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Tan Paper and Copper Silk Love Wall Scroll
Red Paper and Ivory Silk Love Wall Scroll
Orange Paper Love Scroll
Crazy Blue and Gold Silk Love Scroll


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Love Vertical Portrait
Love Horizontal Wall Scroll
Love Vertical Portrait

The name Be Better in Chinese / Japanese...

Buy a Be Better calligraphy wall scroll here!

Personalize your custom “Be Better” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Be Better” title below...


  1. Always Try to do Better

  2. Ambitious / To Improve Oneself

  3. Sun Tzu - Art of War

  4. Aryan

  5. Beautiful Woman

  6. Best

  7. Better to Choose Nothing, Rather than Make a Poor Choice

  8. Better to be Happy than Rich

  9. Brief and to the Point

10. Death Before Dishonor

11. Cesar

12. Collaboration / Cooperation / Synergy

13. Daniel

14. Death Before Surrender

15. Desire

16. Destiny / Fate

17. Divine Protection

18. Drinking the water of a well: One should never forget who dug it

19. Example is Better than Precept

20. Father and Son

21. The one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one to retreats 100

22. Filial Piety

23. Flexibility

24. Friend / Friendship

25. Geisha

26. God Is With You Always

27. Good Good Study, Day Day Up

28. Grandmaster / Grand Master

29. Double Happiness

30. Humble / Modesty / Humility

31. Even The 100-Foot Bamboo Can Grow One More Foot

32. A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action

33. Indomitable / Unyielding

34. Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance

35. Inspiration

36. Progress / Ambition

37. Through the Ups and Downs of Life

38. Hardships and Joys

39. Kai Zen / Kaizen

40. Kempo Karate / Law of the Fist Empty Hand

41. Kensho Jobutsu - Enlightenment - Path to Buddha

42. Kindness / Caring

43. Kishan

44. Contentment

45. We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity?

46. Life Goes On

47. Lion

48. Loyalty / Devotion

49. Meditation

50. Mercy / Compassion / Buddhist Loving Kindness

51. Mama / Mother / Mommy

52. Morality of Deed

53. Better Late Than Never

54. No one knows a son better than the father

55. Optimistic

56. Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body

57. Persistence

58. Preparation Yields No Fear or Worries

59. Better to sacrifice your life than your principles

60. Progress Day by Day

61. Prosperity

62. Push or Knock

63. Ramona

64. Respect and Loyalty

65. Seeing is Believing

66. Self-Respect / Self-Esteem

67. Selflessness

68. Shinobi / Ninja Outcast

69. Chinese or Korean Army General

70. Soldier / Private

71. Strength: Strong and Solid

72. Strong / Powerful / Force

73. Summer Season

74. Sun Wukong / Son Goku

75. Survivor

76. The More We Sweat in Training, The Less We Bleed in Battle

77. Tang Soo Do Tenets

78. Tathata / Ultimate Nature of All Things

79. Tenacious / Tenacity

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

81. Value of Warrior Generals

82. Warriors: Quality Over Quantity

83. A Traditional Warm Welcome

84. Win / Victory

85. You must endure a harsh winter to appreciate the warmth of springtime

86. Aries

87. Capricorn

88. Betelgeuse

89. Dana: Almsgiving and Generosity

90. Beautiful Woman Proverb

91. Mico

92. Nekogami

93. Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once

94. It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war


Always Try to do Better

 sara ni ue o me za su
Always Try to do Better Scroll

This Japanese proverb literally translates as: [After having achieved a fair degree of success,] one should still try to do better.

Others may translate this as “Always try to improve,” or “Always try to be better.”


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


See Also:  Never Give Up

Ambitious / To Improve Oneself

Advance and Progress

 shàng jìn
 jou shin
Ambitious / To Improve Oneself Scroll

上進 is a Chinese and Japanese Kanji word that means to advance, to make progress, to do better, to be ambitious, to improve oneself, or to move forward.

This can refer to a single person, general things (such as a work project), or a whole country.

In Japanese, this is sometimes used as the given name Joushin.

Sun Tzu - Art of War

military strategy, tactics, and procedure

 sūn zǐ bīng fǎ
 son shi hyou hou
Sun Tzu - Art of War Scroll

孫子兵法 is the full title of the most famous book of military proverbs about warfare.

The English title is “Sun Tzu's The Art of War.”

The last two characters have come to be known in the west as “The Art of War,” but a better translation would be “military strategy and tactics,” “military skills” or “army procedures.”

Note: Sometimes the author's name is Romanized as “Sun Zi” or “Sunzi.”

It's written the same in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.


See Also:  Military | Warrior

 yǎ lì ān
Aryan Scroll

This is a common transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Aryan.

This is also a Chinese loanword derived from the Sanskrit ārya. The term “Aryan” can be better described as “Indo-Iranian” or “Indo-European.” You'll also see this word used when referring to “Indo-Aryan languages” of Southern Asia.

Beautiful Woman

 měi lì de nǚ rén
Beautiful Woman Scroll

美麗的女人 is the best and most polite way to express “beautiful woman” in Chinese.

Note: Some people may like the simple 2-character 美女 way to express this, but there are some bad connotations with that, so better to stay with this longer and more respectful title.


See Also:  Beautiful Girl | Beauty

 zhì
 shi
 
Best Scroll

至 is a little strange as calligraphy, but 至 would be the character that means “best” or “extreme” in Chinese and Korean.

The problem is, this is seldom used alone. It's mostly used in combination with other characters to make words like “best friend,” “best food,” and “best love.”

I do not recommend this character for a wall scroll. It's better if you find a more specific term that fits your circumstances.

Note: This can be pronounced in Japanese and has a similar meaning but it is rarely if ever used in modern Japanese.

Better to Choose Nothing, Rather than Make a Poor Choice

 nìng quē wú làn
Better to Choose Nothing, Rather than Make a Poor Choice Scroll

寧缺毋濫 is a Chinese proverb that can be translated as “Better to have nothing (than substandard choice).”

It basically suggests that one should prefer to go without something rather than accept a shoddy option.


See Also:  A Deliberate Inaction is Better Than a Blind Action

Better to be Happy than Rich

 ān pín lè dào
Better to be Happy than Rich Scroll

安貧樂道 means “It's better to be happy than rich” in Chinese.

Even if you are poor, you should still feel satisfied in your life...

...Satisfaction, happiness and the meaning of your life come from within yourself and not from money or riches of the world.

In Chinese, there are a lot of four-character proverbs which express some very old philosophies.
Though there are only four characters on this scroll, in Chinese, the meanings often surpass the dictionary definition of each character.

In this case, you should not set your expectations too high for the money or riches you wish to have. One who sets their expectations too high is almost always disappointed. Instead, you should cherish what you have, seek to improve yourself from within, and not measure your worth by the size of your bank account.


See Also:  A Sly Rabbit Will Have Three Openings to Its Den

Brief and to the Point

Speak simply, while expressing your idea completely

 yán jiǎn yì gāi
Brief and to the Point Scroll

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.

Death Before Dishonor

Better to be broken jade than unbroken pottery

 níng wéi yù suì
Death Before Dishonor Scroll

寧為玉碎 is the short version of a longer Chinese proverb which means “rather be shattered piece of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery.”

寧為玉碎 says the “rather be a broken piece of jade” part (the second half is implied - everyone in China knows this idiom).

A little more explanation:
Death is implied with the “broken” meaning. Jade is one of the most precious materials in Chinese history, and in this case, is compared with one's honor and self-worth. Pottery is just something you eat off of; it has no deep value, just as a person who has lost their honor or had none to begin with.
Thus, this means “better to die with honor than to live in shame” or words to that effect.

This is often translated in English as “Death Before Dishonor,” the famous military slogan.

I would also compare this to the English proverb, “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

Death Before Dishonor

Better to be broken jade than unbroken pottery

 níng wéi yù suì bù wéi wǎ quán
Death Before Dishonor Scroll

寧為玉碎不為瓦全 is the long version of a Chinese proverb that means “rather be shattered piece of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery.”

A little more explanation:
Death is implied with the “broken” meaning. Jade is one of the most precious materials in Chinese history, and in this case, is compared with one's honor and self-worth. Pottery is just something you eat off of, it has no deep value, just as a person who has lost their honor, or had none to begin with.
Thus, this means “better to die with honor than to live in shame” or words to that effect.

寧為玉碎不為瓦全 is often translated in English as “Death Before Dishonor,” the famous military slogan.

I would also compare this to the English proverb, “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”


This is an idiom. It therefore doesn’t directly say exactly what it means. If you think about the English idiom, "The grass is always greener," it does not directly say "jealousy" or "envy" but everyone knows that it is implied.

 sāi sà ěr
Cesar Scroll

This is a 3-character transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin / Spanish name César.

I like this version better than the 2-character version, as this one is very close to the real sound of the name Cesar (both English and Spanish pronunciation).

Collaboration / Cooperation / Synergy

 xié tóng
 kyou dou
Collaboration / Cooperation / Synergy Scroll

協同 is a Japanese, Chinese, and Korean word that means to cooperate, in coordination with, coordinated, collaborate, collaboration, collaborative, doing together (as equals).

Some will also use this as a short way to express the western idea of synergy (collaboration for a better result). There's a longer word, 協同作用, that adds “action” to this word and more directly means synergy.

Daniel

Alternate form

 dān ní
Daniel Scroll

This is another common transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Daniel.

This version drops off the third character, so it sounds a bit more like Danny than Daniel. I think our main version of Daniel is better but this is a popular transliteration according to our research on Chinese Google.

Death Before Surrender

Rather die than compromise

 níng sǐ bù qū
Death Before Surrender Scroll

寧死不屈 is often translated as “Death Before Dishonor.”

