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See also: Old Chinese Proverbs, Philosophies and Idioms
2. Birth Old-Age Sickness Death
4. Learn New Ways From Old / Onkochishin
5. Old, But More Vigorous in Spirit
6. Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger
8. Mark the boat to find the lost sword / Ignoring the changing circumstances of the world
10. Unselfish: Perfectly Impartial
11. Better to be Happy than Rich
12. No one knows a son better than the father
14. A Journey of 1000 Miles Feels Like One
15. Strength and Love in Unity
16. Live in Peace and Contentment
17. The More We Sweat in Training, The Less We Bleed in Battle
19. Never Forget Your First Resolution
20. Perseverance / Indomitable / Invincible Fortitude
22. One who walks by the river may end up with wet feet
23. Nothing is Impossible with Persistence
24. The Warrior’s Word, Dependable as Gold and Steel
25. The Single Life
26. Walking 100 Miles: Stopping at 90 miles, is the same as stopping half-way
29. The Spirit of the Dragon Horse and Power of a Tiger
30. Where There is a Will, There is a Way
31. Success
32. Keep Calm in Face of Adversity
33. To a Willing Heart, All Things Are Possible
34. Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence
35. The Spirit of the Dragon Horse
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).
Born to Suffer
生老病死 means “to be born, to grow old, to get sick and to die” or “birth, aging, sickness, and death.”
This is an old somewhat-morbid Chinese proverb that is also used in Korean and Japanese. It figuratively means the fate of humankind (i.e. mortality) or suggests that we are all born to suffer.
In the Buddhist context, there are the “four inevitables in human life” or “four afflictions that are the lot of every human” known as “四苦” (literally “four afflictions”). Sometimes this proverb is written with that affliction character, 苦, at the end like 生老病死苦.
Until death do us part
New ideas coming from past history
溫故知新 is a proverb from Confucius that is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures.
It can be translated in several ways:
Coming up with new ideas based on things learned in the past.
Examine things of the past, and obtain new knowledge.
Developing new ideas based on the study of the past.
Gain new insights through restudying old issues.
Understand the present by reviewing the past.
Learning from the past.
Review the old and know the new.
Taking a lesson from the past.
Taking a lesson from the wisdom of the ancients.
Follow the old ways.
The direct translation would be, “By asking old things, know new things.”
The Character meanings breakdown this way:
溫故 = ask old
知新 = know new
Explained: To learn new things that are outside of your experience, you can learn from old things of the past. You can find wisdom in history.
Note: Japanese use a variant of the first Kanji in modern times.
Therefore if you order this from a Japanese calligrapher, expect the first Kanji to look like 温 instead of 溫.
In addition to 温故知新 as mentioned above, this is sometimes written as 温古知新 in Japan.
Age is just a number
老當益壯 is a Chinese proverb that means “old but vigorous” or “hale and hearty despite the years.”
Said of someone who is more spirited when he/she grows older.
The story behind this Chinese proverb:
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ma Yuan. He had been planning to herd animals on the frontier since he was young. When he grew up, Ma became a minor official of a county.
Once, he was sending some prisoners to another location. He felt pity for them, so he set them free, and then he fled to another county in the north. He herded animals there, and thus his dream came true. He always said: “If you want to be a great man, the poorer you are, the firmer in spirit you have to be; the older you are, the more spirited you should be.”
Later, when he was even older, Ma Yuan became a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty and contributed to many battles.
The meaning of 藏龍臥虎 is that both the tiger and dragon have amazing talents, but if they are out of view, you may not have discovered them.
This old Chinese idiom/proverb is appropriate for someone with an amazing ability that keeps that ability hidden.
You might think this title is in reverse, but actually, this is the original Chinese proverb.
The movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, popularized this alternate version.
家由心生 is an old Chinese proverb that is roughly equal to the English idiom “Home is where the heart is.”
If you know Chinese, you may recognize the first character as home and the third as the heart.
刻舟求劍 is an originally-Chinese proverb that serves as a warning to people that things are always in a state of change.
