"An Open Book Benefits Your Mind" Chinese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

You can choose from many options to create artwork with "An Open Book Benefits Your Mind" characters on a wall scroll.
Start your project by clicking on the button next to your favorite title below...


  1. An Open Book Benefits Your Mind

  2. Always with a Book in Hand

  3. Book

  4. Booker

  5. Double Happiness Guest Book

  6. Learning is Eternal

  7. Book of Hosea

  8. The Book of Changes / I Ching

  9. Open the Minds of the Next Generation To Stimulate Thinking

10. Read 10,000 Books, Travel 10,000 Miles

11. Better to Travel 10,000 Miles than Read 10,000 Books

12. The Book of Five Rings


An Open Book Benefits Your Mind

 kāi juàn yǒu yì
An Open Book Benefits Your Mind Scroll

There are several ways to translate this ancient proverb. Translated literally and directly, it says, “Open roll has/yields benefit.”

To understand that, you must know a few things...

First, Chinese characters and language have deeper meanings that often are not spoken but are understood - especially with ancient texts like this. Example: It's understood that the “benefit” referred to in this proverb is to the reader's mind. Just the last character expresses that whole idea.

Second, Chinese proverbs are supposed to make you think and leave a bit of mystery to figure out.

Third, for this proverb, it should be noted that roll = book. When this proverb came about (about two thousand years ago), books were rolls of bamboo slips strung together. The first bound books like the ones we use today did not come about until about a thousand years after this proverb when they invented paper in China.

開卷有益 is a great gift for a bookworm who loves to read and increase their knowledge. Or for any friend that is or wants to be well-read.

Some other translations of this phrase:
Opening a book is profitable
The benefits of education.

Always with a Book in Hand

 shǒu bù shì juàn
Always with a Book in Hand Scroll

手不釋卷 is a Chinese proverb that literally means “always with a book in hand.”

It's a proverb said of a hardworking scholar or student.

This may refer to a student or scholar who is diligent and hardworking. It's a great gift for a student or scholar who loves books.

 shū
 sho
 
Book Scroll

書 is the most simple way to say “book” in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

書 is usually read as “book” but can refer to a letter, or document.

In a certain context, it can refer to writing, penmanship, or handwriting. Especially in Chinese, it can be a short way to say calligraphy.

If you love books or want to write books, this is the simple, all-encompassing character for you.

 bù kè
Booker Scroll

布克 is the name Booker in Chinese (Mandarin).

 bukkaa
Booker Scroll

ブッカー is the name Booker in Japanese.


Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

Double Happiness Guest Book

Customize a special Asian guest book for your wedding

 xǐ
 
Double Happiness Guest Book Scroll

Start customizing a “Double Happiness Guest Book Wall Scroll” Here!

The paper panel length can be whatever you choose from 68cm to 135cm (27” to 53”).

If you don't mention what paper length you want in the special instructions tab (on the next page), we'll make it about 100cm (40”).

How many signatures fit

The medium-size scroll with a 33cm x 100cm (13” x 40”) paper panel can usually handle up to 89 signatures. That breaks down to 37 signatures per empty square and 15 signatures around the 囍 character. If you switch to a 135cm paper panel, add another 37 potential signatures.

We can splice two 135cm papers together, but that would be a crazy-long scroll. These are only estimates, your mileage may vary.


With silk panels, this will yield a wall scroll about 155cm (61”) long. That's enough for up to 89 signatures. Of course, that depends on if your guests just sign a brief salutation and name, or more verbose good wishes. Customer feedback is that 126 people can sign the 135cm long paper on a medium-sized scroll. If we go bigger than that, there will be a minor paper seam and an extra charge. Email me with your specifications if you need something special.

Most customers pick the festive red paper with gold flecks and white or ivory silk. Red is a good luck color in Chinese culture, thus the most popular choice. But, you can do any color combination that you want.

There is a long history of Chinese-character-use outside of mainland China. This Double Happiness character is also seen at weddings in Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as in Chinese communities in Thailand, Indonesia, and elsewhere. While Japan borrowed Chinese characters into their language, you won't see 囍 as often at Japanese weddings.

Learning is Eternal

 xué wú zhǐ jìng
Learning is Eternal Scroll

This Chinese philosophy tells of how we continue to learn throughout our lives.

This proverb can be translated in a few ways such as “Study has no end,” “Knowledge is infinite,” “No end to learning,” “There's always something new to study,” or “You live and learn.”

The deeper meaning: Even when we finish school we are still students of the world gaining more knowledge from our surroundings with each passing day.


See Also:  An Open Book Benefits Your Mind | Wisdom | Learn From Wisdom

Book of Hosea

 hé xī ā shū
Book of Hosea Scroll

何西阿書 is how to write the book of Hosea from the Bible in Mandarin Chinese.