The literal translation is more like, “Better die than compromise.” The last two characters mean “not to bend” or “not to bow down.” Some might even say that it means “not to surrender.” Thus, you could say this proverb means “Better to die than live on my knees” or simply “no surrender” (with the real idea being that you would rather die than surrender).

Death Before Surrender

 nìng sǐ bù xiáng
Death Before Surrender Scroll

寧死不降 is an ancient Chinese proverb that can be translated as “Rather die than surrender,” “Prefer death over surrender,” “To prefer death to surrender,” or simply “No surrender.”

This is probably the closest proverb to the English proverb “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

 kě wàng
Desire Scroll

This Chinese word can mean desirous, wishful, or desire.

The first character means to thirst for [something] or to be thirsty. The second character means to hope for, to expect, to gaze (into the distance), or to look for something. The combined meaning of these two characters changes a bit, but I think it's nice to know the individual meanings to give you a better understanding of where a word comes from.

Korean definitions of this word include craving, longing, and thirst for knowledge.

Destiny / Fate

 mìng yùn
Destiny / Fate Scroll

These two characters contain the ideas of fate, destiny, fortune, and luck.

You can also say that it means “what life throws at you” or “your lot in life” because the first character contains the idea of life or living.

This version is really only used in Chinese. There's another version with just the characters reversed that is more universal. In fact, skip this one. The opposite character order is better.

Divine Protection

 jiā hù
 ka go
Divine Protection Scroll

加護 is Japanese for “divine protection” or “the saving grace of God.”

Please consider this blessing to be Japanese only. This can have the same meaning in the context of Buddhism in Chinese, but it's also a nickname for “intensive care” at Chinese hospitals.

Note: My Japanese translator says this is not commonly used in Japanese. I added this because a customer asked for it. There is no better Japanese phrase to express this idea - so this is it if you want it.

Drinking the water of a well: One should never forget who dug it

 chī shuǐ bú wàng jué jǐng rén
Drinking the water of a well: One should never forget who dug it Scroll

This proverb suggests that one should always be grateful to those who helped one succeed.

And remember your ancestors and those that came before you whose sacrifices made your present life better.

Some Chinese will separate the intended meaning from this proverb and translate this as “Don't forget the people who once helped you.” In Modern China, this idiom is virtually never used to refer to an actual well.

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean but it's not a commonly used phrase.

Example is Better than Precept

 shēn jiào shèng yú yán jiào
Example is Better than Precept Scroll

Tell somebody how to do something and they might get it.
Show them how to do it, and they will master it in no time.

身教勝於言教 can also be translated as “Behavior teaches more than words.”


See Also:  Wisdom

Father and Son

 fù yù zǐ
Father and Son Scroll

父與子 is the simple term for “Father and Son.”

However, we like some of our other tribute phrases to fathers better than this one.

The one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one to retreats 100

The pot calls the kettle black

 wù shí bù xiào bǎi bù
The one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one to retreats 100 Scroll

五十步笑百步 is a Chinese proverb that means the one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one who retreats 100 paces.

During the Warring States Period of what is now China (475 - 221 B.C.), the King of Wei was in love with war. He often fought with other kingdoms just for spite or fun.

One day, the King of Wei asked the philosopher Mencius, “I love my people, and all say I do the best for them. I move the people from famine-stricken areas to places of plenty and transport grains from rich areas to the poor. Nobody goes hungry in my kingdom, and I treat my people far better than other kings. But why does the population of my kingdom not increase, and why does the population of other kingdoms not decrease?”

Mencius answered, “Since you love war, I will make this example: When going to war, and the drums beat to start the attack, some soldiers flee for their lives in fear. Some run 100 paces in retreat, and others run 50 steps. Then the ones who retreated 50 paces laugh and taunt those who retreated 100 paces, calling them cowards mortally afraid of death. Do you think this is reasonable?

The King of Wei answered, “Of course not! Those who run 50 paces are just as timid as those who run 100 paces.”

Mencius then said, “You are a king who treats his subjects better than other kings treat their people, but you are so fond of war that your people suffer from great losses in battle. Therefore, your population does not grow. While other kings allow their people to starve to death, you send your people to die in war. Is there any difference?”

This famous conversation led to the six-character proverb shown here. It serves as a warning to avoid hypocrisy. It goes hand-in-hand with the western phrase, “The pot calls the kettle black,” or the Biblical phrase, “Before trying to remove a splinter from your neighbor's eye, first remove the plank from your own eye.”

Filial Piety

 xiào
 kou
 
Filial Piety Scroll

孝 represents filial piety.

Some will define this in more common English as “respect for your parents and ancestors.”

孝 is a subject deeply emphasized by the ancient philosophy and teachings of Confucius.

Some have included this in the list for the Bushido, although generally not considered part of the 7 core virtues of the warrior.

Note: 孝 is not the best of meanings when seen as a single character. Some will read the single-character form to mean “missing my dead ancestors.” However, when written as part of Confucian tenets, or in the two-character word that means filial piety, the meaning is better or read differently (context is important for this character).

We suggest one of our other two-character filial piety entries instead of this one.

 líng huó xìng
Flexibility Scroll

靈活性 is a Chinese and Korean word that means flexibility or being open to change.

You consider others' ideas and feelings and don't insist on your own way. Flexibility gives you creative new ways to get things done. Flexibility helps you to keep changing for the better. 靈活性 could also be defined as having a “flexible nature.”


See Also:  Cooperation

Friend / Friendship

 péng
 tomo
 
Friend / Friendship Scroll

朋 is a simple way to say friend, companion, comrade, or pal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, or old Korean Hanja.

朋 is a very short form, so a longer two-character word for friendship might be better.

Note: In Japanese, this can also be the female given name, Yukari.

 yún zhě
 geisha
Geisha Scroll

芸者 is the real basis for the way we spell geisha.

However, there are many more ways to refer to a woman that fills the role that westerners think of when they hear the word geisha.

In Japanese, these characters literally mean “artful person.” But in English, it might be better translated as “a person (woman) highly trained/accomplished in the arts.”

However, my Japanese dictionary says “a singing and dancing girl.”

Many will argue as to whether “geisha” = “prostitute” or not. My Japanese friends seem to have the opinion that a geisha is so highly trained in the art of playing musical instruments and dancing that the fact she might also be a prostitute is secondary to her performance on stage.

芸者 is a “Japanese only” term, they use a slightly different first character to express “geisha” in Chinese. Since this is a Japanese term, I have not included the Chinese version.

God Is With You Always

 shàn dì zǒng shì yǔ nǐ tóng zài
God Is With You Always Scroll

I was going to write this phrase as “God is with me always” but as a wall scroll, hanging in your room, it is talking to you (you're not talking), so it works better with you.

上帝總是與你同在 is a nice phrase that any Chinese Christian would enjoy on his/her wall.

If I annotate this, it sounds a little strange in English but it's perfectly natural in Chinese:
上帝 God | 总是 always | 与 and | 你 you | 同 together | 在 existing

Good Good Study, Day Day Up

 hǎo hǎo xué xí tiān tiān xiàng shàng
Good Good Study, Day Day Up Scroll

好好學習天天向上 is a famous proverb by Chairman Mao Zedong that sounds really strange when directly translated into English.

I include it in our database of phrases to illustrate how different the construction and grammar can be between Chinese and English. The direct translation is “Good Good Study, Day Day Up.” In Chinese, a repeated character/word can often serve to reinforce the idea (like saying “very” or suggesting “a lot of”). So “good good” really means “a lot of good.” While “day day” can be better translated as “day in day out.” The idea of “up” has a meaning in China of “rising above” or “improving.”

After understanding all of this, we come up with a slightly better translation of “With a lot of good study, day in and day out, we raise above.”

The more natural translation of this proverb would be something like, “study hard, and keep improving.”

Grandmaster / Grand Master

 daishihan
Grandmaster / Grand Master Scroll

大師範 is a Japanese title for the master, grandmaster, or senior instructor.

This is a bit of an odd selection for a piece of calligraphy artwork, so proceed with caution. Better to find an appropriate phrase or title (such as the name of the martial art) and then add something like “Grandmaster Smith” as a smaller inscription down the side.

Double Happiness

(Happy wedding and marriage)

 xǐ
Double Happiness Scroll

囍 is a common gift for Chinese couples getting married or newly married couples.

As we say in the west, “Two heads are better than one” Well, in the east, two “happinesses” are certainly better than one.

Some will suggest this is a symbol of two happinesses coming together. Others see it as a multiplication of happiness because of the union or marriage.

囍 is not really a character that is pronounced very often - it's almost exclusively used in written form. However, if pressed, most Chinese people will pronounce this “shuang xi” (double happy) although literally there are two “xi” characters combined in this calligraphy (but nobody will say “xi xi”).

Double Happiness Portrait Red If you select this character, I strongly suggest the festive bright red paper for your calligraphy. Part of my suggestion comes from the fact that red is a good luck color in China, and this will add to the sentiment that you wish to convey with this scroll to the happy couple.

Humble / Modesty / Humility

 qiān xū
 ken kyo
Humble / Modesty / Humility Scroll

謙虚 is the most common way to say humble or modest in Japanese without a derogatory meaning (some other words suggest weakness, but this version holds a better humble meaning).

In Japanese, the first Kanji means self-effacing, humble oneself, and modesty. The second means void or emptiness.


See Also:  Moderation

Even The 100-Foot Bamboo Can Grow One More Foot

 bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìng yī bù
Even The 100-Foot Bamboo Can Grow One More Foot Scroll

百尺竿头更进一步 is a proverb that literally translates as: [Even a] one-hundred foot [tall] bamboo [can] progress even one [more] step.

Figuratively, this means: After having achieved a fair degree of success, one should try to do still better.

A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action

 yí dòng bù rú yí jìng
A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action Scroll

Sometimes 一動不如一靜 is translated by others as “Look before you leap” but the more accurate and direct translation is the one I used in the title.