Thus, you must consider that and not depend on the old ways or a way that may have worked in the past but is no longer valid.
This idiom/proverb comes from the following story:
A man was traveling in a ferry boat across a river. With him, he carried a treasured sword. Along the way, the man became overwhelmed and intoxicated by the beautiful view and accidentally dropped his prized sword into the river. Thinking quickly, he pulled out a knife and marked on the rail of the boat where exactly he had lost his sword.
When the boat arrived on the other side of the river, the man jumped out of the boat and searched for his sword right under where he'd made the mark. Of course, the boat had moved a great distance since he made the mark, and thus, he could not find the sword.
While this man may seem foolhardy, we must take a great lesson from this parable: Circumstances change, so one should use methods to handle the change. In modern China, this is used in business to mean that one should not depend on old business models for a changing market.
This proverb dates back to the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) of the territory now known as China. It has spread and is somewhat known in Japan and Korea.
Love and respect each other
相敬相愛 is an old Chinese proverb that suggests love and respect go together and are to be exchanged between people (especially couples).
The first two characters mean “exchanging respect” or “mutual respect.”
The last two characters create a word that means “to love each other” or “mutual love.”
You'll notice that the first and third characters are the same. So you can read this literally as something like “Exchange respect, exchange love” or “Mutual respect, mutual love.” In English, we'd probably just say, “Mutual love and respect.” Grammar differs in every language - So while the literal translation might sound a bit awkward in English, this phrase is very natural in Chinese.
大公無私 is a Chinese proverb that comes from an old story from some time before 476 BC. About a man named Qi Huangyang, who was commissioned by the king to select the best person for a certain job in the Imperial Court.
Qi Huangyang selected his enemy for the job. The king was very confused by the selection, but Qi Huangyang explained that he was asked to find the best person for the job, not necessarily someone that he liked or had a friendship with.
Later, Confucius commented on how unselfish and impartial Qi Huangyang was by saying, “Da Gong Wu Si” which, if you look it up in a Chinese dictionary, is generally translated as “Unselfish” or “Just and Fair.”
If you translate each character, you'd have something like
“Big/Deep Justice Without Self.”
Direct translations like this leave out a lot of what the Chinese characters really say. Use your imagination, and suddenly you realize that “without self” means “without thinking about yourself in the decision” - together, these two words mean “unselfish.” The first two characters serve to drive the point home that we are talking about a concept that is similar to “blind justice.”
One of my Chinese-English dictionaries translates this simply as “just and fair.” So that is the short and simple version.
Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used term.
See Also: Selflessness | Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Altruism
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.
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.
Confucian Proverb
不念舊惡 is a Chinese proverb that can be translated as “Do not recall old grievances,” or more simply as “Forgive and forget.”
The character breakdown:
不 (bù) not; no; don't.
念 (niàn) read aloud.
舊 (jiù) old; former.
惡 (è) wicked deeds; grievances; sins.
This proverb comes from the Analects of Confucius.
千里も一里 is a Japanese proverb that states “A journey of a thousand miles feels like only one mile.” It is understood that in the proverb, this applies when going to see the one you love.
Note that the “mile” or 里 used in this proverb is an old Chinese “li” (pronounced “ri” in Japanese). It's not actually a mile, as the measurement is really closer to 500 meters (it would take 3 of these to get close to a western mile). Still, 1000里 (333 miles) is a long way.
力愛不二 is a proverb that literally means:
“Strength [and] Love [are] Not Two [separate ideas/concepts/things].”
You'll find this proverb translated from Japanese to English as:
Love and strength are not separate.
Power and love are indivisible.
Strength and love in harmony.
Strength and love stand together.
Old Japanese grammar is quite different than English, and so this proverb says a lot within the brevity of just 4 characters. If you just read these characters directly as “Strength Love Not Two,” you'd probably miss the real meaning.
According to the Swedish Shorinji Kempo Federation, this is the second characteristic of Shorinji Kempo.
