Classic in Chinese / Japanese...

尤其要緊的你必須對你自己忠實 is the classic translation of a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet into Chinese.

己に忠実なれ is “...to thine own self be true” in Japanese.

This is a small portion of the classic line from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

稽古心 is Keiko Shin in Japanese Kanji.

The first two characters, 稽古 mean to learn from the ancients, to study the classic texts, practice, training, or study.

The last character, 心, means heart or mind.

舞者 is the classic or literary way to say dancer in Chinese.

This is probably the most eloquent way to say dancer and the most appropriate for a wall scroll.

體術 is the Japanese title “Taijutsu,” which more or less means “classical form of martial arts.”

體術 is often written in a modern form, 体術 in Japan. Let me know if you want that modern form; otherwise, you'll get the ancient/classic version shown in the wall scroll sample.

西遊記 is the original title of the novel Journey to the West.

Written during the Ming dynasty, this novel by Wu Cheng'en (吳承恩) is one of the four classic stories of Chinese literature.

Sometimes this book is titled, Pilgrimage to the West, Monkey King, or Magic Monkey.

Many movies and TV series depict or adapt portions of this story.

道德經 are the Chinese characters for the writings of Laozi/Lao Tzu known as the Dàodéjīng or Tao Tê Ching.

To breakdown the meaning of the characters:

道 means “way,” though many refer to it as “the Way.” It has been romanized as Tao or Dao. The Dao has been referred to by Confucius, Mencius, and other ancient Chinese philosophers.

德 means virtue, integrity, or morality.

經 in this context means canon, great book, sacred book, scripture, or classic.

孟子 is the name Mencius in Chinese.

Mencius had the name “Mèng Kē” (孟軻) at birth. This later changed to Mèng Zǐ (孟子). He lived between 372 and 289 BCE.

Mencius was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been referred to as the “Second Sage” following Confucius himself.

For disambiguation, one of the classic books of Confucianism is also titled 孟子.

Romanization of Mencius from Chinese includes Meng Tsu, Mengzi, and his original name Mengke or Meng Ko. In Japanese, he is Mōshi or Moushi.

This 柔 Kanji literally means flexible, pliable, gentle, or yielding.

柔 is also the first Kanji of the Japanese martial arts titles of Judo and Jujutsu (Jujitsu). In those cases, it's pronounced “ju” in Japanese. However, alone, the classic pronunciation is “yawara.” Some translate this Kanji (in the context of martial arts) as “The Heart of Judo.”

Please note that this just means pliable, gentle, and yielding in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. They do know what Judo and Jujitsu are but if this character is seen alone in China or Korea, people generally will not think of the martial arts context.

靈氣 is the title of a healing practice now found globally but with origins in Japan.

Special note: Outside of the context of the healing practice of Reiki, this means “aura” or “spiritual essence that surrounds all living things.” A Japanese person unfamiliar with the practice will take the “aura” meaning.

Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also heals. It can be compared to massage but is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If your life force energy is low, you'll be more likely to get sick or feel stressed. If your life force energy is abundant and flowing well, you become more capable of being happy and healthy.

There is a lot of information available if you want to Google this term - my job is to offer the calligraphy while you can decide if it is right for you.

Note: We are showing the ancient (traditional) form of the Reiki Kanji. I have seen Reiki written with the slightly simplified version and this more classic form. If you want the form of Reiki with the two strokes in the shape of an X on the second character and the modern first character, simply click on the Kanji characters to the right.

Note: 靈氣 is also a Chinese word, but in Chinese, these characters create a word that refers to a smart person or someone with high aspirations. It is not read as a healing method in Chinese.
In Korean Hanja, this can be read as a “mysterious atmosphere” by a Korean who is not familiar with the practice of Reiki (still has a cool meaning in Korean).