Custom Inner Peace Chinese & Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

This Chinese and Japanese phrase is a direct translation for the western idea of inner peace.

The first two characters contain the idea of "heart" and "innermost being".

The last two characters mean "tranquil" and "serene".

I have seen this phrase used as "inner peace" for art prints and even on the side of coffee cups. But I think the translation is too literal. It feels like a direct translation from English rather than a nicely composed Chinese or Japanese phrase. See my other entries for "inner peace".

See Also...  Serenity | Simplicity

Looking for Inner Peace? Who isn't?

This is the simplest way to convey the meaning of inner peace.

Literally this word means still, calm, serene, quiet or silent.

In the old days, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean people might hang a wall scroll with this character in their reading room to bring about a sense of peace in the room.

While they once used the same character form in Japan, they now use a slightly-simplified version in modern Japan (after WWII). This version is shown to the right, and can be selected for your wall scroll by clicking on that Kanji instead of the button above.

This is five characters from a longer ten-character phase composed by Zhuge Liang about 1800 years ago. The phrase means "Your inner peace / tranquility / serenity will help you see or reach far (into the world)". The last word means "far", but the deeper meaning is that you will surpass what you can currently see or understand. Perhaps even the idea of opening up vast knowledge and understanding of complex ideas.

This is a single-character that means balance in Chinese, but it's not too direct or too specific about what kind of balance. Chinese people often like calligraphy art that is a little vague or mysterious. In this way, you can decide what it means to you, and you'll be right.

This character is also part of a word that means peace in Chinese, Japanese and old Korean.

Some alternate translations of this single character include: balanced, peaceful, calm, equal, even, level, smooth or flat.

Note that in Japanese, this just means "level" or "flat" by itself (not the best choice for balance if your audience is Japanese).

This term transcends a few religions, including Taoism and Buddhism. This title refers to the inner bliss and peace that you can achieve from meditation. It can also be translated as "joy of the mystic trance" or simply "meditative bliss".

Amazing that such a complex idea can be expressed in just two Chinese characters. Note that the first character is Chan/Zen (Chinese/Japanese) which means "meditation" in both languages.

This ancient Chinese proverb can be translated as, "Patience brings peace of mind", "One who has patience, finds peace", and a few other ways.

This means just what it says. It's a word that expresses both the idea of being at peace and healthy at the same time.

Note: This is a bona-fide word in Chinese and Korean, and the characters will at least make sense in Japanese.

The simplest form of peace and harmony.

This can also be translated as the peaceful ideas of gentle, mild, kind, and calm. With the more harmonious context, it can be translated as union, together with, on good terms with, or on friendly terms.

Most people would just translate this character as peace and/or harmony. This is a very popular character in Asian cultures - you can even call it the "peace symbol" of Asia. In fact, this peace and harmony character was seen repeatedly during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (a major theme of the games).

In old Chinese poems and literature, you might see this used as a kind of "and". As in two things summed together. As much as you could say, "the sun and moon", you could say "the sun in harmony with the moon".

See Also...  Inner Peace | Patience | Simplicity

This is the Chinese and Japanese way to express "Peace and Love". These are two separate words, so the calligrapher will put a slight space between the first two characters which mean peace, and the last two which represent universal love. This space is not shown on the sample character images for this phrase.

A special note: Word lists may seem okay in English, but feel strange in Chinese and Japanese. We don't offer too many of them, but this one is often-requested, and feels okay in Chinese and Japanese, though a bit uncommon in Korean.

See Also...   Love

This is the longer way to express the idea of "peace of mind" in Chinese.

The first two characters mean heart or "innermost being".
The middle character is a connecting modifier.
The last two characters mean peace, tranquility, or serenity.

Some may also translate this as "inner peace", but I like our other inner-peace options for that idea.

This kind of makes sense in Korean, but will have an archaic read - even by those who can understand Korean Hanja.

This means "peace and tranquility" or "peace and security" in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The literal translation would be "very balanced" or "very peaceful".

The first character means very, much, too much, or extremely.
The second character means balanced, peaceful, calm, equal, even, level, or smooth.

This means peace and/or tranquility in Japanese and Korean (also understood, but not as common in Chinese).

This is the Chinese order for these two characters which means peace but can also be translated as amicability, pacifically or mildness. This is often translated as a simple way to say "peace of mind". This combination is used in Korean Hanja to mean "peace and harmony".

