Healing Words in Chinese / Japanese...

In the simplest terms, 愛語 means kind words.

In the Buddhist context, this is one of the four methods of approach to people which the bodhisattvas use to guide them to the way of the Buddha.

Other translations include loving speech or simply the words of a bodhisattva.

愛語 is also a common female name, Aigo, in Japanese.

醫道 means the art of healing or medical skill.

This can also refer to a Korean TV show, Hur Jun about an ancient doctor. The Chinese-subtitled version of the show is also quite popular in China.

While this is a common title in Chinese and Korean, it's not used as often in Japanese where someone might read it as “medical course” or “the way of medicine.”

Getting to the point quickly with the fewest words possible is the suggestion of this 少說為佳 Chinese proverb.

But taking it more profound, there is a warning that using too many words may act to “tip your hat” or “show your hand” (to use two American idioms).

It can also be said that using many words does not make the message have more value.

This is really about the art of brevity.

My only hope is that I did not use too many words to explain this proverb.

妙手回春 can be translated as “healing hands.”

The first two characters are used to describe a doctor or medical professional who has admirable skills in curing disease. Literally: Wonderful or skilled hands.

The last two characters mean “Springing back to life.”

Altogether, it suggests that these skilled hands can cure whatever ails you and bring you back to life. 妙手回春 is a great honor to bestow on your doctor or other healthcare professionals that have helped you.

癒しの手 can be translated as “healing hands” in Japanese.

The first two characters mean healing, to heal, to cure, soothing, therapy, comfort, and solace.
The third character is a possessive particle that connects the ideas.
The last Kanji means hand or hands.

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

癒す is the common word for heal or healing in Japanese.

This word can also mean to cure.

一言九鼎 is an ancient Chinese proverb used in modern times to talk of profound or powerful words.

The literal meaning is “one word [worth] nine [sacred] tripods.” The tripod is a highly-prized three-legged (sometimes four-legged) metal pot or kettle of ancient China. They are often made of bronze, and the Emperor would have large ones gilded in gold. See the image to the right for an example.

入木三分 is a four-character Chinese proverb that translates in English to a strong form of “profound” or “written with a forceful hand.”

But there is much more to the story...

The deep meaning behind this proverb comes from a man named Wan Xizhi, who lived in the third century.

He was a great writer and calligrapher whose writing style influenced generations of other writers and calligraphers.

He once wrote words on a piece of wood to be taken to an engraver.
When the engraver began to carve the characters into the wood, he found that Wang Xizhi's writing had penetrated the wood about 3/8 of an inch.

Thus people believed that his words were so powerful and profound that they caused the ink from his brush to penetrate the wood deeply.

The proverb literally means “penetrated wood three fen” (A fen is an ancient Chinese measurement of a little over 1/8 of an inch or almost 4mm).

言行 means words and actions, what one says and what one does, speech and behavior, or words and deeds in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.