This post really explains the concept best in my opinion: Bushido by MS: Riki Ai Fu Ni, which states: "Riki Ai Funi" is the philosophy that power (Riki) and love (Ai) are indivisible. More concretely, a person, who is powerful but does not have love, cannot control and misuse his/her power; on the other hand, a person, who has loved ones but is not powerful enough, cannot protect himself/herself nor loved ones.
安居樂業 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja proverb for “living in peace and working happily,” or “to live in peace and be content with one's occupation.”
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
Never Lose Your Beginner's Spirit
初心忘るべからず is an old Japanese proverb that suggests you try to never forget the enthusiasm you had as a child when you try new things (or even face the day-to-day). Basically, avoid having the mundane attitude that many people get with age.
You'll find this Japanese proverb translated in a few different ways. Here are some of them:
Don't forget your first resolution.
Never forget your childlike enthusiasm.
Forget not the beginner's mind.
Try never to lose your initial enthusiasm (freshness of attitude).
Note: This is sometimes written as 初心忘る可からず. The one shown above is used about 10x more often. There’s only one character difference between the two versions.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
堅忍不抜 means determined, steadfast, unswerving, or unshakable in Japanese.
This is the Japanese version of an old Chinese 4-character perseverance proverb.
This would be understood in Chinese, but it's not commonly written this way in Chinese.
Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese calligraphers sometimes write the second Kanji in the form shown to the right. Yes,
it’s
just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in this alternate Japanese Kanji form. If you have a preference, let us know when you order.
Due to some odd computer coding conventions, these two character forms were combined/merged into the same code point - thus, you will not see Kanji images of more Japanese form as you select options for your scroll.
常在河邊走哪能不濕鞋 is an old Chinese proverb that is sometimes compared to the English saying “Shit Happens.”
It's a reflection that there are risks in life, and you should not be surprised when things don't go your way.
A secondary translation might be, “When walking by a river, often one cannot avoid wet shoes.”
移山 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for “to remove mountains” or “to move a mountain.”
Figuratively, this means you can accomplish the impossible by sheer persistence.
移山 is the short form of a proverb about a man who had much persistence and could move a whole mountain (a bucket of soil at a time).
武士の一言金鉄の如し is an old Japanese proverb about the value of the word of a warrior.
Here are a couple of versions of how this can be translated:
A warrior's single word is as unchanging and reliable as gold and steel.
A warrior's promise is as dependable as gold, and his [scabbard contains] untarnished steel (a sword).
Note: Sometimes this phrase is written as 男子の一言、金鉄の如し (danshi no ichigon kintetsu no gotoshi)
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
Dokushin-Kizoku
独身贵族 is a Japanese proverb that means “Single Aristocrat” or “Single Noble.”
The understood meaning is that single people can live freely without a spouse or kids to support them. To put it in an old cliché, they are footloose and fancy-free.
If you are a bachelor or bachelorette with few responsibilities and just a thirst for freedom and a worry-free life, this could be your title.
行百里者半九十 is an old Chinese proverb that speaks to the act of giving up. This phrase suggests that no matter how close you are to finishing your task or journey, giving up just before you finish is just as bad as giving up halfway.
50% finished or 90% finished, the result is the same: “You are not finished.”
You can take what you want from this proverb, but I think it suggests that you should finish what you start, and especially finish that last 10% of your journey or project so that you can honestly say “it's finished.”
Some notes: The character, 里, that I am translating as “mile” is an ancient “Chinese mile” which is actually about half a kilometer - it just doesn't sound right to say “When walking 100 half-kilometers...”
萬事如意 is a Chinese and old Korean proverb that means to have all one's wishes.
When speaking to someone, it's a way to say best wishes, all the best, may all your hopes be fulfilled, or may everything go well.
On your wall as calligraphy, it's meant to inspire all your wishes, hopes, dreams, and life to go well or come true.
繁榮富裕 is a proverb about “Prosperity and Abundance.”
This presents and reinforces the ideas of being prosperous, a booming economy, well-to-do, well-off, wealthy, riches, and opulence.
While this is the ancient/traditional Chinese way to write this, most Japanese can fully read and understand it. It's also the correct form of old Korean Hanja (though few Koreans of the current generation will be able to read this).
