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簡 expresses the idea of something simple or the essence of simplicity in life in Chinese.
This can also refer to a simple slip of bamboo for taking notes or writing a letter (especially in Korean Hanja).
Technically this is a word meaning simplicity and brevity in Japanese but it's rarely used in modern Japanese. Therefore, you should probably only select this character if your audience is Chinese.
Speak simply, while expressing your idea completely
言簡意賅 is a Chinese proverb that suggests it is better to be brief and use fewer words while still expressing your main point or idea.
In another way to explain this, one should not use 100 words when 50 will do, or being more concise with your speech.
This can also be translated as concise, compendious, “brief in form but comprehensive in scope” or succinct.
This is a bit more positive than our other proverb for brevity.
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your 簡 search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
簡 简 see styles |
jiǎn jian3 chien kan かん |
More info & calligraphy: Simplicity(1) (See 簡にして要を得る) (ant: 繁・1) simplicity; brevity; (2) letter; note; correspondence; (3) bamboo writing strip (in ancient China); (4) (abbreviation) (See 簡体字) simplified Chinese character; (surname) Kan A tablet, memorandum; to abridge; appoint; examine; abrupt, concise, direct. |
簡約 简约 see styles |
jiǎn yuē jian3 yue1 chien yüeh kanyaku かんやく |
More info & calligraphy: Brevity / Concise(noun, transitive verb) (1) simplification; abbreviation; abridgment; condensation; (adjectival noun) (2) concise; brief; abridged; abbreviated; condensed |
言簡意賅 言简意赅 see styles |
yán jiǎn yì gāi yan2 jian3 yi4 gai1 yen chien i kai |
More info & calligraphy: Brief and to the Point |
了簡 see styles |
ryouken / ryoken りょうけん |
(noun/participle) (1) idea; thought; intention; design; inclination; decision; motive; (2) discretion; (3) forgiveness; toleration |
二簡 二简 see styles |
èr jiǎn er4 jian3 erh chien |
abbr. for 第二次漢字簡化方案|第二次汉字简化方案[Di4 er4 ci4 Han4 zi4 Jian3 hua4 Fang1 an4] |
元簡 see styles |
genkan げんかん |
(given name) Genkan |
公簡 see styles |
koukan / kokan こうかん |
(rare) official letter (esp. in internal company corresp.); formal letter |
単簡 see styles |
tankan たんかん |
(noun or adjectival noun) brevity; simplicity |
尊簡 see styles |
sonkan そんかん |
(polite language) someone's letter |
張簡 see styles |
harikan はりかん |
(surname) Harikan |
手簡 see styles |
shukan しゅかん |
letter |
料簡 料简 see styles |
liào jiǎn liao4 jian3 liao chien ryōkan りょうけん |
(noun/participle) (1) idea; thought; intention; design; inclination; decision; motive; (2) discretion; (3) forgiveness; toleration To expound, explain, comment upon; Tiantai uses the term for question and answer, catechism. |
曇簡 昙简 see styles |
tán jiǎn tan2 jian3 t`an chien tan chien Donken |
Tanjian |
書簡 书简 see styles |
shū jiǎn shu1 jian3 shu chien shokan しょかん |
(literary) letter letter; note; epistle; correspondence |
木簡 see styles |
mokkan; mokukan もっかん; もくかん |
(hist) (See 竹簡) narrow, long, and thin pieces of wood strung together that were used to write on in ancient times |
来簡 see styles |
raikan らいかん |
(archaism) correspondence; received letter |
清簡 see styles |
seikan / sekan せいかん |
(given name) Seikan |
漢簡 汉简 see styles |
hàn jiǎn han4 jian3 han chien |
bamboo slip used for record keeping during the Han Dynasty |
爲簡 为简 see styles |
wéi jiǎn wei2 jian3 wei chien i ken |
in order to distinguish |
白簡 白简 see styles |
bái jiǎn bai2 jian3 pai chien |
Wrigley's Spearmint (brand) |
短簡 短简 see styles |
duǎn jiǎn duan3 jian3 tuan chien |
brief |
竹簡 竹简 see styles |
zhú jiǎn zhu2 jian3 chu chien chikukan ちくかん |
bamboo slips (used for writing on in ancient times) bamboo writing strip |
簡一 see styles |
kanichi かんいち |
(given name) Kan'ichi |
簡中 简中 see styles |
jiǎn zhōng jian3 zhong1 chien chung |
Simplified Chinese (abbr. for 簡體中文|简体中文[jian3ti3 Zhong1wen2]) |
簡亮 see styles |
kansuke かんすけ |
(personal name) Kansuke |
簡介 简介 see styles |
jiǎn jiè jian3 jie4 chien chieh |
summary; brief introduction |
簡便 简便 see styles |
jiǎn biàn jian3 bian4 chien pien kanben かんべん |
simple and convenient; handy (noun or adjectival noun) simple; easy; convenient; handy |
簡保 see styles |
kanpo かんぽ |
(abbreviation) (See 簡易保険・かんいほけん) postal life insurance |
簡冊 简册 see styles |
jiǎn cè jian3 ce4 chien ts`e chien tse |
booklet; brochure; (old) book (made of bamboo strips tied together) |
簡別 简别 see styles |
jiǎn bié jian3 bie2 chien pieh kenbetsu |
To select, or differentiate. |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Jan | 簡 简 | jiǎn / jian3 / jian | chien | |
Jane | 簡 简 | jiǎn / jian3 / jian | chien | |
Simplicity | 簡 简 | kan | jiǎn / jian3 / jian | chien |
Anjane | 安簡 安简 | ān jiǎn / an1 jian3 / an jian / anjian | an chien / anchien | |
Brevity Concise | 簡約 简约 | kanyaku | jiǎn yuē / jian3 yue1 / jian yue / jianyue | chien yüeh / chienyüeh |
Jenni | 簡妮 简妮 | jiǎn nī / jian3 ni1 / jian ni / jianni | chien ni / chienni | |
Jenson | 簡森 简森 | jiǎn sēn / jian3 sen1 / jian sen / jiansen | chien sen / chiensen | |
Mary-Jane | 瑪麗簡 玛丽简 | mǎ lì jiǎn ma3 li4 jian3 ma li jian malijian | ma li chien malichien |
|
Brief and to the Point | 言簡意賅 言简意赅 | yán jiǎn yì gāi yan2 jian3 yi4 gai1 yan jian yi gai yanjianyigai | yen chien i kai yenchienikai |
|
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. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
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.
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.
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.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.