, volition, intention, intent, or determination.


Discipline: There are a few different ways to define this word in English. This Asian word conveys the idea of extreme self-control and perhaps self-sacrifice, and obedience. This matches what I was taught as the meaning of "discipline" when I was in the Marine Corps. There is also an additional idea of maintaining order or being orderly in your tasks.
This idea would also fit an athlete training for the Olympics who gives up many pleasures to stay focused on their training.
See Also... Self-Control


This is a form of discipline which suggests training of the mind and character, aimed at producing self-control, obedience, etc.
One of my Chinese-English dictionaries even translates this as "tempering oneself" or turning yourself into hardened steel.
In old Korean Hanja, they use these characters in reverse order, but with the same meaning. If you want the Korean version, please click this link instead of the button above: Korean version.


This is the Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja word that is used for discipline. This has a meaning like "forging or creating something from lots of training and practice". My Japanese dictionary translates this as, "tempering, forging, hardening, disciplining, training". This is for Japanese and Korean only. In Chinese, these characters might be translated as (physical) "exercise".


The modern form of the second Japanese Kanji looks like the first image to the right. The one below it is an alternate form. Because calligraphy is an art, the calligrapher could choose any of these possible forms. Let us know if you have a preference. Note that the form shown in the upper left is really the old/ancient/traditional Japanese/Chinese.
See Also... Self-Control








Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This literally translates as, "Love [your] children in [your] heart, [but] be stern [with them] in [your] manner".
This is a little like saying "Love your child, but don't spare the switch".


This word means military discipline or military principles.
If maintaining your military discipline is important to you personally, or important to your military unit, this is the wall scroll to have up behind your desk. In fact, it's the kind of thing I expect to see behind the desk of a First Sergeant or maybe a hardcore NCO.
Note: In some rare context, it could be extended to mean "morale", but "discipline" is much closer to the commonly-held definition.
Note: This term is not well-known outside of the military services in Asia (not used by the common person).
See Also... Self-Discipline




The first two characters mean "regarding oneself", and the second two mean "to refrain" or "to restrain". So together, this has a meaning like "to restrain oneself".
See Also... Discipline


The short and sweet version of self-control.
Note: This can also mean self-restraint.
See Also... Discipline


When reading an account of some battles in China, I came across this Chinese word. As it turns out, it's only used in military circles to describe neat, orderly, and well-disciplined troops. Perhaps this is actually closer to the meaning I was taught while in the U.S. Marines.
The first character literally means stern, serious, strict, or severe (it can also mean "air tight" or "water tight".
The second character means exact, in good order, whole, complete, and orderly.
Together, these two characters multiply each other into a word that expresses the highest military level of discipline.
See Also... Self-Control


This word can be translated as "self-denial", "self-abnegation", "self-restraint", "self-discipline", "self-mastery" or selflessness.
As a tenet of Korean taekwondo, and other martial arts, this is often used with the title "self-control".


You focus your energy and efforts on a task and stick with it until it is finished. Determination is using your will power to do something when it isn't easy. You are determined to meet your goals even when it is hard or you are being tested. With determination we make our dreams come true.
The first characters means "to determine" or "determined". The second character means "heart" or "soul", so you can imagine that this form of "determination" partially means to put your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).
See Also... Devotion | Tenacious | Passion | Dedication








Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This is an old phrase that is used to wish someone great health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is "The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse, and the power and prestige of the tiger".
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have these qualities. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse, would seem to also be in good health.

This is the title for electricity in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
While this character means electric or electricity, it can also be used to mean lightning in Japanese and Korean.


This means exercise in much the same way we use exercise in English. This can be exercising your body at the gym, or exercising your mind in studies. Most of the time, this refers to physical exercise.
This can also be translated as to temper, to toughen, to train, to drill, to forge, or simply discipline.




While hard to translate directly, this is the best way to write "Live Strong" in Chinese. If you are a cancer survivor, or simply support Lance Armstrong's ideas, this is a nice selection for a wall scroll.
The first two characters mean strong or staunch. The last two mean living or life (daily existence). While the Chinese version is the reverse order of "Live Strong" it is the only way to write it in a natural form that is also grammatically correct.
Note that we are in no way affiliated or connected to Lance, nor his foundation. This translation is offered because of multiple requests from customers whose philosophies or ideas match those of the Live Strong idea.
See Also... Strength | Vitality | Health | Determination | Discipline


Moderation is creating a healthy balance in your life between work and play, rest and exercise. You don't overdo or get swept away by the things you like. You use your self-discipline to take charge of your life and your time.
This word can also be translated as "self-restraint" or "temperance".