While somewhat military in its origin, this proverb can apply to any situation where a decision needs to be made, but perhaps there are still some “unknowns.”

This phrase suggests that in our “action-based” world, sometimes the “smarter move” is “no move at all.”


See Also:  Better to Choose Nothing Rather Than Make a Poor Choice

Indomitable / Unyielding

 bù qū bù náo
 fu kutsu fu tou
Indomitable / Unyielding Scroll

不屈不撓 means “Indomitable” or “Unyielding.”

不屈不撓 is a long word by Chinese standards. At least, it is often translated as a single word into English. It's actually a proverb in Chinese.

If you want to break it down, you can see that the first and third characters are the same. Both mean “not” (they work as a suffix to make a negative or opposite meaning to whatever character follows).

The second character means “bendable.”

The last means “scratched” or “bothered.”

So this really means “Won't be bent, can't be bothered.” I have also seen it written as “Will not crouch, will not submit.” This comes from the fact that the second character can mean “to crouch” and the last can mean “to submit” (as in “to give in” such as “submitting to the rule of someone else”). This may explain better why these four characters mean “indomitable.”

Notes:
Some will translate this as “indomitable spirit”; however, technically, there is no character to suggest the idea of “spirit” in this word.
Other translations include indefatigability, indomitableness, or unremitting tenacity.

The first two characters can be stand-alone words in Chinese.
In Japanese, this is considered two words (with very similar meanings). It's more common to see the word order flipped to 不撓不屈 in Japanese.
The same characters are used in old Korean Hanja. Just like in Japanese, the words are swapped to 不撓不屈 creating a word pronounced “불요불굴” in Korean.


See 不撓不屈


See Also:  Tenacity | Fortitude | Strength | Undaunted

Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance

 biǎo zhuàng bù rú lǐ zhuàng
Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance Scroll

表壯不如里壯 literally translates as: [Better to be] strong inside than [to be] strong outside.

The ancient original meaning was:
[An] able [husband] outside [working to support a family is] not as good as [an] able [wife] inside [working and saving to take care of the family].

The current meaning is:
Inner strength is more important than outward appearance.

Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance

 naimen no tsuyosa ha gaiken no yosa ni masaru
Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance Scroll

内面の強さは外見の良さに勝る is a Japanese proverb that literally translates as “inner/internal strength/power [versus] outward-appearance [the] merit/virtue/good quality [does] excel/surpass/exceed/outweigh.”

More naturally in English, this would be “Inner Strength Outweighs Outward Appearance.”


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

 líng gǎn
 reikan
Inspiration Scroll

靈感 is the Chinese word closest to hitting the mark for the English word inspiration.

In a more extended context, I have even seen this translated as “brain wave.”

The first character means alert, departed soul, efficacious, quick, effective, or intelligent.
The second character means to feel, to move, to touch, or to affect.
The combined meaning of these two characters changes a bit, but I think it's nice to know the individual meanings to give you a better understanding of where a word comes from.

You could describe this word as “the thought that pops into your head just before you patent the greatest widget ever invented that everyone in the world will want.”
At least, that's the idea.

This term can also mean “intelligent thought” if you translate it directly from each character. If you are looking for inspiration or need to be inspired, this is the word for you.


霊When the first character was absorbed into Japanese from Chinese, an alternate form became the standard in Japan. The Kanji shown to the right is the form currently used in Japan. This is still considered an alternate form in China to this day. it’s readable by both Chinese and Japanese people but if your audience is Japanese, I recommend the Kanji shown to the right - just click on that Kanji to order that version.

Progress / Ambition

 shàng jìn
 joushin
Progress / Ambition Scroll

This Chinese and Japanese word means to make progress, to do better, ambition to improve oneself, to move forward, to advance.

This should be romanized as Joushin but is often romanized as Joshin from Japanese. It can also be a given name in Japanese.

Through the Ups and Downs of Life

 tóng gān gòng kǔ
Through the Ups and Downs of Life Scroll

同甘共苦 is a Chinese proverb that talks of “shared delights and common hardships.”

This can be translated and understood in a few different ways, including...
To share life's joys and sorrows.
For better or for worse.
Through joys and sorrows of life.
Through all life's ups and downs.
To go through thick and thin.
To stick together through thick and thin.
To share the joys and sorrows of life.
To share pleasures and pains.
To partake in each other's joys and sorrows.
To take “for better or for worse.”

Hardships and Joys

 shinsankanku
Hardships and Joys Scroll

辛酸甘苦 is a Japanese proverb that speaks of the “hardships and joys” of life.

Some other translations include:
Tasting the sweets and bitters of life.
Being well-versed in the ways of the world (having seen much of life).

This is the Japanese “for better or worse” when speaking of life.

Kai Zen / Kaizen

 gǎi shàn
 kai zen
Kai Zen / Kaizen Scroll

改善 means betterment, improvement, to make better, or to improve - specifically incremental and continuous improvement.

改善 became very important in post-war Japan when Edwards Deming came to Japan to teach concepts of incremental and continuous improvement (for which the big 3 auto-makers did not want to hear about at the time - even kicking Deming out of their offices). The Japanese workforce absorbed this concept when their culture was in flux and primed for change.

This kaizen term is closely associated with the western title “Total Quality Management.” Perhaps dear to my heart since I spent years studying this at university before I moved to China where TQM did not seem to exist. Slowly, this concept has entered China as well (I've actually given lectures on the subject in Beijing).

If you are trying to improve processes at your business or need to remind yourself of your continuous TQM goals, this would be a great wall scroll to hang behind your desk or in your workplace.


See Also:  Kansei

Kempo Karate / Law of the Fist Empty Hand

 kōng shǒu quán fǎ
 kara te ken pou
Kempo Karate / Law of the Fist Empty Hand Scroll

空手拳法 is the Kanji title for Kempo Karate.

The first two characters mean “karate” - technically they express “empty hand.”

The last two express “fist law” which is Romanized from Japanese as “Kenpo” or “Kempo.”

That “empty hand” translation can be understood better when you grasp the idea that karate is a martial art without weapons (other than the weapons organic to your body, such as your foot, hand, fist, etc). When you practice karate, you do so with empty hands (no weapons).

Note: There is also an antiquated way to write karate. It has the same pronunciation but a different first character which means “Tang” as in the Tang Dynasty. Some dojos use that form - let us know if you need that alternate form, and we'll add it.

Kensho Jobutsu - Enlightenment - Path to Buddha

 ken shou jou butsu
Kensho Jobutsu - Enlightenment - Path to Buddha Scroll

見性成仏 or Kenshō Jōbutsu is the initial enlightenment that leads to self-awareness, becoming Buddha, and the path to enter Nirvana.

Kenshō Jōbutsu is a complex concept in Japanese Buddhism. 見性成仏 is probably better translated as “Seeing one’s nature and becoming a Buddha.”


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Initial Enlightenment

Kindness / Caring

 qīn qiè
 shin setsu
Kindness / Caring Scroll

親切 is a Chinese/Japanese/Korean word that can also mean affectionate, cordial, warm, or close (emotionally).

Kindness shows you care and are doing some good to make life better for others. Be thoughtful about people's needs. Show love and compassion to someone who is sad or needs your help. When you are tempted to be cruel, to criticize or tease, decide to be kind instead.


See Also:  Love | Caring | Benevolence

 jí shàng
Kishan Scroll

This an alternate transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Kishan.

We like this one better because of the way it sounds, and the good meaning. 吉尚 is also a rare but real family name in Chinese culture.

 zhī zú
 chisoku
Contentment Scroll

知足 means content with one's situation or to know contentment (hence happiness).

From the Zen Buddhist context, Chisoku or 知足 (knowing what’s enough) means always to know and be satisfied with one’s lot.

Human pain and suffering are born of greed, and that greed arises because we do not know what’s enough.

The Chinese philosopher, Menzi (372-289 BCE) said, “to nourish the mind, there is nothing better than to make the desires few.” This relays the idea that the best method to cultivate the mind is to have little desire.

We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity?

 rén fēi shēng ér zhī zhī zhě shú néng wú huò
We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity? Scroll

This figuratively means “Without a teacher, how can we learn/mature?”

人非生而知之者熟能無惑 is a philosophic pondering by Han Yu, a Tang Dynasty essayist, and philosopher (618-907 A.D.). This is a Chinese proverb that can be translated as “Knowledge is not innate to man, how can we overcome doubt?” or, “We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity?.”

This infers that we need the guidance of a teacher if we wish to learn, mature, and become better.

Life Goes On

 shēng huó zài jì xù
Life Goes On Scroll

生活在繼續 means “No matter what happens, life goes on” or “For better or worse, life goes on.”

生活在繼續 is kind of modern Chinese proverb, but the meaning is generational.

生活 = to live; life; livelihood.
在 = (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress).
繼續 = to continue; to proceed with; to go on with.

 shī zǐ
 shishi
Lion Scroll

獅子 is how to write “lion” in Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja.

獅子 is also lion in Chinese, but more informal. The more literary title, 雄獅, would be better for Chinese calligraphy.

Loyalty / Devotion

 zhōng yì
 chuu gi
Loyalty / Devotion Scroll

忠義 is another form of loyalty or devotion.

In Chinese, this is more specifically about being loyal and devoted to your friends.

In Japanese, this is more often used to mean loyalty to your country or nation.

Except for the slight difference noted above between Japanese and Chinese, this word is understood universally in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja. It can also be used to describe devotion or fidelity.

It should be noted that this Kanji combination is being used less and less in modern Japan (this is a better choice if your audience is Chinese, though any Japanese person will clearly understand it).

 míng xiǎng
 mei sou
Meditation Scroll

This encompasses the idea of meditation.

It's also a term used to describe a deep form of daydreaming, exploring one's imagination, the act of contemplating, or the idea of contemplation. 冥想 is often associated with Buddhism; however, the word “Zen” in Japanese (or “Chan” in Chinese) is probably more commonly used (or better known in the west).