Alone, the first character means peace and harmony.
The second chracter means balance, when read by itself.

Note: These characters are often seen in the opposite order in Japanese with the same meaning (You'll sometimes find them in this order in Japan, so either way is OK).

This is the Japanese and Korean order of these characters used most often to express the idea of peace, tranquility and harmony. It's just the reverse order of the Chinese. In this order in Chinese, it means takes the "mild" definition, rather than "peace". In Korean, the combination keeps the same meaning in either order.

This is a nice word that encompasses great meanings within just two characters. This can be defined as relief, peace of mind, feeling at ease, to be relieved, set one's mind at rest.

This is a nice word that means peaceful, tranquil, calm, composed, "free from worry", "public peace", tranquility, good health, well-being, or welfare in Chinese and Korean.

Note: The definition in Japanese is not so broad, but still means peaceful or "public peace".

This means "Peaceful Warrior" in Chinese. This does in fact sound like an oxymoron in Chinese - but many of you have asked for this special title.

Note, this is not the same thing as "warrior for peace".

The first and second character both mean quiet. Together, they reinforce the meanings almost creating a word that means "double quiet" or "perfect quiet".

A good wall scroll for a library, reading room, or other quiet place.

See Also...  Harmony

These two Chinese characters create a title that means to reach peace and calm through meditation. This is an excellent wall scroll for your relaxation or meditation room.

This is also a Buddhist-related term that encompasses the idea of entering into dhyana meditation.

This means "Warrior for Peace" (warrior who fights for peace) in Chinese.

Note, this is not the same thing as "peaceful warrior".

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This means "To bring flourishing peace and security to the world (our current era)".

It's really a wish that a new door leading to peace and prosperity could be opened to mankind.

This means just what the title suggests. This means antiwar, as in what a pacifist believes in.

China doesn't tend to go to war very often and Japan has embraced a pacifist ideology so it's rare to need this word. But it's the kind of word that war protesters would write on their signs.

There is a modern Japanese version of the second character which has become the standard in Japan after WWII. If you want your calligraphy written in the modern Japanese form, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note: Most Japanese and all Chinese people will recognize the form shown in the upper left.

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Any woman with affection for Asian art and you will love a gift of this calligraphy on a wall scroll. She will melt in your arms as you tell her the meaning of these characters.

Contained in this phrase is a reference to the most beautiful woman in Chinese history. Her name was Xi Shi, and she was known to have good looks that need not fine robes or make up. Her charms were so powerful that she brought down an entire kingdom (in a successful effort to bring honor and pride back to her people).

This character is used in a lot of compound words in the CJK world. Alone, this character has a broad span of possible meanings. These meanings include relaxed, quiet, rested, contented, calm, still, to pacify, peaceful, at peace, soothing or soothed.

This character and even the pronunciation was borrowed from Chinese and absorbed into both Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja. In all these languages, this character is pronounced like "an".

This is the famous technique and approach to arranging your home externally around natural features, and internally to create balance and peace.

These two characters literally mean "wind water". Obviously the title is far more simple than the concept behind this subject.

It may enlighten you slightly to know that the character for "wind" can also mean "style", "custom" or "manner" in some context. This may apply somewhat to this title.

In a very technical sense, this title is translated as "Chinese geomancy".

The first character means "strong", "solid", "firm", "unyielding" or "resolute".
The second character means "to beat", "to endure", or "to tolerate".
Together they speak of the strength from within yourself. Some may also translate this as "long-suffering" in a more Biblical sense.

This is a common term in Chinese and Korean Hanja, but a little less commonly-used in modern Japanese Kanji. For that reason, this selection is best if your audience is Chinese or Korean.

Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write the second Kanji in the form shown to the right. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect this Kanji form (yes, it's just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in the Japanese Kanji form).

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 the more Japanese form as you select options for your wall scroll.

This is the best way to express good health in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

These characters also suggest the ideas of being solid, strong, sound, wholesome and at peace.

Can also be used to express "healthy", "vitality", or "well-being".

See Also...  Health | Vitality | Wellness

This word means harmonious, harmony, concordant, or balanced in Chinese and Japanese Kanji.

In Korean Hanja, it sometimes means reconciliation or compromise.

See Also...   Inner Peace

This three-character title speaks of beauty on the inside. It's not about outward or physical beauty, but rather the inner beauty possessed by someone. This can also be translated as "beauty of spirit".