This is the simplest way to express perseverance in Chinese and Korean Hanja.
This single-character version leaves a bit of mystery about what kind of perseverance you might want to convey.
In Korean, this is usually associated with "strength of character".
In Japanese, this character can be pronounced about a dozen different ways (so we have left out the Japanese pronunciation guide that normally appears above). In Japanese this Kanji would usually be translated "strong" (perhaps strong-willed).


This means the power of understanding and insight in Chinese. It is often associated with Neo-Confucianism. In that regard, it means to realize man's true nature or to find your soul, the soul of others, or the soul of the world. Some will translate this simply as the state of being "savvy".
In Japanese, this is often translated as wisdom and understanding.
Mandarin: zì zūn xīn
Japanese: jisonshin
Korean: 자존심



This Japanese and Korean word means "pride" or "self-respect".
The first Kanji/Hanja means "oneself". The second can mean "revered", "valuable", "precious", "noble" or "exalted". And the last Kanji/Hanja means "heart", "mind" and/or "spirit".
While these characters make sense and hold the same general meaning in Chinese, this is not a normal Chinese word. This selection should only be used if your audience is Japanese or Korean.
See Also... Respect | Pride | Self-Reliance | Self-Control | Self-Discipline


This is used to speak of something with supernatural essence, psychic power, or having magical power in Chinese.

The simplest form of "power" or "strength".
In Japanese it is pronounced "chikara" when used alone, and "ryoku" when used in a sentence (there are also a few other possible pronunciations of this Kanji in Japanese).
In some context, this can mean ability, force, physical strength, capability, and influence.




This phrase can mean either "strong hearted", "strong willed" or "determination". The first two characters can be translated simply as "will" but also have the element of "heart" in the lower portion of both characters (they also partially carry this meaning). The last two characters mean "strong" or "staunch".
Chinese word order and grammar is a bit different than English, so in this case, they are in reverse order of English, but have the correct meaning in a natural form.
See Also... Strong Willed | Discipline


In short, temperance is knowing when to say "when".
Temperance is the practice of moderation and restraint (in fact, this Asian word is often translated as moderation or restraint).
It was one of the five tenets held to be vital to society in Hellenic culture. It is also one of the Four Cardinal Virtues considered central to Christian behavior by the Catholic Church.
Note: Also considered to be one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.