See Also:  Zen

Mercy / Compassion / Buddhist Loving Kindness

 cí bēi
 ji hi
Mercy / Compassion / Buddhist Loving Kindness Scroll

Besides the title above, 慈悲 can also be defined as clemency or lenience and sometimes the act of giving charity.

In the Buddhist context, it can be defined as “benevolence,” “loving-kindness and compassion,” or “mercy and compassion.”

This Buddhist virtue is perhaps the most important to employ in your life. All sentient beings that you encounter should be given your loving kindness. And trust me, however much you can give, it comes back. Make your life and the world a better place!

This Chinese/Japanese Buddhist term is the equivalent of Metta Karuna from Pali or Maitri Karuna from Sanskrit.

慈 can mean loving-kindness by itself.
悲 adds a component of sorrow, empathy, compassion, and sympathy for others.


See Also:  Benevolence

Mama / Mother / Mommy

 mā
 
Mama / Mother / Mommy Scroll

媽 is the oral way that most Chinese people refer to their mothers. Often, they will put this together twice (two of the same character in a row) to create a word that sounds like “Mama.” That's absolutely what little kids call their mothers in China. This Chinese “Mama” is the rough equivalent of “Mommy” in English. Beyond a certain age, Chinese will start to just say “Ma,” which is like saying “Mom.”

This entry is just here for a language lesson. This would make a strange wall scroll by Chinese standards. In Chinese, there are sometimes oral words that don't seem appropriate when written in calligraphy, and this is one of them. See our entry for “Loving Mother” for a better selection.


See Also:  Loving Mother | Family

Morality of Deed

 xíng dé
Morality of Deed Scroll

The idea of “morality of deed” goes along with 行德 or “wu de” (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).

Here, the first character is a representation of the actions or deeds that you engage in.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.

This translates better in English in the opposite order, as the Chinese order is literally “deed morality.”


See Also:  Morality of Mind | Martial Morality

Better Late Than Never

It's Never Too Late Too Mend

 wáng yáng bǔ láo yóu wèi wéi wǎn
Better Late Than Never Scroll

Long ago in what is now China, there were many kingdoms throughout the land. This time period is known as “The Warring States Period” by historians because these kingdoms often did not get along with each other.

Sometime around 279 B.C. the Kingdom of Chu was a large but not particularly powerful kingdom. Part of the reason it lacked power was the fact that the King was surrounded by “yes men” who told him only what he wanted to hear. Many of the King's court officials were corrupt and incompetent which did not help the situation.

The King was not blameless himself, as he started spending much of his time being entertained by his many concubines.

One of the King's ministers, Zhuang Xin, saw problems on the horizon for the Kingdom, and warned the King, “Your Majesty, you are surrounded by people who tell you what you want to hear. They tell you things to make you happy and cause you to ignore important state affairs. If this is allowed to continue, the Kingdom of Chu will surely perish, and fall into ruins.”

This enraged the King who scolded Zhuang Xin for insulting the country and accused him of trying to create resentment among the people. Zhuang Xin explained, “I dare not curse the Kingdom of Chu but I feel that we face great danger in the future because of the current situation.” The King was simply not impressed with Zhuang Xin's words.
Seeing the King's displeasure with him and the King's fondness for his court of corrupt officials, Zhuang Xin asked permission from the King that he may take leave of the Kingdom of Chu, and travel to the State of Zhao to live. The King agreed, and Zhuang Xin left the Kingdom of Chu, perhaps forever.

Five months later, troops from the neighboring Kingdom of Qin invaded Chu, taking a huge tract of land. The King of Chu went into exile, and it appeared that soon, the Kingdom of Chu would no longer exist.

The King of Chu remembered the words of Zhuang Xin and sent some of his men to find him. Immediately, Zhuang Xin returned to meet the King. The first question asked by the King was “What can I do now?”

Zhuang Xin told the King this story:

A shepherd woke one morning to find a sheep missing. Looking at the pen saw a hole in the fence where a wolf had come through to steal one of his sheep. His friends told him that he had best fix the hole at once. But the Shepherd thought since the sheep is already gone, there is no use fixing the hole.
The next morning, another sheep was missing. And the Shepherd realized that he must mend the fence at once. Zhuang Xin then went on to make suggestions about what could be done to reclaim the land lost to the Kingdom of Qin, and reclaim the former glory and integrity of the Kingdom of Chu.

The Chinese idiom shown above came from this reply from Zhuang Xin to the King of Chu almost 2,300 years ago.
It translates roughly into English as...
“Even if you have lost some sheep, it's never too late to mend the fence.”

This proverb, 亡羊补牢犹未为晚, is often used in modern China when suggesting in a hopeful way that someone change their ways, or fix something in their life. It might be used to suggest fixing a marriage, quitting smoking, or getting back on track after taking an unfortunate path in life among other things one might fix in their life.

I suppose in the same way that we might say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” in our western cultures to suggest that you can always start anew.

Note: This does have Korean pronunciation but is not a well-known proverb in Korean (only Koreans familiar with ancient Chinese history would know it). Best if your audience is Chinese.

No one knows a son better than the father

 zhī zǐ mò ruò fù
No one knows a son better than the father Scroll

知子莫若父 can be translated as “No one knows a son better than his father.”

This idiom is based on the idea that after spending many years together, family members know everything about each other. Better than anyone else, a father knows the qualities and shortcomings of his son.

If you are looking for something about “father and son,” this is probably the best selection.

While this is the original proverb (very old), others have been composed about various combinations of mothers, sons, daughters, and fathers. Let me know if you need a custom version.

 huò dá
 katsudatsu
Optimistic Scroll

Beyond optimistic, 豁達 can also be defined as sanguine; magnanimous; open-minded; openhearted; broad-minded.

豁達 is appropriate if you are, or want to be, the kind of person who is not bothered by the little things or minor troubles of life. This signifies a person who always feels things will get better. This is great for the person who figuratively sees a window of opportunity opening even as a door closes.


While a valid word in Japanese, this is kind of antiquated, and not in common use in modern Japan.

Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body

 téng tòng jiù shì shuāi ruò lí nǐ ér qù de shí hòu
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body Scroll

I remember this being shouted a lot during U.S. Marine Corps boot camp. 疼痛就是衰弱離你而去的時候 is how to write that phrase in Chinese. At least, this is as close as we could compose/translate it, and hold the full original meaning and connotations.

The version shown here is really, “Pain is weakness leaving your body.” Although it's said in English both ways (the or your), it works better in Chinese with “your.”

 gù zhí
 koshuu
Persistence Scroll

固執 can also mean “opinionated” or “stubborn” in Chinese and Japanese, but in the nicest way possible (still bad).

This just means “stubborn” in Korean (not a good scroll if your audience is Korean, in fact, we don't recommend this word at all). There are better ways to express this idea, such as tenacity/tenacious or perseverance... ...see the links below...


See Also:  Tenacious | Fortitude | Perseverance

Preparation Yields No Fear or Worries

 yǒu bèi wú huàn
Preparation Yields No Fear or Worries Scroll

有備無患 means “When you are well-prepared, you have nothing to fear.”

Noting that the third character means “no” or “without” and modifies the last... The last character can mean misfortune, troubles, worries, or fears. It could even be stretched to mean sickness. Therefore you can translate this proverb in a few ways. I've also seen it translated as “Preparedness forestalls calamities.”

有備無患 is comparable to the English idiom, “Better safe than sorry,” but does not directly/literally mean this.

Better to sacrifice your life than your principles

 shě shēng qǔ yì
Better to sacrifice your life than your principles Scroll

捨生取義 is a Chinese proverb that comes from the philosopher Mencius.

It can be translated in a few different ways:
To give up life for righteousness.
To choose honor over life
Better to sacrifice one's life than one's principles.

Progress Day by Day

 rì jiàn
Progress Day by Day Scroll

This Chinese word means to progress, increase, or change day by day.

It suggests something getting better one day at a time or with each passing day.

 fán róng
 hanei
Prosperity Scroll

繁栄 is the same “prosperity” as the Traditional Chinese version, except for a slight change in the way the second character is written (it's the Japanese Kanji deviation from the original/ancient Chinese form).

Chinese people will still be able to read this, though you should consider this to be the Japanese form (better if your audience is Japanese).

繁
荣

Sometimes, the Kanji form shown to the right is used in Japanese. It will depend on the calligrapher's mood as to which form you may receive. If you have a preference, please let us know at the time of your order.

Prosperity

(also means salary)

 lù
 fuchi
 
Prosperity Scroll

祿 is occasionally used in China to mean prosperity or good fortune.
祿 once meant the “official's salary” in old feudal China and Korea (obviously, the officials lived well, so you can imagine how this was associated with the idea of being prosperous).

祿 is only used in Korean historical documents for “salary.” In old Japanese, this means fief, allowance, stipend, reward, pension, grant, and sometimes happiness depending on context. It's very obscure in modern Japanese.

We have other entries that are better suited for a prosperity wall scroll. This entry just addresses “the coffee cup issue” where this character has been used on coffee cups and tee-shirts. However, without context, the meaning is ambiguous to some.

Push or Knock

To weigh one's words

 fǎn fù tuī qiāo
Push or Knock Scroll

During the Tang Dynasty, a man named Jia Dao (born in the year 779), a well-studied scholar and poet, went to the capital to take the imperial examination.

One day as he rides a donkey through the city streets, a poem begins to form in his mind. A portion of the poem comes into his head like this:

“The bird sits on the tree branch near a pond,
A monk approaches and knocks at the gate...”


At the same time, he wondered if the word “push” would be better than “knock” in his poem.

As he rides down the street, he imagines the monk pushing or knocking. Soon he finds himself making motions of pushing and shaking a fist in a knocking motion as he debates which word to use. He is quite a sight as he makes his way down the street on his donkey with hands and fists flying about as the internal debate continues.

