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Custom Charity Chinese & Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

We have many options to create artwork with Charity characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Charity Asian character tattoo, you can purchase that here: Asian / Chinese / Japanese Tattoo Image Service ...and we'll give you many tattoo image templates of the ancient Asian symbols that express the idea of charity.

Quick links to words on this page...

  1. Charity
  2. Benevolence
  3. Mercy / Compassion / Love
  4. The Five Tenets of Confucius
  5. Generosity
  6. Goddess of Mercy and Compassion
  7. Goddess of Compassion
  8. Goodness / Good Deed
  9. Helpfulness
10. Loving Heart / Compassion
Select

Charity

Mandarin cí shàn
Japanese jizen
Korean 자선
慈
善

There are a few different words used to express charity in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja, but this is the most common. Some of the other words describe acts such as "giving alms" etc.

Note: Also considered to be one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

If you need a different meaning, just post your request on our Asian calligraphy forum.

Note: Sometimes this is translated as benevolence or benevolent.

See Also...  Benevolence | Altruism

Select

Benevolence

Mandarin rén
Japanese jin
Korean
仁

Beyond "benevolence" word can be also be defined as "charity" or "mercy" depending on context.

The meaning suggests that one should pay alms to the poor, care for those in trouble, and take care of his fellow man (or woman).

This is one of the five tenets of Confucius. In fact, it is a subject in which Confucius spent a great deal of time explaining to his disciples.

I have also seen this benevolent-related word translated as perfect virtue, selflessness, love for humanity, humaneness, goodness, good will, or simply "love" in the non-romantic form.

This word is so important to me that I named my second daughter with this character. Her name is "Renni" which means "Benevolent Girl".
-Gary.


This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also...  Love | Altruism | Kindness | Brotherhood | Confucius

Select

Mercy / Compassion / Love

Mandarin
Japanese ji
Korean
慈

This is the simplest way to express the idea of compassion. It can also mean love for your fellow humans, humanity, or living creatures. Sometimes this is extended to mean charity.

This term is often used with Buddhist or Christian context. The concept was also spoken of by Laozi (Lao Tze) in the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching).

This Chinese character is understood in Japanese, but is usually used in compound words (not seen alone). Also used in Korean Hanja, so it's very universal.

See Also...  Mercy | Benevolence | Forgiveness | Kindness

Select

The Five Tenets of Confucius

Also known as the Five Cardinal Rules of Confucius

Mandarin rén yì lǐ zhì xìn
Korean 인의예지신
仁
義
禮
智
信

These are the core of Confucius philosophy. Simply stated they are:
benevolence / charity
justice / rectitude
politeness / tact
wisdom / knowledge
fidelity / trust

Many of these concepts can be found in various religious teachings. Though it should be clearly understood that Confucianism is not a religion, but should instead be considered a moral code for a proper and civilized society.

See Also...  Confucius Teachings | Ethics

Select

Generosity

Mandarin kuān dà
Japanese kandai
Korean 관대
寬
大

Generosity is giving and sharing. You share freely, not with the idea of receiving something in return. You find ways to give others happiness, and give just for the joy of giving. Generosity is one of the best ways to show love and friendship.

This word can also be translated as charitable, magnanimity, liberality or in some context broad-mindedness.

Note: There is a tiny deviation in the first character when written in Japanese. If you choose our Japanese master calligrapher, the little dot on the lower right of the first character will be omitted. With or without the dot, this can be read in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

See Also...  Benevolence | Altruism

Select

Goddess of Mercy and Compassion

Mandarin guān yīn
Cantonese kwun yum
Japanese kan non
Korean 관음
觀
音

This is the Buddhist deity known as the Goddess of Mercy or Bodhisattva of Compassion. In Chinese, the proper name of this being is Guan Yin. There is some debate as to whether Guan Yin is female. The argument comes from some scripture that suggests Buddhist deities take on male form. Others say that Guan Yin has no sex. And still others are okay with the female representation of Guan Yin.

This bodhisattva is also known or Romanized in the following ways:
Mandarin Chinese: Guan Yin, Kuan Yin, Kwan Yin.
Japanese: Kannon, Kwannon.
Sanskrit: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.
Korean: Gwan-eum.
Vietnamese: Quan Âm.
Thai: Kuan Eim.
English: Bodhisattva of Mercy and Salvation, Goddess of Compassion, Buddha of Mercy, et al.

Note: The first character has a slight variation in Japanese. If your audience is specifically Japanese, you may want to select that version.

See Also...  Buddhism | Goddess | Namo Amitabha | Bodhisattva

Select

Goddess of Mercy and Compassion

This is the long or more formal version of this title

Mandarin guān shì yīn
Korean 관세음
觀
世
音

This is the longer, and perhaps more formal title for the Buddhist deity known as the Goddess of Mercy or Bodhisattva of Compassion.

The longer title of this bodhisattva is Romanized in the following ways:
Mandarin Chinese: Guanshi Yin, Kuan-shih Yin.
Japanese: Kanzeon.
Sanskrit: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.
Korean: Gwan-se-eum.
Vietnamese: Quan Thế Âm.
Thai: Prah Mae Kuan Eim.
English: Bodhisattva of Mercy and Salvation, Goddess of Compassion, Buddha of Mercy, et al.

Please view our more common and shorter version "Guan Yin" before you make a decision. Also note that the first character has a slight variation in Japanese. If your audience is specifically Japanese, you may want to select that version.