See Also: Good Fortune
龍馬精神虎虎生威 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone great health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse and the power and prestige of the tiger.”
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have these qualities. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.
A determined effort can move a mountain
愚公移山 is the Chinese proverb (also somewhat known in Japan and Korea) for “the silly old man moves a mountain.”
Figuratively, this means “where there's a will, there's a way.”
Based on a fable of Lord Yu (愚公). He moved the soil of the mountain in front of his house. After years of effort, he finally moved the entire mountain (some versions of the story have God seeing how determined the man was, and sending two angels to whisk the mountains away).
The moral of the story: Anything can be accomplished if one works at it ceaselessly.
The Japanese version of this is 愚公山を移す (gu kou yama wo utsu su). But better to get the Chinese version, since this is originally a Chinese proverb.
See Also: Nothing is Impossible
This Chinese and Japanese word for “success” is often used to refer to “career success” but is also used for other successes in life.
It matches the western dictionary definition of “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.” And It's also used in this old Chinese proverb: which means Failure is the Mother of Success.
Sometimes this word is translated as prosperity, but success, succeed, or successfully are more correct definitions.
See Also: Prosperity
失意泰然 is a very old Japanese proverb that suggests “keeping calm and collected at times of disappointment,” or “maintaining a serene state of mind when faced with adversity.”
It's hard to relate individual character meanings to the overall meaning unless you also understand Japanese grammar. The word order is very different than English. That being said, here's the character meaning breakdown:
失 To miss, lose or fail.
意 Feelings, thoughts, meaning.
泰 Safe, peaceful.
然 Like that, in that way, however, although.
Using these definitions in English, we might say, “Although you may fail or lose, have a feeling of peace and calm.”
Where there is a will, there is a way
有志者事竟成 is an old Chinese proverb that has been translated many different ways into English. As you read the translations below, keep in mind that in Chinese, heart=mind.
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
Nothing is difficult to a willing heart.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Nothing in the world is impossible if you set your mind to doing it.
A willful man will have his way.
If you wish it, you will do it.
A determined heart can accomplish anything.
All things are possible with a strong mind.
無常の風 is an old Japanese proverb that means the wind of impermanence or the wind of change in Japanese.
This can refer to the force that ends life, like the wind scattering a flower's petals. Life is yet another impermanent existence that is fragile, blown out like a candle.
The first two characters mean uncertainty, transiency, impermanence, mutability, variable, and/or changeable.
In some Buddhist contexts, 無常 can be analogous to a spirit departing at death (with a suggestion of the impermanence of life).
The last two characters mean “of wind” or a possessive like “wind of...” but Japanese grammar will have the wind come last in the phrase.
龍馬精神 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone good health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse.” These four characters are often accompanied by four more which mean “...and the power and prestige of the tiger.” Here we are just offering the first part which is considered the short version.
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have an amazing quality. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.
Note: In Japanese, this would be read as the spirit of 坂本龍馬 (Sakamoto_Ryōma), a beloved rebel who help abolish the old Japanese feudal system. This can be confusing, so I am declaring this proverb to be Chinese only.
鏡花水月 is an old Asian proverb that means “flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in the lake” or “flowers reflected on a mirror and the moon reflected on the water's surface.”
Literally, 鏡花水月 reads “Mirror Flower, Water Moon.”
Figuratively this can be used to represent a lot of different ideas. It can be used to express an unrealistic rosy view or viewing things through rose-tinted spectacles. So you can use it to relay an idea about something that is visible but has no substance,
something that can be seen but not touched, or something beautiful but unattainable such as dreams or a mirage.
This expression is used to describe things like the subtle and profound beauty of poems that cannot be described in words.
鏡 = Mirror (or lens)
花 = Flower(s)
水 = Water
月 = Moon
Can also be written 水月鏡花 (just a slight change in word/character order).