As he amuses people along the street, he becomes completely lost in his thoughts and does not see the mayor's procession coming in the opposite direction. Jia Bao is blocking the way for the procession to continue down the road, and the mayor's guards immediately decide to remove Jia Bao by force. Jia Bao, not realizing that he was in the way, apologizes, explains his poetic dilemma and awaits his punishment for blocking the mayor's way.

The mayor, Han Yu, a scholar and author of prose himself, finds himself intrigued by Jia Dao's poem and problem. Han Yu gets off his horse and addresses Jia Bao, stating, “I think knock is better.” The relieved Jia Bao raises his head and is invited by the mayor to join the procession, and are seen riding off together down the street, exchanging their ideas and love of poetry.

In modern Chinese, this 反復推敲 idiom is used when someone is trying to decide which word to use in their writing or when struggling to decide between two things when neither seems to have a downside.

 léi méng nà
Ramona Scroll

雷蒙娜 is the most common transliteration for the name Ramona.

However, I like 拉蒙娜 better (a bit closer in pronunciation).

Respect and Loyalty

 zūn jìng zhōng chéng
 son kei chu sei
Respect and Loyalty Scroll

尊敬忠誠 means respect and loyalty in Chinese.

This is a word list (not a normal Chinese or Japanese phrase).

Word lists like this are not very common or natural in Chinese, so try to look for a better phrase to match your idea before you settle on this.

Seeing is Believing

 bǎi wén bù rú yí jiàn
Seeing is Believing Scroll

百聞不如一見 is a proverb that means “Better to see something once rather than hear about it one hundred times” or “Telling me about something 100 times is not as good as seeing it once.”

In English, we have the similar proverb of “Seeing is believing” but this has a bit of the “A picture paints a thousand words” meaning too.

Sometimes it's simply more prudent to verify with your own eyes.

Seeing is Believing

 hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu
Seeing is Believing Scroll

百聞は一見に如かず is the Japanese version of an ancient Chinese proverb that means “Seeing once is better than hearing one hundred times.”

It is the rough equivalent of “seeing is believing,” “one eye-witness is better than many hearsays,” or “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Sometimes it's simply more prudent to verify with your own eyes.


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


See Also:  Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once

Self-Respect / Self-Esteem

 zì zūn
 jison
Self-Respect / Self-Esteem Scroll

自尊 means self-respect or self-esteem in Chinese, Korean and Japanese. It can also mean “pride in oneself.”

Note: Japanese sometimes put the character for the heart after these two. However, this two-character word is universal between all three languages (which is often better since more than a third of the world's population can read this version as a native word).

Selflessness

 wú wǒ
 muga
Selflessness Scroll

無我 is a more common way to say selflessness in Japanese. This literally means “no self,” or a better translation might be “not thinking of oneself.” 無我 is also understood in Chinese and Korean. 無我 is a very old word in CJK languages.

無我 is the word a Buddhist would use to express the idea of selflessness or unselfishness. For Korean Buddhists, it can mean self-renunciation.


See Also:  Altruism

Shinobi / Ninja Outcast

 shino-bi
Shinobi / Ninja Outcast Scroll

忍び (Shinobi) is a term often associated with ninjas of ancient Japan.

忍び really means stealing (into), a spy, a sneaking thief, stealth, or a surreptitious visit to a house of ill repute. However, 忍び is sometimes used to refer to an outcast ninja.

This term was somehow given a better report when various video games, TV series, and even a movie came out with this Shinobi title.

忍び are sometimes Romanized as two words: Shin obi or Shin-obi.

Note: The first character can be written as 忍 or 忍.

Chinese or Korean Army General

 jiāng jūn
 shougun
Chinese or Korean Army General Scroll

將軍 is the more Chinese and Korean Hanja version or General.

There is a slight variation in the way the first character is written compared to the Japanese Shogun (将軍) title. So if you want to specifically refer to a Chinese or Korean General, this is the way. Japanese people would still easily identify this as “shogun.”

Note: This term is also used for Admiral in Korean in a certain context (if you need a better title for Admiral, just let me know).

Soldier / Private

 shì bīng
Soldier / Private Scroll

士兵 means “Soldier” but more specifically, a rank-and-file soldier (a private or troop - you could say a ground-pounder). Our other entry for “solider / serviceman” is probably better for a wall scroll (since someday, you will be promoted).

Note: In Japanese, they use these characters in the opposite order to create the same meaning word. In that order, it's pronounced “heishi” in Japanese. Just let us know if you want it in Japanese Kanji order when you place your order.

Strength: Strong and Solid

 qiáng gù
 kyouko
Strength: Strong and Solid Scroll

強固 means firmness, stability, security, and strength in Japanese.

It's not used commonly in China, but it means “powerful,” “firm,” “solid,” “strong,” or “better than others” in Chinese. There is a slight variation in the top of the first character between Chinese and Japanese. Because this is more of a Japanese word, we are showing the Japanese form here.

強固 is also a Korean word, but Korean Hanja uses the Chinese form of the first character (one tiny stroke is a little different), so just let me know if your audience is Korean when you place your order, and we'll have it written in the Chinese/Korean version.

Strong / Powerful / Force

 qiáng
 kyou
 
Strong / Powerful / Force Scroll

強 is a character that means strong, strength, force, powerful, better, stubborn, and stiff (yes, all of this in one character).

This “strong” has less to do with physical strength and more to do with having a winning attitude, or just having the ability to win at something.

Note that most of the time, this character is pronounced “qiang” but when used with the meaning of stubborn, unyielding, or stiff, it is pronounced “jiang” in Chinese.

Also, sometimes “qiang” is used in modern Chinese to describe people that do crazy things (For example: Bicycling from Beijing to Tibet alone). I sometimes can be found outside my Beijing apartment wearing nothing but shorts and a tee-shirt while eating ice cream during a snow storm, just to hear my neighbors call me “qiang.” Maybe they mean “strong” but perhaps they are using the new meaning of “crazy strong.”

強 can also be a Chinese surname that romanizes as Jiang in the mainland or Chiang if from Taiwan.

強 is a valid Korean Hanja character with the same meaning but is mostly used in compound Korean words.

強 is used in Japanese (though normally in compound words). In Japanese, it has the same meaning but in some contexts can mean “a little more than...” or “a little over [some amount].” Most Japanese would read this as tough, strength, stiff, hard, inflexible, obstinate, or stubborn.

The variant 彊 is sometimes seen in older literature.

Summer Season

 xià
 natsu
 
Summer Season Scroll

夏 is the word/character used to describe the Summer season in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

If your name is Summer, I like this character better than transliterating a few characters together to make something that sounds like “summer.”

Sun Wukong / Son Goku

Monkey King

 sūn wù kōng
 son go kuu
Sun Wukong / Son Goku Scroll

孫悟空 is the name Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. He is the main character with supernatural powers in the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West.

This title is also known as the real name of the Monkey King in Japanese. This can also be the Son Goku, better known as simply Goku, a fictional character of the Dragon Ball Japanese manga series.

 xìng cún zhě
Survivor Scroll

倖存者 is the most common way to express “survivor” in Chinese. It literally means “lucky/fortunate surviving person.”

倖存者 is kind of an odd selection for a wall scroll, but there is no better way to say survivor in Chinese calligraphy.

The More We Sweat in Training, The Less We Bleed in Battle

 píng shí duō liú hàn zhàn shí shǎo liú xuè
The More We Sweat in Training, The Less We Bleed in Battle Scroll

There is more than one way to translate the ancient Chinese military proverb, 平时多流汗战时少流血. Here are a few interpretations:

A drop of sweat spent in a drill is a drop of blood saved in war.

More practice will give one a better chance of success in real situations.

The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.

I heard this many times when I was a U.S. Marine but I had no idea at the time that it was actually an old Chinese proverb.


See Also:  Blood Sweat and Tears

Tang Soo Do Tenets

 lián chǐ jīng jìn rěn nài zūn shǒu kè jǐ qiān xùn bǎi zhé bù qū
Tang Soo Do Tenets Scroll

廉耻精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈 are the tenets of Tang Soo Do.

EnglishOld HanjaModern HangulPronunciation
1. Integrity廉耻렴치 or 염치yeom ci
2. Concentration精進정진jeong jin
3. Perseverance忍耐인내in nae
4. Respect & Obedience遵守준수jun su
5. Self-Control克己극기geug gi
6. Humility謙遜겸손gyeom son
7. Indomitable Spirit百折不屈백절불굴baeg jeor bur gur

After some research, it appears this list was compiled in English based on Taekwondo tenets. We filled in a few of the words that did not have a corresponding Hanja or Hangul. If someone else has a better list with characters included, please contact me.

Tathata / Ultimate Nature of All Things

 zhēn rú
 shinnyo
Tathata / Ultimate Nature of All Things Scroll

真如 comes from the Sanskrit and Pali word often romanized as “tathata” or “tathatā.” Originally written, “तथता.”

It's a Buddhist term often translated as “thusness” or “suchness,” but this does not explain it.
A better explanation may be “the ultimate nature of all things” or “ultimate truth.” However, this gives it too strong of a feeling. This concept is sometimes described as being in awe of the simple nature of something - like a blade of grass blowing in the wind or ripples on water. It is what it is supposed to be, these things follow their nature. Amazing in their mundane simplicity.

Every sect of Buddhism will have a slightly different flavor or explanation, so don't get fixated on one definition.


Notes: Sometimes Buddhists use the word dharmatā, a synonym to tathatā.

In Japan, this can also be the female given name Mayuki, or the surname Majo.

Tenacious / Tenacity

 wán qiáng
 gan kyou
Tenacious / Tenacity Scroll

頑強 means “Tenacious,” “Hard to Defeat,” or “Dogged.”