See Also...  Buddhism | Goddess

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Select

Goddess of Compassion (Japanese)

Mandarin quān yīn
Japanese kan non
観
音

This is the specifically Japanese version of Bodhisattva of Compassion or Guan Yin. In Japanese this is pronounced Kannon, and occasionally spelled Kwannon. The Chinese version is a bit more commonly-seen in Asia, but in Japanese, there is a slight variation with the first character.

Some time ago, a camera company in Japan named their company after this Buddhist deity. That camera company is still known as Canon (they chose a "C" instead of a "K" when they Romanized this name).

Select

Goddess of Compassion (Japanese)

This is the long or more formal version of this title

Mandarin quān shì yīn
Japanese kan ze on
観
世
音

This is the longer and more formal Japanese version of Bodhisattva of Compassion or Guan Yin. In Japanese this is pronounced Kanzeon. The Chinese version is a bit more common in Asia, but in Japanese they use a slight variation of the first character. Choose this version only if your intended audience is specifically Japanese.

Select

Goodness / Good Deed

Mandarin shàn
Japanese zen
Korean
善

This word means goodness, virtue, good deed, charitable, benevolent, well-disposed, nice, pleasant, kind, or simply, "good".

This is the kind of good that applies to someone's good character, or a good person in general.

Referring to someone with this word means that they have a well-aimed moral compass, are charitable, giving, wise, and honest. Basically this is a blanket statement for every good trait a human can have, or all the things that makes someone good.

In other context, it can mean to improve or perfect something or refer to someone who is good at something.

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Helpfulness

Mandarin lè yú zhù rén
樂
於
助
人

Helpfulness is being of service to others, doing thoughtful things that make a difference in their lives. Offer your help without waiting to be asked. Ask for help when you need it. When we help each other, we get more done. We make our lives easier.

See Also...  Caring | Benevolence

Select

Loving Heart / Compassion

Mandarin ài xīn
Japanese ai shin
愛
心

This literally means "loving heart". It can also be translated as "compassion".

Specifically in Japanese, this can be defined as a loving heart, a mind full of desire, or a mind dominated by desire.

In Chinese, it carries more of a compassion meaning.

See Also...  Compassion | Love

Small-sized standard calligraphy wall scrolls on this page start at the following prices:

1 character $26.88

2 characters $33.88

3 characters $38.88

4 characters $43.88

5 characters $46.88

We dispatch any size order to any country worldwide for a flat rate US$9.80 P&P


After you select your calligraphy, our website will take you through the process of customizing your artwork.

Options for other mounting such as portraits are available for $13 less.

We also offer the services of Chinese and Japanese master calligraphers for an additional fee if you are looking for investment-quality calligraphy.

If you chose a master-calligrapher, you also get more choices for silk and paper colors and the option for larger artwork.




A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The scroll that I am holding in this picture is a "regular size"
4-character wall scroll.
As you can see, it is a great size to hang on your wall.
(We also offer custom wall scrolls in larger sizes)

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.



See: Our list of specifically Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls. And, check out Our list of specifically old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.



The following table is only helpful for those studying Chinese (or Japanese), and perhaps helps search engines to find this page when someone enters Romanized Chinese or Japanese

Title
 
Characters
Simplified
Traditional
Japanese Romaji
(Romanized Japanese)
Various forms of Hanyu-Pinyin
(Romanized Chinese)
Charity慈善
慈善
jizencí shàn
ci shan
ci2 shan4
cishan
Benevolence
jinrén
ren
ren2
ren
Mercy / Compassion / Love
ji
ci
ci2
ci
The Five Tenets of Confucius仁义礼智信
仁義禮智信
n/arén yì lǐ zhì xìn
ren yi li zhi xin
ren2 yi4 li3 zhi4 xin4
renyilizhixin
Generosity宽大
寬大
kandaikuān dà
kuan da
kuan1 da4
kuanda
Goddess of Mercy and Compassion观音
觀音 / 観音
kan non
kannon
guān yīn
guan yin
guan1 yin1
guanyin
Goddess of Mercy and Compassion观世音
觀世音
n/aguān shì yīn
guan shi yin
guan1 shi4 yin1
guanshiyin
Goddess of Compassion (Japanese)観音
観音
kan non
kannon
quān yīn
quan yin
quan1 yin1
quanyin
Goddess of Compassion (Japanese)観世音
観世音
kan ze on
kanzeon
quān shì yīn
quan shi yin
quan1 shi4 yin1
quanshiyin
Goodness / Good Deed
zenshàn
shan
shan4
shan
Helpfulness乐于助人
樂於助人
n/alè yú zhù rén
le yu zhu ren
le4 yu2 zhu4 ren2
leyuzhuren
Loving Heart / Compassion爱心
愛心
ai shin
aishin
ài xīn
ai xin
ai4 xin1
aixin
If you have not set up your computer to display Chinese, the characters in this table probably look like empty boxes or random text garbage.
This is why we spent hundreds of hours making images so that you could view the characters in the "Charity" listings above.
If you want your Windows computer to be able to display Chinese characters you can either head to your Regional and Language options in your Win XP control panel, select the [Languages] tab and click on [Install files for East Asian Languages]. This task will ask for your Win XP CD to complete in most cases. If you don't have your Windows XP CD, or are running Windows 98, you can also download/run the simplified Chinese font package installer from Microsoft which works independently with Win 98, ME, 2000, and XP. It's a 2.5MB download, so if you are on dial up, start the download and go make a sandwich.


All custom calligraphy items are made-to-order in our little Beijing artwork-mounting workshop.
Please note: Rush service can be as fast as two weeks, but regular service is over a month for delivery.


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Last modified: Oct 15 2008 11:47