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
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The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
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 |
Birth Old-Age Sickness Death | 生老病死 | shou rou byou shi shouroubyoushi sho ro byo shi | shēng lǎo bìng sǐ sheng1 lao3 bing4 si3 sheng lao bing si shenglaobingsi | sheng lao ping ssu shenglaopingssu |
The White Hairs of Old Age | 白頭偕老 白头偕老 | bái tóu xié lǎo bai2 tou2 xie2 lao3 bai tou xie lao baitouxielao | pai t`ou hsieh lao paitouhsiehlao pai tou hsieh lao |
|
Learn New Ways From Old Onkochishin | 溫故知新 温故知新 | on ko chi shin onkochishin | wēn gù zhī xīn wen1 gu4 zhi1 xin1 wen gu zhi xin wenguzhixin | wen ku chih hsin wenkuchihhsin |
Old, But More Vigorous in Spirit | 老當益壯 老当益壮 | lǎo dāng yì zhuàng lao3 dang1 yi4 zhuang4 lao dang yi zhuang laodangyizhuang | lao tang i chuang laotangichuang |
|
Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger | 藏龍臥虎 藏龙卧虎 | cáng lóng wò hǔ cang2 long2 wo4 hu3 cang long wo hu canglongwohu | ts`ang lung wo hu tsanglungwohu tsang lung wo hu |
|
Home is where the heart is | 家由心生 | jiā yóu xīn shēng jia1 you2 xin1 sheng1 jia you xin sheng jiayouxinsheng | chia yu hsin sheng chiayuhsinsheng |
|
Mark the boat to find the lost sword Ignoring the changing circumstances of the world | 刻舟求劍 刻舟求剑 | kokushuukyuuken kokushukyuken | kè zhōu qiú jiàn ke4 zhou1 qiu2 jian4 ke zhou qiu jian kezhouqiujian | k`o chou ch`iu chien kochouchiuchien ko chou chiu chien |
Love and Respect | 相敬相愛 相亲相爱 | xiāng jìng xiāng ài xiang1 jing4 xiang1 ai4 xiang jing xiang ai xiangjingxiangai | hsiang ching hsiang ai hsiangchinghsiangai |
|
Unselfish: Perfectly Impartial | 大公無私 大公无私 | dà gōng wú sī da4 gong1 wu2 si1 da gong wu si dagongwusi | ta kung wu ssu takungwussu |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Forgive and Forget | 不念舊惡 不念旧恶 | bú niàn jiù è bu2 nian4 jiu4 e4 bu nian jiu e bunianjiue | pu nien chiu o punienchiuo |
|
A Journey of 1000 Miles Feels Like One | 千里も一里 | sen ri mo ichi ri senrimoichiri | ||
Strength and Love in Unity | 力愛不二 力爱不二 | riki ai fu ni rikiaifuni | ||
Live in Peace and Contentment | 安居樂業 安居乐业 | an kyo raku gyou ankyorakugyou an kyo raku gyo | ān jū lè yè an1 ju1 le4 ye4 an ju le ye anjuleye | an chü le yeh anchüleyeh |
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 |
|
Life Is But A Dream | 人生如夢 人生如梦 | rén shēng rú mèng ren2 sheng1 ru2 meng4 ren sheng ru meng renshengrumeng | jen sheng ju meng jenshengjumeng |
|
Never Forget Your First Resolution | 初心忘るべからず / 初心忘る可からず 初心忘るべからず | sho shin wasu ru be ka ra zu shoshinwasurubekarazu | ||
Perseverance Indomitable Invincible Fortitude | 堅忍不抜 / 堅忍不拔 坚忍不拔 | kenninfubatsu | jiān rěn bù bá jian1 ren3 bu4 ba2 jian ren bu ba jianrenbuba | chien jen pu pa chienjenpupa |
Every day is a good day | 日日是好日 | nichinichi kore koujitsu nichinichikorekoujitsu nichinichi kore kojitsu | rì rì shì hǎo rì ri4 ri4 shi4 hao3 ri4 ri ri shi hao ri ririshihaori | jih jih shih hao jih jihjihshihhaojih |
One who walks by the river may end up with wet feet | 常在河邊走哪能不濕鞋 常在河边走哪能不湿鞋 | cháng zài hé biān zǒu nǎ néng bù shī xié chang2 zai4 he2 bian1 zou3 na3 neng2 bu4 shi1 xie2 chang zai he bian zou na neng bu shi xie | ch`ang tsai ho pien tsou na neng pu shih hsieh chang tsai ho pien tsou na neng pu shih hsieh |