This three-character title speaks of beauty on the inside. It's not about outward or physical beauty, but rather the inner beauty possessed by someone. This can also be translated as "beauty of spirit".

This is an interesting word in Chinese. It simultaneously means inner beauty and inner wisdom. Some will translate it as "intelligent but unassuming". Basically, it's about having unexpected ability or traits on the inside which are not immediately obvious on the outside.

This is a kind of complex ten-character proverb composed by Zhuge Liang about 1800 years ago. The proverb means "Leading a simple life will yield a clear mind, and having inner peace will help you see far (into the world)".

What I have translated as "simple life" means NOT being materialistic and NOT competing in the rat race.

The last word means "far", but the deeper meaning is that you will surpass what you can currently see or understand. Perhaps even the idea of opening up vast knowledge and understanding of complex ideas.

The whole phrase has a theme that suggests if you are NOT an aggressive cut-throat person who fights his way to the top no matter how many people he crushes on the way, and instead seek inner peace, you will have a happier existence and be more likely to understand the meaning of life.

See Also...  Serenity

Characters shown
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This 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.

This is the slightly-verbose way to say inner-strength. The first two characters mean "intrinsic" or "inner". The second two characters mean "power", "force" or "strength" (especially physical strength). This is more a short phrase rather than just a word in Chinese and Korean. This can sort of be understood in Japanese, but it's not normal/proper Japanese.

This is the shorter version of inner-strength (can also be translated as "internal force"). The first character holds the meaning of "inner" or "internal". The second character means "power", "force" or "strength".

This is kind of a Kung Fu way of talking about an inner power or strength from within. This is sort of a way to express "inner-chi". This is clearly something that you might hear in a real Chinese Kung Fu movie.

While understood in both Chinese and Japanese, this can have a secondary meaning of "inner stress" in Japanese.

This is the kind of inner-strength that applies to a person who has will-power and can inspire themselves to do great things.

This word can also be the creed of a person that always pursues self-improvement.

Other translations: self-strengthening, striving for improvement, self-improvement, strive to become stronger, and self-renewal.

Joyfulness is an inner sense of peace and happiness. You appreciate the gifts each day brings. Without joyfulness, when the fun stops, our happiness stops. Joy can carry us through the hard times even when we are feeling very sad.

This word can also mean pleasure, enjoyment, delight, cheerful, or merry. In some ways, this is the essence that makes someone to be perceived as a charming person.

See Also...  Happiness

This title suggests that you have, or want to get your life in balance.

The first two characters regard the idea of balance, harmony, and peace.

The second two characters mean "life". More specifically this refers to your livelihood, career, and the daily activities that comprise your life or living. Some would translate those two characters as "one's daily existence".

Note: We have a couple of titles for this idea. This version is more of a noun, thus "The Balanced Life" verses a verb form like "Balancing [Your] Life".

My Australian friends always say "No worries mate". It's caught on with me, though I drop the "mate" part since it confuses my fellow Americans.

If you would like to express the idea of "no worries" this is the best and most natural way to say it in Chinese.

The characters you see to the left can be translated as "put your mind at rest" or "to be at ease". You could literally translate "no worries" but it doesn't "flow" like this simple Chinese version.

For your info, the first character means to release, to free, to let go, to relax, or to rest. The second character means your heart or your mind.

Note that in Japanese and Korean, this holds the similar meaning of "peace of mind", but can also mean absentmindedness or carelessness depending on context.

This is fairly self-explanatory.

The first character means "not", "non-" or "un-"
The middle and last character together mean "violence", "use of force" or simply "violent".

Together, these three characters would normally be translated as "nonviolence". A great gift for your favorite peace-lover.

Patience is quiet hope and trust that things will turn out right. You wait without complaining. You are tolerant and accepting of difficulties and mistakes. You picture the end in the beginning and persevere to meet your goals.

These characters can also mean "to endure", "restrain oneself" and in some context it can mean "perseverance" or "endurance".

This is also used as a tenet of Taekwondo and other Korean martial arts.

Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write the first character in the form shown to the right. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect this Kanji form (yes, it's just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in the Japanese Kanji form).

See Also...   Inner Peace | Harmony | Perseverance

Characters shown
above are read
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This literally translates as: [If one does] not do bad things in the daytime, one need not be alarmed at knocks on the door in the middle of the night.

