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1. Active Duty
3. Adoring Love
4. Diligence
5. Duty / Responsibility / Obligation
7. Giri
8. God Daughter
10. No Surrender
12. Past experience is the teacher for the future
13. Undaunted After Repeated Setbacks
14. Responsibility
15. Ultimate Loyalty to Your Country
16. Duty to Defend and Protect Country
17. Call Of Duty
現役 is a simple way to say “active duty.”
When I got off active duty in the Marines, I suddenly discovered that everyone on active duty seemed very proud of that fact. These Japanese / Chinese characters are offered to those servicemen with that pride.
Please note that there is a longer yet more natural phrase that means “Active Duty Soldier” or literally “Active Duty Military Person” - see the next entry...
Person on Active Duty
現役軍人 means “Active Duty Soldier” or literally “Active Duty Military Person.”
This title is a great way to show pride in being an active duty member of the armed forces.
The first two characters mean “active duty” and the second two characters can be translated as “military personnel,” “soldier,” or “serviceman” (it is unisex, so male or female is not indicated).
See Also: Military
愛慕 means “adoring love” in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
I suppose this is the best kind of love to have. 愛慕 has the common character for love. But the second character modifies and reinforces the meaning to become adore, adoring love, or to love and adore.
Ancient Chinese warning:
Adoring someone is fine until you are in the shoes of the Prince of the Kingdom of Wu. This Prince adored a certain beautiful woman (Xi Shi) so much that he neglected his duties and soon let the kingdom fall into ruins.
勤 is a single character that means diligence or “sense of duty” in Chinese and Korean (also understood in Japanese but not commonly seen as a stand-alone Kanji).
As a single character on a wall scroll, this will only be seen with this meaning. However, it can also mean industrious, hardworking, frequent, regular, constant, energy, zeal, fortitude, or virility.
In Buddhism, this can represent vīrya (viriya), the idea of energy, diligence, enthusiasm, or effort. It can be defined as an attitude of gladly engaging in wholesome activities, and it functions to cause one to accomplish wholesome or virtuous actions. Some Buddhists may even define this as “manliness” (a definition from a hundred years ago, before equality).
If you or someone you know is a hard worker (or needs a reminder to be diligent), then this is the wall scroll to have in your/their office.
職責 is a Chinese and Korean word that means duty or responsibility.
If you have a sense of duty or sense of responsibility, this might be the wall scroll that you want to hang above your desk. It is a great way to quietly remind yourself to take pride in your duties at all times.
In a different context, this can mean “official duties” or “position.”
孝道 most clearly expresses the Confucian philosophy of filial piety.
Confucius taught that all should be respectful and obedient to their parents. Included in this idea is honoring your ancestors.
The second character is “dao/tao” or “the way” as in Taoism. You can say this title is “The Tao of Filial Piety” or “The Way of Filial Piety.”
See Also: Confucius
(obligation or duty in Japanese)
This term means an obligation or a sense of duty that one may have to their employer, country or culture.
義理 is a specifically Japanese term, as in Chinese, these two characters form a word that means “religious doctrine” or refers to the argument presented in an essay.
This term has a similar meaning in Korean, where it can be translated as justice, sense of duty, loyalty, integrity, or obligation.
義理 is kind of a weird selection for a wall scroll. So this entry is intended more for educational purposes.
教女 is the title for a female child, which you have a sworn duty to raise should the girl's parents die.
The second character specifically designates that we are talking about a female child, thus the title God Daughter.
See Also: Family
Honor Does Not Allow Second Thoughts
義無反顧 is a Chinese proverb that can be translated in a few different ways. Here are some examples:
Honor does not allow one to glance back.
Duty-bound not to turn back.
No surrender.
To pursue justice with no second thoughts.
Never surrender your principles.
This proverb is about the courage to do what is right without questioning your decision to take the right and just course.
忠 is the simplest way to write the word loyalty in Chinese and Japanese.
A single character like this leaves the meaning open. But alone, a Chinese or Japanese person would think of loyalty to duty or loyalty to one's master (in ancient times). I suppose that it could be loyalty to your boss or company in this day in age.
忠 can also mean fidelity or faithfulness.
This can also be romanized as “chung.”
Past events not forgotten serve as teachers for later events.
The most literal translation to English of this ancient 前事不忘后事之师 Chinese proverb is:
“Past events not forgotten serve as teachers for later events.”