Alone, the first character means mischievous, obstinate, or stubborn. But it loses some of the mischievous meaning when the second character is added.

The second character means strength, force, power, or better.


See Also:  Determination | Dedication | Devotion | Never Give Up

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.

Value of Warrior Generals

 bīng zài jīng ér bú zài duō jiàng zài móu ér bú zài yǒng
Value of Warrior Generals Scroll

兵在精而不在多將在謀而不在勇 is a proverb that informs how it is better to have warriors of quality, rather than just a large quantity of warriors in your army/force.

This literally means: [Just as] warriors [are valued for their] quality and not [just] for quantity, [so] generals [are valued] for their tactics, not [just] for [their] bravery.


See Also:  兵在精而不在多

Warriors: Quality Over Quantity

 bīng zài jīng ér bú zài duō
Warriors: Quality Over Quantity Scroll

兵在精而不在多 is a Chinese proverb that means: [The value of] soldiers/warriors lies in [their] quality, not [just] in [their] quantity.

In simple terms, this says that regarding warriors, quality is better than quantity.

Most tacticians will agree that this can aid in the factor known as “force multiplication.” Having good troops of high morale, excellent training, and good discipline is like having a force that is three times larger.


See Also:  兵在精

A Traditional Warm Welcome

 huān yíng guāng lín
A Traditional Warm Welcome Scroll

歡迎光臨 would be the ultimate Chinese “welcome mat.” Except it will be on your wall, and people will not step on it.

In a somewhat literal translation, you could say it means “I feel happy as I welcome you, as you have brought a shining light to this place with your arrival,” or more simply, “I am happy you've come as your presents brightens up the place.”

It has become common for this greeting to be announced by the staff upon the arrival of any customer into a fancy store in China. You will also see these characters on the “welcome mats” in front of 4 and 5-star hotels in China.

Having this on a wall scroll is an extra nice touch. I have seen a few horizontal scrolls with this phrase on the wall behind the reception desk of better hotels or near the front door of fine shops. At the fanciest department stores and restaurants in China, several greeters (almost always young women) will stand by the front door, all wearing sashes with this phrase embroidered. As you walk in, they will bow and say “huan ying guang lin” to welcome you to the establishment.

Note: The first two and last two characters do make words in Korean Hanja but are seldom used as a sentence like this in Korean.

Win / Victory

 shèng
 shou
 
Win / Victory Scroll

勝 is a single character that means to win or be victorious.

This can also be translated: To overcome; success; to beat; to defeat; to surpass; superior to; to get the better of; better than; surpassing; superb.

In another context, this can mean beautiful (scenery); scenic spot; or scenic beauty.

In Taiwanese Mandarin, this can be pronounced with the first tone (sheng1) and mean: Able to bear; equal to (a task).

In Japan, this can also be the name Masaru.

In Korea, this has the same meaning but can also be the surname Sŭng.

You must endure a harsh winter to appreciate the warmth of springtime

You must know hardship to appreciate happiness

 bù jīng dōng hán bù zhī chūn nuǎn
You must endure a harsh winter to appreciate the warmth of springtime Scroll

This literally translates as: Without having experienced the cold of winter, one cannot appreciate the warmth of spring.

Figuratively, this means: One cannot truly appreciate happiness without having gone through hardship.

There are many contrasts in life. One simply cannot fully know what joy is without having experienced misery, difficulty, and pain. How could you explain “light” if you did not have “darkness” to compare it to?

Embrace hardship, as it makes the good times seem even better.

Aries Zodiac Symbol / Sign

(Alternate / Chinese)

 bái yáng zuò
Aries Zodiac Symbol / Sign Scroll

白羊座 is an alternate Chinese way to write Aries (ram) from western astrology.

I don't believe it is used at all in Japanese, so the other version is probably better or at least more universal.


See Also:  Chinese Zodiac

Capricorn Zodiac Symbol / Sign

(Alternate / Chinese)

 mó jié zuò
Capricorn Zodiac Symbol / Sign Scroll

摩羯座 is an alternate Chinese way to write Capricorn (horned goat) from western astrology.

I don't believe it is used at all in Japanese, so the other version is probably better or at least more universal.


See Also:  Chinese Zodiac

 sān sù sì
Betelgeuse Scroll

參宿四 is the title for Betelgeuse (star in the constellation Orion) in Chinese.

Also known as “α Orionis” (Alpha Orionis), Alpha Ori, or in Japan the Heike-boshi or Heike-star.

Note: 参宿 (Shēn Xiù) is the name given by ancient Chinese astronomers for a constellation of three stars (the three naked-eye visible belt stars of Orion). Therefore, 參宿四 means the Fourth Star of the constellation of Three Stars (which sounds like a joke). As telescopes got better, it should be noted that there are actually 10 stars in the constellation.

Dana: Almsgiving and Generosity

 bù shī
 fuse
Dana: Almsgiving and Generosity Scroll

布施 is the Buddhist practice of giving known as Dāna or दान from Pali and Sanskrit.

Depending on the context, this can be alms-giving, acts of charity, or offerings (usually money) to a priest for reading sutras or teachings.

Some will put Dāna in these two categories:
1. The pure or unsullied charity, which looks for no reward here but only in the hereafter.
2. The sullied almsgiving whose object is personal benefit.
The first kind is, of course, the kind that a liberated or enlightened person will pursue.

Others will put Dāna in these categories:
1. Worldly or material gifts.
2. Unworldly or spiritual gifts.

You can also separate Dāna into these three kinds:
1. 財布施 Goods such as money, food, or material items.
2. 法布施 Dharma, as an act to teach or bestow the Buddhist doctrine onto others.
3. 無畏布施 Courage, as an act of facing fear to save someone or when standing up for someone or standing up for righteousness.

The philosophies and categorization of Dāna will vary among various monks, temples, and sects of Buddhism.

Breaking down the characters separately:
(sometimes written ) means to spread out or announce, but also means cloth. In ancient times, cloth or robs were given to the Buddhist monks annually as a gift of alms - I need to do more research, but I believe there is a relationship here.
means to grant, to give, to bestow, to act, to carry out, and by itself can mean Dāna as a single character.

Dāna can also be expressed as 檀那 (pronounced “tán nà” in Mandarin and dan-na or だんな in Japanese). 檀那 is a transliteration of Dāna. However, it has colloquially come to mean some unsavory or unrelated things in Japanese. So, I think 布施 is better for calligraphy on your wall to remind you to practice Dāna daily (or whenever possible).

Beautiful Woman Proverb

 chén yú luò yàn
 chin gyo raku gan
Beautiful Woman Proverb Scroll

沈魚落雁 is an old proverb that literally means “fish sink, goose alights.”

...But this takes some explaining. This is a proverb from Zhuangzi (莊子), who lived in the late 4th century BC.

This figuratively refers to female beauty that is so captivating that even the birds and beasts take notice.

Perhaps a better and more accurate way to describe this is to say that it speaks of the charms of a uniquely beautiful woman who is so beautiful that fish stay on the bottom of the water and flying wild geese fall from the sky in shame.

This proverb is so famous that it is also known and used in Japan (same characters, different pronunciation).


Note: This can also be written 沉魚落雁 instead of 沈魚落雁 (just the first character varies slightly).

 mǐ kē
Mico Scroll

米科 is the name Mico in Chinese (Mandarin).

This is the most common version, but I like 米扣 better because the “co” part has a true “oh” sound.

 māo shén
 neko gami
Nekogami Scroll

貓神 is the title Nekogami or “Cat God” in Japanese.

This can also be pronounced “neko shin” or “neko kami.”

猫神 is the modern Japanese version, before WWII, this would have been written 貓神 (just the first Kanji varies).

This also makes sense in Chinese, though the traditional version, 貓神, would be better for Chinese calligraphy.

Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once

 bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn
Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once Scroll

百聞不如一見 is a Chinese proverb that means “Seeing once is better than hearing one hundred times” which is similar to the idea of “Seeing is believing.”

You can also get the idea, “Seeing for oneself is better than hearing from many others.”

If you break it down directly, you get “100 hears/listens (is) not as-good (as) one sight.”

It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war

 huā yuán lǐ de zhàn shì hǎo guò zhàn chǎng shàng de yuán dīng huā yuán lǐ de zhàn shì hǎo guò zhàn chǎng shàng de yuán dīng ài wēng huā yuán lǐ de zhàn shì hǎo guò zhàn chǎng shàng de yuán dīng
It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war Scroll

花園里的戰士好過戰場上的園丁 is the Chinese for the phrase, “It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”

This proverb is purported to come from the following exchange:

A student approaches his samurai master and says,
“Teacher, you instruct me how to fight, yet you preach to me about peace. How do I reconcile the two?”
The samurai responds,
“Because it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”