The meaning is something like, "A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder". Basically, the message is, "don't commit crimes and you won't be jumpy every time the doorbell rings (so don't do anything wrong and your life will have fewer worries and you can sleep at night)".

This phrase means "safe and sound without toil or trouble". It kind of means that all is well with a feeling of complete safety. The ideas contained in these characters include well-being, peace, tranquility, quietness, calmness, and non-problematic.

This word means "safe and sound" in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Can also be translated as well-being, peace, tranquility, quietness, and calmness.

Note: There is also a longer four-character version in our calligraphy database.

See Also...  Tranquility

In Japanese, this character represents the warriors that attempted to hold peace when there was no Emperor in Japan. Be cautious though, as it is an old way to express "servant" or "waiter" in Chinese and Korean. Of course, if you are a samurai, you are a servant to your Shogun-ate, Lord, or the people (which is the root meaning).

See Also...  Warrior

This character is often translated as "serenity". It can also be used to express the ideas of still, calm, quiet, not moving or tranquility.

Note: This is also listed on our website as "Inner Peace" since it also fits that definition.

See Also...   Inner Peace

This is one of several ways to express as "serenity" or "tranquility" in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

It can also be translated as calm, serenity, tranquil, undisturbed or serene.

See Also...   Inner Peace

This is a Japanese-specific way to express "serenity" or "tranquility".

Notes: The second Kanji is not a Chinese character - it was morphed or developed in Japan after Chinese characters were absorbed into the Japanese language during the 5th century.
The first character is slightly-simplified from the original Chinese form, but still recognizable.

See Also...   Inner Peace

This proverb or idiom suggests that the pursuit self-improvement is eternal. The first two characters mean inner-strength with the idea of self-improvement. The last two characters mean "never rest" or "striving without giving up".

Some will translate these four characters as, "Exert and strive hard without any let up".

These four characters together relay the meaning that can be expressed in English as, "When three people say there's a tiger running in the street, you believe it".

Of course, there is an ancient story behind this phrase...

This is actually an idiom that resulted from a conversation that occurred around 300 B.C.

The conversation was between the king of the Wei kingdom and one of the king's ministers named Pang Cong.

It was near the end of one of many wars, this time with the Zhao kingdom. Pang Cong was to be sent by the king to the Zhao kingdom with the king's son who was to be held hostage. It was common at the time for a king to make his son a hostage to secure stable peace between warring kingdoms.

Before minister Pang Cong departed, he asked his king, "If one person told you there was a tiger running in the street, would you believe it?".

"No", the king said.

The minister continued, "What if two people told you?"

The king replied, "Well, I would have my doubts, but I might believe it".

The minister continued, "So, what if three people told you that there is a tiger running in the streets?"

The king replied, "Yes, I would believe it, it must be true if three people say it".

The minister then reminded the king, "Your son and I are now traveling far away to live in the distant Zhao kingdom - much farther from your palace than the street. Rumors may fly about me in my absence, so I hope your majesty will weight such rumors appropriately".

The king replied, "I have every trust in you, do not worry"

While the minister was gone, the king's enemies gossiped about minister Pang Cong on many occasions. At first, the king thought nothing of these comments and rumors. But slowly as the rumors mounted, the king began to suspect ill of his minister.

Some time later when peace was well-established, the minister and prince were freed and returned to the kingdom of Wei. The king received his son, BUT DID NOT EVEN SUMMON MINISTER PANG CONG TO THE PALACE!

Hopefully this story will help you see how dangerous words can be when used to promote rumors, or create ill will. And perhaps will inspire you to not believe everything you hear.

There is also a secondary suggestion in this idiom that gossip is as ferocious as a tiger. Some Chinese people who don't know the ancient story above may believe that this scroll means that rumors are as vicious as three tigers.

Note: This phrase appears in my Korean dictionary, but is not well-known in Korea.

This word expresses the idea of tranquility and serenity in Chinese.

See Also...  Inner Peace | Harmony | Calm

Wado-Ryu is a style of Karate or Jujutsu (Jujitsu).
Note: Many will argue as to whether this is a style of Karate or Jujutsu.

While some find Wado-Ryu similar to Shotokan Karate, enough differences exist in perspective and technique that it stands by itself.

Breaking down the characters into the proper Japanese Romaji, you have "wa dou ryuu" or "wa dō ryū". The meaning is roughly-translated as "Harmony Way Style" or "Peace Method Style". The first Kanji should probably be read as harmony, rather than peace in this case.