However, it's been translated several ways:
Don't forget past events, they can guide you in the future.
Benefit from past experience.
Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.
Past calamity is my teacher.
A good memory for the past is a teacher for the future.
The remembrance of the past is the teacher of the future.
If one remembers the lessons of the past; They will serve as a guide to avoid mistakes in the future.
The origin:
This proverb comes from the 5th century B.C., just before the Warring States Period in the territory now known as China.
The head of the State of Jin, Zhi Bo, seized power in a coup. He did this with help from the armies of the State of Han and Wei. Instead of being grateful for the help from Han and Wei, he treacherously took the land of Han and Wei. Never satisfied, Zhi Bo employed the armies of Han and Wei to attack and seize the State of Zhao.
The king of Zhao took advice from his minister Zhang Mengtan and secretly contacted the Han and Wei armies to reverse their plans and attack the army of Zhi Bo instead. The plan was successful, and the State of Zhao was not only saved but was set to become a powerful kingdom in the region.
Zhang Mengtan immediately submitted his resignation to a confused king of Zhao. When asked why, Zhang Mengtan said, “I've done my duty to save my kingdom, but looking back at past experience, I know sovereign kings are never satisfied with the power or land at hand. They will join others and fight for more power and more land. I must learn from past experiences, as those experiences are the teachers of future events.”
The king could not dispute the logic in that statement and accepted Zhang Mengtan's resignation.
For generations, the State of Zhao continued to fight for power and land until finally defeated and decimated by the State of Qin (which led to the birth of the Qin Dynasty in 221 B.C.).
Persistence to overcome all challenges
百折不撓 is a Chinese proverb that means “Be undaunted in the face of repeated setbacks.”
More directly translated, it reads, “[Overcome] a hundred setbacks, without flinching.” 百折不撓 is of Chinese origin but is commonly used in Japanese and somewhat in Korean (same characters, different pronunciation).
This proverb comes from a long, and occasionally tragic story of a man that lived sometime around 25-220 AD. His name was Qiao Xuan, and he never stooped to flattery but remained an upright person at all times. He fought to expose the corruption of higher-level government officials at great risk to himself.
Then when he was at a higher level in the Imperial Court, bandits were regularly capturing hostages and demanding ransoms. But when his own son was captured, he was so focused on his duty to the Emperor and the common good that he sent a platoon of soldiers to raid the bandits' hideout, and stop them once and for all even at the risk of his own son's life. While all of the bandits were arrested in the raid, they killed Qiao Xuan's son at first sight of the raiding soldiers.
Near the end of his career, a new Emperor came to power, and Qiao Xuan reported to him that one of his ministers was bullying the people and extorting money from them. The new Emperor refused to listen to Qiao Xuan and even promoted the corrupt Minister. Qiao Xuan was so disgusted that in protest, he resigned from his post as minister (something almost never done) and left for his home village.
His tombstone reads “Bai Zhe Bu Nao” which is now a proverb used in Chinese culture to describe a person of strong will who puts up stubborn resistance against great odds.
My Chinese-English dictionary defines these 4 characters as “keep on fighting despite all setbacks,” “be undaunted by repeated setbacks,” and “be indomitable.”
Our translator says it can mean “never give up” in modern Chinese.
Although the first two characters are translated correctly as “repeated setbacks,” the literal meaning is “100 setbacks” or “a rope that breaks 100 times.” The last two characters can mean “do not yield” or “do not give up.”
Most Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people will not take this absolutely literal meaning but will instead understand it as the title suggests above. If you want a single big word definition, it would be indefatigability, indomitableness, persistence, or unyielding.
See Also: Tenacity | Fortitude | Strength | Perseverance | Persistence
責任 is the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word for “responsibility.”
責任 can also refer to someone who is willing to take the blame when things go wrong (instead of making excuses or passing the blame to someone else). While this is a noble idea, I think it is getting rare these days in both eastern and western cultures.
Also associated with the idea of "duty."
The most famous tattoo in Chinese history
盡忠報國 is a proverb that is the tattoo worn on the back of Yue Fei, a famous Chinese warrior who lived until 1142 A.D.
The tattoo can be translated as “Serve the country with the utmost loyalty.” More literally, it means “[The] Ultimate Loyalty [is too] Duty [of] Country.”
Legend has it that this tattoo once saved his life when he was accused of treason.
The first two characters have come to create a word that means “serve the country faithfully” or “die for the country.” Note: It's more a willingness to die for one's country than the actual act of dying.
