Cat in Chinese / Japanese...

不管黑猫白猫能捉着老鼠的就是好猫 literally translates as: It doesn't matter [if a] cat [is] black [or] white, [as long as it] can catch mice, it's a good cat.

This proverb was either composed or made famous by Deng XiaoPing in 1961 when he exclaimed, “I don't care if it's a white cat or a black cat. It's a good cat so long as it catches mice” when his critics pointed out that his ideas were Capitalistic (free market). The response was meant to say, “It does not matter if it's Communist or Capitalist, as long as it works.”

This is a Chinese proverb that can be used to suggest one should disregard looks or a person's race, as long as they can do the job. It can also be used as a metaphor for many other situations.

Deng XiaoPing probably saved China from collapse (as the Soviet Union experienced). He changed China’s economy from pure Communism to a hybrid where the free market (Capitalism) is encouraged. More about Deng XiaoPing

猫 means cat or pussy.

A common name for feline friends in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

There is a more complex alternate form of this cat character. If you want this form, please click on the character at the right, instead of the button above.

加特力 is the Japanese title for Catholic.

This can refer to a person or the church. It is meant to sound like the western word “Catholic.” It sounds like “cat-toe-ree-cou.”

獵豹 is the Chinese title for the cheetah.

狩猟豹 is cheetah in Japanese Kanji.

貓科 is the Chinese way to write Felidae, Felina, or Felinae (the cat family).

In Japanese, they use a slightly different first character and write 猫科, and pronounce it “nekoka” instead of the original 貓科.

Also, in Chinese, sometimes the title for the sub-family of cats is 猫亚科 for Felinae. If you need a special term, just contact me.

大熊貓 is how to write “giant panda” in Chinese.

大熊貓 is specific to the “giant panda,” which has black and white fur. Not to be confused with other types of smaller pandas in China.

The literal meaning of these characters is “great/big bear cat.” Chinese do think of pandas as “cat-like bears.”

Note: In Japanese, they only express Giant Panda in Katakana, which is ジャイアント　パンダ”　(Jaianto Panda). So we have not included that for wall scroll orders.

小猫/小貓 means kitten (literally: little cat) in Chinese and Japanese Kanji.

豹 is the Chinese and Japanese word for the big cat known as a leopard, panther, or Jaguar.

This can refer to most cats of the Panthera genus as well as the Puma genus (but this is not used for most kinds of lions, except smaller ones like the mountain lion).

Because Jaguars are not native to Asia, the characters for “American continent” is usually added before this character to specifically designate a Jaguar.

This also kind of means Panther or Leopard in Korean Hanja but in modern Korean, they add a Hangul character to complete the word.

雄獅 is how to write “lion” in Chinese.

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.

雌獅 is how to write “lioness” in Chinese.

Note: 雌獅 is not a very common title for a wall scroll in China. Perhaps because lions are not indigenous to China. Though oddly enough, the rarity of lions made them very prized - and lion dances are a popular festival attraction.
If you see the name of this animal species written on a wall scroll, it's more likely to be the masculine form of “lion.”

熊貓 is how to write “panda” in Chinese.

熊貓 is kind of a generic term that is applied to all pandas. When most people think of panda bears, they are really thinking of the “giant panda,” which has black and white fur.

The literal meaning of these characters is “bear cat.” Chinese do think of pandas as “cat-like bears.”

河東獅吼 is actually a proverb and joke about the plight and fear of a hen-pecked husband.

In ancient times, it was used to describe a wife who would berate her husband or go into jealous rages. However, this phrase currently brings about ideas of a husband that cowers in fear and cringes when his wife screams (or roars) at him.

Please only purchase this as a good-natured joke. If your wife or husband does not have a good sense of humor, it's probably not a good idea to hang this on your wall to irritate your mate.

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.