If training or drill is important to you (especially for military drill and training), this might be just the thing for a drill master to hang behind his/her desk.
This term is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja. It can also mean practice or exercise, depending on context.
Wall scroll artwork shown on this page is priced as follows:
1 character $29.88 each
2-3 characters $39.88 each
4 characters $49.88 each
5-10 characters $59.88 each
After you select your calligraphy, our website will take you through the process of customizing your artwork.
Options for other mounting such as portraits are available for $13 less.
We also offer the services of a famous master calligrapher for a $40 fee on any scroll if you are looking for investment-quality calligraphy.
If you chose our famous master-calligrapher, you also get more choices for silk and paper colors and the option for larger artwork.
All of our calligraphy is completely done by hand in the ancient way.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to our art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Therefore, allow at least 3 weeks for delivery from the time you place your order.
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The scroll that I am holding in this picture is a "regular size"
4-character wall scroll.
As you can see, it is a great size to hang on your wall.
(We also offer custom wall scrolls in larger sizes)
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
The following table is only helpful for those studying Chinese (or Japanese), and perhaps helps search engines to find this page when someone enters Romanized Chinese or Japanese
| Title | Characters Simplified Traditional |
Japanese Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Hanyu-Pinyin (Romanized Chinese) | |||
| Perseverance / Will-Power | 毅力 毅力 | n/a | yì lì yi li | yi4 li4 yili | ||
| Self-Discipline / Will-Power | 自律 自律 | jiritsu | zì lǜ zi lv | zi4 lv4 zilv | ||
| Will-Power / Self-Control | 意志力 意志力 | ishi ryoku ishiryoku | yì zhì lì yi zhi li | yi4 zhi4 li4 yizhili | ||
| Discipline | 纪律 紀律 | n/a | jì lǜ ji lv | ji4 lv4 jilv | ||
| Discipline / Training / Tempering Character | 磨练 磨練 | n/a | mó liàn mo lian | mo2 lian4 molian | ||
| Discipline (Japanese) | 锻练 鍛練 | tanren | duàn liàn duan lian | duan4 lian4 duanlian | ||
| Love Your Children, But Discipline Them Too | 爱在心里狠在面皮 愛在心裡狠在面皮 / 愛在心裡狠在麵皮 | n/a | ài zài xīn lǐ hěn zài miàn pì ai zai xin li hen zai mian pi | ai4 zai4 xin1 li3 hen3 zai4 mian4 pi4 aizaixinlihenzaimianpi | ||
| Military Discipline | 军纪 軍紀 | gunki | jūn jì jun ji | jun1 ji4 junji | ||
| Self-Control | 自己抑制 自己抑制 | jikoyokusei | zì jǐ yì zhì zi ji yi zhi | zi4 ji3 yi4 zhi4 zijiyizhi | ||
| Self-Control | 自制 自制 | jisei | zì zhì zi zhi | zi4 zhi4 zizhi | ||
| Well-Disciplined | 严整 嚴整 | n/a | yán zhěng yan zheng | yan2 zheng3 yanzheng | ||
| Self-Restraint / Self-Control | 克己 克己 / 剋己 | kokki koki | kè jǐ ke ji | ke4 ji3 keji | ||
| Determination | 决心 決心 | kesshin keshin | jué xīn jue xin | jue2 xin1 juexin | ||
| The Spirit of the Dragon Horse, the Power of a Tiger. | 龙马精神虎虎生威 龍馬精神虎虎生威 | n/a | lóng mǎ jīng shén hǔ hǔ shēng wēi long ma jing shen hu hu sheng wei | long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 hu3 hu3 sheng1 wei1 | ||
| Electricity / Lightning | 电 電 | den | diàn dian | dian4 dian | ||
| Exercise (for body or mind) | 锻炼 鍛煉 / 鍛鍊 | n/a | duàn liàn duan lian | duan4 lian4 duanlian | ||
| Live Strong | 坚强生活 堅強生活 | n/a | jiān qiáng shēng huó jian qiang sheng huo | jian1 qiang2 sheng1 huo2 jianqiangshenghuo | ||
| Moderation | 节制 節制 | sessei sesei | jié zhì jie zhi | jie2 zhi4 jiezhi | ||
| Perseverance | 毅 毅 | see note seenote se note | yì yi | yi4 yi | ||
| Power of Understanding and Wisdom | 悟性 悟性 | gosei | wù xìng wu xing | wu4 xing4 wuxing | ||
| Prideful Mind / Self-Respecting Heart / (Japanese / Korean) | 自尊心 自尊心 | jisonshin | zì zūn xīn zi zun xin | zi4 zun1 xin1 zizunxin | ||
| Psychic Energy | 通灵 通靈 | n/a | tōng líng tong ling | tong1 ling2 tongling | ||
| Power / Strength | 力 力 | chikara / ryoku chikara/ryoku | lì li | li4 li | ||
| Strong Hearted | 意志坚强 意志堅強 | n/a | yì zhì jiān qiáng yi zhi jian qiang | yi4 zhi4 jian1 qiang2 yizhijianqiang | ||
| Temperance | 节制 節制 | sessei sesei | jié zhì jie zhi | jie2 zhi4 jiezhi | ||
| Training / Drill | 训练 訓練 | kunren | xùn liàn xun lian | xun4 lian4 xunlian | ||
| If you have not set up your computer to display Chinese, the characters in this table probably look like empty boxes or random text garbage.
This is why we spent hundreds of hours making images so that you could view the characters in the "Discipline" listings above. If you want your Windows computer to be able to display Chinese characters you can either head to your Regional and Language options in your Win XP control panel, select the [Languages] tab and click on [Install files for East Asian Languages]. This task will ask for your Win XP CD to complete in most cases. If you don't have your Windows XP CD, or are running Windows 98, you can also download/run the simplified Chinese font package installer from Microsoft which works independently with Win 98, ME, 2000, and XP. It's a 2.5MB download, so if you are on dial up, start the download and go make a sandwich. | ||||||
All custom calligraphy items are made-to-order in our little Beijing artwork-mounting workshop.
Normal delivery isjust over 3 weeksfor these handmade items.
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