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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
Always Try to do Better更に上を目指すsara ni ue o me za su
saraniueomezasu
Ambitious
To Improve Oneself
上進
上进
jou shin / joushin / jo shinshàng jìn
shang4 jin4
shang jin
shangjin
shang chin
shangchin
Sun Tzu - Art of War孫子兵法
孙子兵法
son shi hyou hou
sonshihyouhou
son shi hyo ho
sūn zǐ bīng fǎ
sun1 zi3 bing1 fa3
sun zi bing fa
sunzibingfa
sun tzu ping fa
suntzupingfa
Aryan雅利安yǎ lì ān
ya3 li4 an1
ya li an
yalian
Beautiful Woman美麗的女人
美丽的女人
měi lì de nǚ rén
mei3 li4 de nv3 ren2
mei li de nv ren
meilidenvren
mei li te nü jen
meilitenüjen
Bestshizhì / zhi4 / zhichih
Better to Choose Nothing, Rather than Make a Poor Choice寧缺毋濫
宁缺毋滥
nìng quē wú làn
ning4 que1 wu2 lan4
ning que wu lan
ningquewulan
ning ch`üeh wu lan
ningchüehwulan
ning chüeh wu lan
Better to be Happy than Rich安貧樂道
安贫乐道
ān pín lè dào
an1 pin2 le4 dao4
an pin le dao
anpinledao
an p`in le tao
anpinletao
an pin le tao
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
Death Before Dishonor寧為玉碎
宁为玉碎
níng wéi yù suì
ning2 wei2 yu4 sui4
ning wei yu sui
ningweiyusui
ning wei yü sui
ningweiyüsui
Death Before Dishonor寧為玉碎不為瓦全
宁为玉碎不为瓦全
níng wéi yù suì bù wéi wǎ quán
ning2 wei2 yu4 sui4 bu4 wei2 wa3 quan2
ning wei yu sui bu wei wa quan
ningweiyusuibuweiwaquan
ning wei yü sui pu wei wa ch`üan
ning wei yü sui pu wei wa chüan
Cesar塞薩爾
塞萨尔
sāi sà ěr
sai4 sa4 er3
sai sa er
saisaer
sai sa erh
saisaerh
Collaboration
Cooperation
Synergy
協同
协同
kyou dou / kyoudou / kyo doxié tóng / xie2 tong2 / xie tong / xietonghsieh t`ung / hsiehtung / hsieh tung
Daniel丹尼dān ní / dan1 ni1 / dan ni / dannitan ni / tanni
Death Before Surrender寧死不屈
宁死不屈
níng sǐ bù qū
ning2 si3 bu4 qu1
ning si bu qu
ningsibuqu
ning ssu pu ch`ü
ningssupuchü
ning ssu pu chü
Death Before Surrender寧死不降
宁死不降
nìng sǐ bù xiáng
ning4 si3 bu4 xiang2
ning si bu xiang
ningsibuxiang
ning ssu pu hsiang
ningssupuhsiang
Desire渴望kě wàng / ke3 wang4 / ke wang / kewangk`o wang / kowang / ko wang
Destiny
Fate
命運
命运
mìng yùn / ming4 yun4 / ming yun / mingyunming yün / mingyün
Divine Protection加護
加护
ka go / kagojiā hù / jia1 hu4 / jia hu / jiahuchia hu / chiahu
Drinking the water of a well: One should never forget who dug it吃水不忘掘井人chī shuǐ bú wàng jué jǐng rén
chi1 shui3 bu2 wang4 jue2 jing3 ren2
chi shui bu wang jue jing ren
chishuibuwangjuejingren
ch`ih shui pu wang chüeh ching jen
chih shui pu wang chüeh ching jen
Example is Better than Precept身教勝於言教
身教胜于言教
shēn jiào shèng yú yán jiào
shen1 jiao4 sheng4 yu2 yan2 jiao1
shen jiao sheng yu yan jiao
shenjiaoshengyuyanjiao
shen chiao sheng yü yen chiao
Father and Son父與子
父与子
fù yù zǐ
fu4 yu4 zi3
fu yu zi
fuyuzi
fu yü tzu
fuyützu
The one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one to retreats 100五十步笑百步wù shí bù xiào bǎi bù
wu4 shi2 bu4 xiao4 bai3 bu4
wu shi bu xiao bai bu
wushibuxiaobaibu
wu shih pu hsiao pai pu
wushihpuhsiaopaipu
Filial Pietykou / koxiào / xiao4 / xiaohsiao
Flexibility靈活性
灵活性
líng huó xìng
ling2 huo2 xing4
ling huo xing
linghuoxing
ling huo hsing
linghuohsing
Friend
Friendship
tomopéng / peng2 / pengp`eng / peng
Geisha芸者geishayún zhě / yun2 zhe3 / yun zhe / yunzheyün che / yünche
God Is With You Always上帝總是與你同在
上帝总是与你同在
shàn dì zǒng shì yǔ nǐ tóng zài
shan4 di4 zong3 shi4 yu3 ni3 tong2 zai4
shan di zong shi yu ni tong zai
shandizongshiyunitongzai
shan ti tsung shih yü ni t`ung tsai
shan ti tsung shih yü ni tung tsai
Good Good Study, Day Day Up好好學習天天向上
好好学习天天向上
hǎo hǎo xué xí tiān tiān xiàng shàng
hao3 hao3 xue2 xi2 tian1 tian1 xiang4 shang4
hao hao xue xi tian tian xiang shang
hao hao hsüeh hsi t`ien t`ien hsiang shang
hao hao hsüeh hsi tien tien hsiang shang
Grandmaster
Grand Master
大師範daishihan
Double Happiness
喜喜
xǐ / xi3 / xihsi
Humble
Modesty
Humility
謙虚ken kyo / kenkyoqiān xū / qian1 xu1 / qian xu / qianxuch`ien hsü / chienhsü / chien hsü
Even The 100-Foot Bamboo Can Grow One More Foot百尺竿頭更進一步
百尺竿头更进一步
bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìng yī bù
bai3 chi3 gan1 tou2 geng4 jing4 yi1 bu4
bai chi gan tou geng jing yi bu
baichigantougengjingyibu
pai ch`ih kan t`ou keng ching i pu
pai chih kan tou keng ching i pu
A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action一動不如一靜
一动不如一静
yí dòng bù rú yí jìng
yi2 dong4 bu4 ru2 yi2 jing4
yi dong bu ru yi jing
yidongburuyijing
i tung pu ju i ching
itungpujuiching
Indomitable
Unyielding
不屈不撓
不屈不挠
fu kutsu fu tou
fukutsufutou
fu kutsu fu to
bù qū bù náo
bu4 qu1 bu4 nao2
bu qu bu nao
buqubunao
pu ch`ü pu nao
puchüpunao
pu chü pu nao
Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance表壯不如里壯
表壮不如里壮
biǎo zhuàng bù rú lǐ zhuàng
biao3 zhuang4 bu4 ru2 li3 zhuang4
biao zhuang bu ru li zhuang
biaozhuangburulizhuang
piao chuang pu ju li chuang
piaochuangpujulichuang
Inner Strength is Better than Outward Appearance内面の強さは外見の良さに勝るnaimen no tsuyosa ha gaiken no yosa ni masaru
Inspiration靈感
灵感
reikanlíng gǎn / ling2 gan3 / ling gan / lingganling kan / lingkan
Progress
Ambition
上進
上进
joushin / joshinshàng jìn
shang4 jin4
shang jin
shangjin
shang chin
shangchin
Through the Ups and Downs of Life同甘共苦tóng gān gòng kǔ
tong2 gan1 gong4 ku3
tong gan gong ku
tonggangongku
t`ung kan kung k`u
tungkankungku
tung kan kung ku
Hardships and Joys辛酸甘苦shinsankanku
Kai Zen
Kaizen
改善kai zen / kaizengǎi shàn / gai3 shan4 / gai shan / gaishankai shan / kaishan
Kempo Karate
Law of the Fist Empty Hand
空手拳法kara te ken pou
karatekenpou
kara te ken po
kōng shǒu quán fǎ
kong1 shou3 quan2 fa3
kong shou quan fa
kongshouquanfa
k`ung shou ch`üan fa
kungshouchüanfa
kung shou chüan fa
Kensho Jobutsu - Enlightenment - Path to Buddha見性成佛
見性成仏
ken shou jou butsu
kenshoujoubutsu
ken sho jo butsu
Kindness
Caring
親切
亲切
shin setsu / shinsetsuqīn qiè / qin1 qie4 / qin qie / qinqiech`in ch`ieh / chinchieh / chin chieh
Kishan吉尚jí shàng / ji2 shang4 / ji shang / jishangchi shang / chishang
Contentment知足chisokuzhī zú / zhi1 zu2 / zhi zu / zhizuchih tsu / chihtsu
We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity?人非生而知之者熟能無惑rén fēi shēng ér zhī zhī zhě shú néng wú huò
ren2 fei1 sheng1 er2 zhi1 zhi1 zhe3 shu2 neng2 wu2 huo4
ren fei sheng er zhi zhi zhe shu neng wu huo
jen fei sheng erh chih chih che shu neng wu huo
Life Goes On生活在繼續
生活在继续
shēng huó zài jì xù
sheng1 huo2 zai4 ji4 xu4
sheng huo zai ji xu
shenghuozaijixu
sheng huo tsai chi hsü
shenghuotsaichihsü
Lion獅子
狮子
shishishī zǐ / shi1 zi3 / shi zi / shizishih tzu / shihtzu
Loyalty
Devotion
忠義
忠义
chuu gi / chuugi / chu gizhōng yì / zhong1 yi4 / zhong yi / zhongyichung i / chungi
Meditation冥想mei sou / meisou / mei somíng xiǎng
ming2 xiang3
ming xiang
mingxiang
ming hsiang
minghsiang
Mercy
Compassion
Buddhist Loving Kindness
慈悲ji hi / jihicí bēi / ci2 bei1 / ci bei / cibeitz`u pei / tzupei / tzu pei
Mama
Mother
Mommy