The last two characters have come to mean “Dedicate oneself to the service of one's country.”
Both of these words are probably only in the Chinese lexicon because of this famous tattoo.
If you break it down, character-by-character, here is what you get:
1. To the utmost, to the limit of something, the ultimate.
2. Loyalty or duty (a sense of duty to one's master, lord, country, or job).
3. Report, recompense, give back to (in this case, you are giving yourself to your country as payback).
4. Country, state, nation, kingdom.
守土有責 is a Chinese proverb that expresses one's duty to defend the country.
守 means to guard, defend, keep watch, abide by the law, and/or observe (rules or ritual).
土 means land, earth, or soil.
有 is a possessive modifier in effect meaning “is a.”
責 means duty or responsibility.
So you get a literal translation of “Protecting [the] land is [a] duty/responsibility.”
These search terms might be related to Duty:
Do Not Fear the Task: Cooperation Will Lead to Success
Duty / Responsibility / Obligation
Great Responsibility
Responsibility
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Active Duty | 現役 现役 | geneki | xiàn yì / xian4 yi4 / xian yi / xianyi | hsien i / hsieni |
Active Duty Military | 現役軍人 现役军人 | geneki gunjin genekigunjin | xiàn yì jūn rén xian4 yi4 jun1 ren2 xian yi jun ren xianyijunren | hsien i chün jen hsienichünjen |
Adoring Love | 愛慕 爱慕 | ai bou / aibou / ai bo | ài mù / ai4 mu4 / ai mu / aimu | |
Diligence | 勤 | kin | qín / qin2 / qin | ch`in / chin |
Duty Responsibility Obligation | 職責 职责 | zhí zé / zhi2 ze2 / zhi ze / zhize | chih tse / chihtse | |
The Dao of Filial Piety | 孝道 | kou dou / koudou / ko do | xiào dào / xiao4 dao4 / xiao dao / xiaodao | hsiao tao / hsiaotao |
Giri | 義理 义理 | giri | yì lǐ / yi4 li3 / yi li / yili | i li / ili |
God Daughter | 教女 | jiào nǚ / jiao4 nv3 / jiao nv / jiaonv | chiao nü / chiaonü | |
God Son God Child | 教子 | jiào zǐ / jiao4 zi3 / jiao zi / jiaozi | chiao tzu / chiaotzu | |
No Surrender | 義無反顧 义无反顾 | yì wú fǎn gù yi4 wu2 fan3 gu4 yi wu fan gu yiwufangu | i wu fan ku iwufanku |
|
Loyalty to Duty or Master | 忠 | chuu / chu | zhōng / zhong1 / zhong | chung |
Past experience is the teacher for the future | 前事不忘后事之師 前事不忘后事之师 | qián shì bú wàng hòu shí zhī shī qian2 shi4 bu2 wang4 hou4 shi2 zhi1 shi1 qian shi bu wang hou shi zhi shi | ch`ien shih pu wang hou shih chih shih chien shih pu wang hou shih chih shih |
|
Undaunted After Repeated Setbacks | 百折不撓 百折不挠 | hyaku setsu su tou hyakusetsusutou hyaku setsu su to | bǎi zhé bù náo bai3 zhe2 bu4 nao2 bai zhe bu nao baizhebunao | pai che pu nao paichepunao |
Responsibility | 責任 责任 | sekinin | zé rèn / ze2 ren4 / ze ren / zeren | tse jen / tsejen |
Ultimate Loyalty to Your Country | 盡忠報國 尽忠报国 | jìn zhōng bào guó jin4 zhong1 bao4 guo2 jin zhong bao guo jinzhongbaoguo | chin chung pao kuo chinchungpaokuo |
|
Duty to Defend and Protect Country | 守土有責 守土有责 | shǒu tǔ yǒu zé shou3 tu3 you3 ze2 shou tu you ze shoutuyouze | shou t`u yu tse shoutuyutse shou tu yu tse |
|
Call Of Duty | 決勝時刻 决胜时刻 | jué shèng shí kè jue2 sheng4 shi2 ke4 jue sheng shi ke jueshengshike | chüeh sheng shih k`o chüehshengshihko chüeh sheng shih ko |
|
Call Of Duty | コールオブデューティ | kooru obu duuti kooruobuduuti koru obu duti | ||
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
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All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
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.
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.
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.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
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