Book of Hosea

 hosea sho
Book of Hosea Scroll

ホセア書 is how to write Hosea (as a book of the Bible) in Japanese.


Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Katakana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

The Book of Changes / I Ching

 yì jīng
The Book of Changes / I Ching Scroll

易經 is the Chinese title for “The Book of Changes,” also known as “I Ching” or “Yi Jing.”

Open the Minds of the Next Generation To Stimulate Thinking

 qǐ dí
Open the Minds of the Next Generation To Stimulate Thinking Scroll

This word is often used to describe the idea of opening the minds of the young or the new generation.


See Also:  Wisdom | Learning is Eternal | Learn From Wisdom

Read 10,000 Books, Travel 10,000 Miles

 dú wàn juǎn shū, xíng wàn lǐ lù
Read 10,000 Books, Travel 10,000 Miles Scroll

讀萬卷書行萬里路 is a lifelong suggestion for expanding your horizons by gaining knowledge, experience, and seeing the world.

Of course, this was written long ago when it was hard to travel 10,000 miles (at least 1000 years before the invention of the airplane).
With air travel and the business I'm in, I often achieve that lifetime goal on a monthly basis.
However, I am a little behind in the book count.

Note: An ancient Chinese mile (里 or lǐ) referred to in this proverb is about a third of a British/American mile. However, at that time, this was a great distance to travel.

Better to Travel 10,000 Miles than Read 10,000 Books

 xíng wàn lǐ lù shèng dú wàn juǎn shū
Better to Travel 10,000 Miles than Read 10,000 Books Scroll

行万里路胜读万卷书 translates a few ways:
To travel ten thousand miles beats reading ten-thousand books.
Better to travel ten thousand li than to read ten thousand books. (a “li” is an ancient Chinese mile)
Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books.

No matter how you slice it, this Chinese proverb is claiming that experience is more profound and meaningful than what you can get from a book. Go do it! Don't just read about it.

The Book of Five Rings

 go rin sho
The Book of Five Rings Scroll

五輪書 is the Japanese title for “The Book of Five Rings.”

五輪書 is a martial arts treatise by Miyamoto Musashi written around 1643.

Technically, these three characters are “Go Rin Sho” but an unwritten “の” or “no” which is a possessive article like the English “of” is verbally added by most Japanese. Therefore, many write this in Romaji as “Go Rin No Sho.”




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The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
An Open Book Benefits Your Mind開卷有益
开卷有益
kāi juàn yǒu yì
kai1 juan4 you3 yi4
kai juan you yi
kaijuanyouyi
k`ai chüan yu i
kaichüanyui
kai chüan yu i
Always with a Book in Hand手不釋卷
手不释卷
shǒu bù shì juàn
shou3 bu4 shi4 juan4
shou bu shi juan
shoubushijuan
shou pu shih chüan
shoupushihchüan
Book
shoshū / shu1 / shu
Booker布克bù kè / bu4 ke4 / bu ke / bukepu k`o / puko / pu ko
Bookerブッカーbukkaa / buka
Double Happiness Guest Book
喜喜
xǐ / xi3 / xihsi
Learning is Eternal學無止境
学无止境
xué wú zhǐ jìng
xue2 wu2 zhi3 jing4
xue wu zhi jing
xuewuzhijing
hsüeh wu chih ching
hsüehwuchihching
Book of Hosea何西阿書
何西阿书
hé xī ā shū
he2 xi1 a1 shu1
he xi a shu
hexiashu
ho hsi a shu
hohsiashu
Book of Hoseaホセア書hosea sho / hoseasho
The Book of Changes
I Ching
易經
易经
yì jīng / yi4 jing1 / yi jing / yijingi ching / iching
Open the Minds of the Next Generation To Stimulate Thinking啟迪
启迪
qǐ dí / qi3 di2 / qi di / qidich`i ti / chiti / chi ti
Read 10,000 Books, Travel 10,000 Miles讀萬卷書行萬里路
读万卷书行万里路
dú wàn juǎn shū, xíng wàn lǐ lù
du2 wan4 juan3 shu1 xing2 wan4 li3 lu4
du wan juan shu xing wan li lu
duwanjuanshuxingwanlilu
tu wan chüan shu hsing wan li lu
Better to Travel 10,000 Miles than Read 10,000 Books行萬里路勝讀萬捲書
行万里路胜读万卷书
xíng wàn lǐ lù shèng dú wàn juǎn shū
xing2 wan4 li3 lu4 sheng4 du2 wan4 juan3 shu1
xing wan li lu sheng du wan juan shu
hsing wan li lu sheng tu wan chüan shu
The Book of Five Rings五輪書go rin sho / gorinsho
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.
In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.


Dictionary

Lookup in my Japanese & Chinese Dictionary

All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.

When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my 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.

Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

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.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

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.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

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.