Custom Opportunity Chinese & Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

This is an odd one. I've seen this on coffee cups and posters with the meaning of "opportunity". This is a correct definition, but this character also means "machine". In fact, if you put the character for "flying" in front of this character, you have the Chinese word for "airplane" (literally: flying machine). Alone, on a wall scroll, it will be generally understood as "opportunity" but I want you to know this extra information before you make your selection. Note that in Japanese and Korean, this has a similar meaning, but can also mean machine or loom.

See Also...  Success

This is a common way to express day-to-day opportunities. It's sometimes used to express "an occasion".

This is a common way to express "opportunity" in Japanese. The first character means "chance" and the second can be translated as "meeting". So in Japanese business a "chance meeting" represents a real "opportunity".

Note that this also means opportunity in Chinese, but it's more an oral or informal word in Mandarin. Also, the second Kanji is the same as the simplified version of the hui Chinese character.

This is the kind of opportunity that comes via good luck or good fortune.

This word is sometimes translated as "stroke of good luck".

While there are other ways to express "opportunity", I think this version is best for a calligraphy wall scroll or portrait.

Note: In Korean Hanja, this would also mean "Meeting someone under strange circumstances".

See Also...  Good Luck

This is a common oral way to express a chance or opportunity. I don't recommend this for calligraphy artwork if your audience is Chinese, as it just would not seem right - as calligraphy is often formal and this is an informal way to say opportunity. I only made this entry because these two characters are sometimes used in the knick-knack and coffee cups with Asian characters market. For those of you with a "ji hui" coffee cup, don't worry, it does make sense.

Note: This word is slightly more formal in Korean with a meaning of "optimal timing". It's actually a good choice if your audience is Korean, but many Koreans cannot read Korean Hanja like this.
This entry also constitutes the way this word was written in Japanese before WWII and the simplification of many Kanji.

Separately, the first character here does mean "danger" or "to endanger" and the second character can mean "opportunity".

However, I want to debunk a myth that was propagated by some westerners who did not have a clear understanding of Asian languages...

While often, Chinese/Japanese/Korean compound words (words of two or more characters) are the sum of their parts, this is not always the case. The compound is often understood with a completely different meaning than the two characters individually.

Many have said that the Chinese/Japanese/Korean word for Crisis is made up of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity". This is true when phrased this way.
However, it's not absolutely correct to say that "danger + opportunity = crisis" in Asian cultures.

English example:
If I tell you that...
Bovine creature + Guy behind the plate in baseball = Locomotive protection
...you would think I was mad. But consider that "cow + catcher = cowcatcher", which is the device that used to be found on steam engines to protect them if they hit an animal on the tracks. When we hear the word "cowcatcher" we don't separate the words into their individual meanings (necessarily).
The same is true with the word for crisis in Chinese/Japanese/Korean. While you can separate the characters, few Asian people would automatically do so in their minds.

The final answer:
It is a half-truth to say, "danger plus opportunity equals crisis" in Chinese/Japanese/Korean. Use this statement and concept with caution.

Also, the second character can mean "secret" or "machine" depending on context so I guess you have to say "a dangerous machine = crisis" or "danger + a secret = crisis". Both of these are only slightly more ridiculous than the first premise.

PS: This is probably not a great word for a scroll, unless you have a special use for it.

This is the Buddhist concept of a chance meeting or an opportunity that presents itself by fate.

Sometimes this is used to describe a cosmic chain of events or cause and effect.

It also is used to describe predestined relationships between people - and sometimes married couples (although if you want one about marriage, try this: Fate / Destiny of Lovers.

This word can also be translated as origin, karma, destiny, affinity, connection, and relation. This all depends on context - seen alone on a wall scroll, this will be read with a "fate / chance" meaning by a Chinese person, or Korean who can read Hanja.

This is a rather uncommon word in Japanese, so I recommend it only if your audience is Chinese, Korean or maybe devout Buddhist Japanese.

This concept is known as nidana in the original Sanskrit. Also sometimes presented as hetupratyaya which I believe is Pali.

See Also...  Buddhism