mā / ma1 / ma
Morality of Deed行德xíng dé / xing2 de2 / xing de / xingdehsing te / hsingte
Better Late Than Never亡羊補牢猶未為晚
亡羊补牢犹未为晚
wáng yáng bǔ láo yóu wèi wéi wǎn
wang2 yang2 bu3 lao2 you2 wei4 wei2 wan3
wang yang bu lao you wei wei wan
wang yang pu lao yu wei wei wan
wangyangpulaoyuweiweiwan
No one knows a son better than the father知子莫若父zhī zǐ mò ruò fù
zhi1 zi3 mo4 ruo4 fu4
zhi zi mo ruo fu
zhizimoruofu
chih tzu mo jo fu
chihtzumojofu
Optimistic豁達
豁达
katsudatsuhuò dá / huo4 da2 / huo da / huodahuo ta / huota
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body疼痛就是衰弱離你而去的時候
疼痛就是衰弱离你而去的时候
téng tòng jiù shì shuāi ruò lí nǐ ér qù de shí hòu
teng2 tong4 jiu4 shi4 shuai1 ruo4 li2 ni3 er2 qu4 de shi2 hou4
teng tong jiu shi shuai ruo li ni er qu de shi hou
t`eng t`ung chiu shih shuai jo li ni erh ch`ü te shih hou
teng tung chiu shih shuai jo li ni erh chü te shih hou
Persistence固執
固执
koshuu / koshugù zhí / gu4 zhi2 / gu zhi / guzhiku chih / kuchih
Preparation Yields No Fear or Worries有備無患
有备无患
yǒu bèi wú huàn
you3 bei4 wu2 huan4
you bei wu huan
youbeiwuhuan
yu pei wu huan
yupeiwuhuan
Better to sacrifice your life than your principles捨生取義
舍生取义
shě shēng qǔ yì
she3 sheng1 qu3 yi4
she sheng qu yi
sheshengquyi
she sheng ch`ü i
sheshengchüi
she sheng chü i
Progress Day by Day日漸
日渐
rì jiàn / ri4 jian4 / ri jian / rijianjih chien / jihchien
Prosperity繁栄
繁荣
haneifán róng / fan2 rong2 / fan rong / fanrongfan jung / fanjung
Prosperity祿
fuchilù / lu4 / lu
Push or Knock反復推敲
反复推敲
fǎn fù tuī qiāo
fan3 fu4 tui1 qiao1
fan fu tui qiao
fanfutuiqiao
fan fu t`ui ch`iao
fanfutuichiao
fan fu tui chiao
Ramona雷蒙娜léi méng nà
lei2 meng2 na4
lei meng na
leimengna
Respect and Loyalty尊敬忠誠
尊敬忠诚
son kei chu sei
sonkeichusei
zūn jìng zhōng chéng
zun1 jing4 zhong1 cheng2
zun jing zhong cheng
zunjingzhongcheng
tsun ching chung ch`eng
tsunchingchungcheng
tsun ching chung cheng
Seeing is Believing百聞不如一見
百闻不如一见
bǎi wén bù rú yí jiàn
bai3 wen2 bu4 ru2 yi2 jian4
bai wen bu ru yi jian
baiwenburuyijian
pai wen pu ju i chien
paiwenpujuichien
Seeing is Believing百聞は一見に如かずhyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu
hyakubunwaikkennishikazu
hyakubun wa iken ni shikazu
Self-Respect
Self-Esteem
自尊jisonzì zūn / zi4 zun1 / zi zun / zizuntzu tsun / tzutsun
Selflessness無我
无我
mugawú wǒ / wu2 wo3 / wu wo / wuwo
Shinobi
Ninja Outcast
忍びshino-bi
Chinese or Korean Army General將軍
将军
shougun / shogunjiāng jūn
jiang1 jun1
jiang jun
jiangjun
chiang chün
chiangchün
Soldier
Private
士兵shì bīng / shi4 bing1 / shi bing / shibingshih ping / shihping
Strength: Strong and Solid強固
强固
kyouko / kyokoqiáng gù / qiang2 gu4 / qiang gu / qiangguch`iang ku / chiangku / chiang ku
Strong
Powerful
Force

kyou / kyoqiáng / qiang2 / qiangch`iang / chiang
Summer Seasonnatsuxià / xia4 / xiahsia
Sun Wukong
Son Goku
孫悟空
孙悟空
son go kuu / songokuu / son go kusūn wù kōng
sun1 wu4 kong1
sun wu kong
sunwukong
sun wu k`ung
sunwukung
sun wu kung
Survivor倖存者
幸存者
xìng cún zhě
xing4 cun2 zhe3
xing cun zhe
xingcunzhe
hsing ts`un che
hsingtsunche
hsing tsun che
The More We Sweat in Training, The Less We Bleed in Battle平時多流汗戰時少流血
平时多流汗战时少流血
píng shí duō liú hàn zhàn shí shǎo liú xuè
ping2 shi2 duo1 liu2 han4
zhan4 shi2 shao3 liu2 xue4
ping shi duo liu han
zhan shi shao liu xue
p`ing shih to liu shih shao liu hsüeh
ping shih to liu shih shao liu hsüeh
Tang Soo Do Tenets廉耻精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈 / 廉恥精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈
廉耻精进忍耐遵守克己谦逊百折不屈
lián chǐ jīng jìn rěn nài zūn shǒu kè jǐ qiān xùn bǎi zhé bù qū
lian2 chi3 jing1 jin4 ren3 nai4 zun1 shou3 ke4 ji3 qian1 xun4 bai3 zhe2 bu4 qu1
lian chi jing jin ren nai zun shou ke ji qian xun bai zhe bu qu
lien ch`ih ching chin jen nai tsun shou k`o chi ch`ien hsün pai che pu ch`ü
lien chih ching chin jen nai tsun shou ko chi chien hsün pai che pu chü
Tathata
Ultimate Nature of All Things
真如shinnyozhēn rú / zhen1 ru2 / zhen ru / zhenruchen ju / chenju
Tenacious
Tenacity
頑強
顽强
gan kyou / gankyou / gan kyowán qiáng
wan2 qiang2
wan qiang
wanqiang
wan ch`iang
wanchiang
wan chiang
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
Value of Warrior Generals兵在精而不在多將在謀而不在勇
兵在精而不在多将在谋而不在勇
bīng zài jīng ér bú zài duō jiàng zài móu ér bú zài yǒng
bing1 zai4 jing1 er2 bu2 zai4 duo1 jiang4 zai4 mou2 er2 bu2 zai4 yong3
bing zai jing er bu zai duo jiang zai mou er bu zai yong
ping tsai ching erh pu tsai to chiang tsai mou erh pu tsai yung
Warriors: Quality Over Quantity兵在精而不在多bīng zài jīng ér bú zài duō
bing1 zai4 jing1 er2 bu2 zai4 duo1
bing zai jing er bu zai duo
bingzaijingerbuzaiduo
ping tsai ching erh pu tsai to
pingtsaichingerhputsaito
A Traditional Warm Welcome歡迎光臨
欢迎光临
huān yíng guāng lín
huan1 ying2 guang1 lin2
huan ying guang lin
huanyingguanglin
huan ying kuang lin
huanyingkuanglin
Win
Victory

shou / shoshèng / sheng4 / sheng
You must endure a harsh winter to appreciate the warmth of springtime不經冬寒不知春暖
不经冬寒不知春暖
bù jīng dōng hán bù zhī chūn nuǎn
bu4 jing1 dong1 han2 bu4 zhi1 chun1 nuan3
bu jing dong han bu zhi chun nuan
pu ching tung han pu chih ch`un nuan
pu ching tung han pu chih chun nuan
Aries Zodiac Symbol
Sign
白羊座bái yáng zuò
bai2 yang2 zuo4
bai yang zuo
baiyangzuo
pai yang tso
paiyangtso
Capricorn Zodiac Symbol
Sign
摩羯座mó jié zuò
mo2 jie2 zuo4
mo jie zuo
mojiezuo
mo chieh tso
mochiehtso
Betelgeuse參宿四sān sù sì
san1 su4 si4
san su si
sansusi
san su ssu
sansussu
Dana: Almsgiving and Generosity布施fusebù shī / bu4 shi1 / bu shi / bushipu shih / pushih
Beautiful Woman Proverb沈魚落雁
沈鱼落雁
chin gyo raku gan
chingyorakugan
chén yú luò yàn
chen2 yu2 luo4 yan4
chen yu luo yan
chenyuluoyan
ch`en yü lo yen
chenyüloyen
chen yü lo yen
Mico米科mǐ kē / mi3 ke1 / mi ke / mikemi k`o / miko / mi ko
Nekogami貓神
猫神
neko gami / nekogamimāo shén / mao1 shen2 / mao shen / maoshen
Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once百聞不如一見
百闻不如一见
bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn
bai3 wen2 bu4 ru2 yi1 jian4
bai wen bu ru yi jian
baiwenburuyijian
pai wen pu ju i chien
paiwenpujuichien
It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war花園里的戰士好過戰場上的園丁
花园里的战士好过战场上的园丁
huā yuán lǐ de zhàn shì hǎo guò zhàn chǎng shàng de yuán dīng huā yuán lǐ de zhàn shì hǎo guò zhàn chǎng shàng de yuán dīng ài wēng huā yuán lǐ de zhàn shì hǎo guò zhàn chǎng shàng de yuán dīng
hua1 yuan2 li3 de zhan4 shi4 hao3 guo4 zhan4 chang3 shang4 de yuan2 ding1 hua1 yuan2 li3 de zhan4 shi4 hao3 guo4 zhan4 chang3 shang4 de yuan2 ding1 ai4 weng1 hua1 yuan2 li3 de zhan4 shi4 hao3 guo4 zhan4 chang3 shang4 de yuan2 ding1
hua yuan li de zhan shi hao guo zhan chang shang de yuan ding hua yuan li de zhan shi hao guo zhan chang shang de yuan ding ai weng hua yuan li de zhan shi hao guo zhan chang shang de yuan ding
hua yüan li te chan shih hao kuo chan ch`ang shang te yüan ting hua yüan li te chan shih hao kuo chan ch`ang shang te yüan ting ai weng hua yüan li te chan shih hao kuo chan ch`ang shang te yüan ting
hua yüan li te chan shih hao kuo chan chang shang te yüan ting hua yüan li te chan shih hao kuo chan chang shang te yüan ting ai weng hua yüan li te chan shih hao kuo chan chang shang te yüan ting
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 Be Better in my Japanese & Chinese Dictionary


Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...

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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.


Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.

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12 people have searched for Be Better in Chinese or Japanese in the past year.
Be Better was last searched for by someone else on Feb 27th, 2024