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Nothing is Impossible with Persistence | 移山 | isan | yí shān / yi2 shan1 / yi shan / yishan | i shan / ishan |
The Warrior’s Word, Dependable as Gold and Steel | 武士の一言、金鉄の如し | bushi no ichigon kintetsu no gotoshi | ||
The Single Life | 独身貴族 / 獨身貴族 独身贵族 | do kushin ki zoku dokushinkizoku | ||
Walking 100 Miles: Stopping at 90 miles, is the same as stopping half-way | 行百里者半九十 | xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí xing2 bai3 li3 zhe3 ban4 jiu3 shi2 xing bai li zhe ban jiu shi xingbailizhebanjiushi | hsing pai li che pan chiu shih hsingpailichepanchiushih |
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All Hopes Fulfilled | 萬事如意 万事如意 | wàn shì rú yì wan4 shi4 ru2 yi4 wan shi ru yi wanshiruyi | wan shih ju i wanshihjui |
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Abundance and Prosperity | 繁榮富裕 繁荣富裕 | hanei yuuhuku haneiyuuhuku hanei yuhuku | fán róng fù yù fan2 rong2 fu4 yu4 fan rong fu yu fanrongfuyu | fan jung fu yü fanjungfuyü |
The Spirit of the Dragon Horse and Power of a Tiger | 龍馬精神虎虎生威 龙马精神虎虎生威 | lóng mǎ jīng shén hǔ hǔ shēng wēi long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 hu3 hu3 sheng1 wei1 long ma jing shen hu hu sheng wei | lung ma ching shen hu hu sheng wei | |
Where There is a Will, There is a Way | 愚公移山 | yū gōng yí shān yu1 gong1 yi2 shan1 yu gong yi shan yugongyishan | yü kung i shan yükungishan |
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Success | 成功 | seikou / seiko | chéng gōng cheng2 gong1 cheng gong chenggong | ch`eng kung chengkung cheng kung |
Keep Calm in Face of Adversity | 失意泰然 | shitsuitaizen | ||
To a Willing Heart, All Things Are Possible | 有志者事竟成 / 有誌者事竟成 有志者事竟成 | yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng you3 zhi4 zhe3 shi4 jing4 cheng2 you zhi zhe shi jing cheng youzhizheshijingcheng | yu chih che shih ching ch`eng yuchihcheshihchingcheng yu chih che shih ching cheng |
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Mujo no Kaze Wind of Impermanence | 無常の風 | mu jou no kaze mujounokaze mu jo no kaze | ||
The Spirit of the Dragon Horse | 龍馬精神 龙马精神 | lóng mǎ jīng shén long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 long ma jing shen longmajingshen | lung ma ching shen lungmachingshen |
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Flower in the Mirror, Moon on Water | 鏡花水月 镜花水月 | kyou ka sui getsu kyoukasuigetsu kyo ka sui getsu | jìng huā shuǐ yuè jing4 hua1 shui3 yue4 jing hua shui yue jinghuashuiyue | ching hua shui yüeh chinghuashuiyüeh |
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 |
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.
Some people may refer to this entry as Old Proverb Kanji, Old Proverb Characters, Old Proverb in Mandarin Chinese, Old Proverb Characters, Old Proverb in Chinese Writing, Old Proverb in Japanese Writing, Old Proverb in Asian Writing, Old Proverb Ideograms, Chinese Old Proverb symbols, Old Proverb Hieroglyphics, Old Proverb Glyphs, Old Proverb in Chinese Letters, Old Proverb Hanzi, Old Proverb in Japanese Kanji, Old Proverb Pictograms, Old Proverb in the Chinese Written-Language, or Old Proverb in the Japanese Written-Language.