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1. Bodhi - Awakening Enlightenment
2. The Tree of Enlightenment / The Bodhi Tree
3. The Spirit of the Dragon Horse
4. The Spirit of the Dragon Horse and Power of a Tiger
9. Magnolia
11. Phoenix Rise from the Ashes
14. Tengu
15. Yue Fei
The Bodhi or 菩提 is the moment of completion in Buddhism.
It is when all things become known and you have completed your journey to enlightenment.
The reference is to the Bodhi tree where Siddhartha Gautama (the legendary man who established the Buddhist religion) achieved enlightenment. Sometimes this is referred to as “the tree of enlightenment,” but if you want the full version with the character for a tree at the end, please see the Bodhi Tree entry.
See Also: Buddhism | Buddha | Nirvana | Enlightenment
菩提樹 is the full title of the Bodhi tree (a fig tree) under which Siddhartha Gautama (the legendary man who established the Buddhist religion), achieved enlightenment.
Sometimes this is referred to as “the tree of enlightenment.” If you don't have a Bodhi tree to sit under, maybe you can achieve enlightenment under a wall scroll with this title.
龍馬精神 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone good health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse.” These four characters are often accompanied by four more which mean “...and the power and prestige of the tiger.” Here we are just offering the first part which is considered the short version.
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have an amazing quality. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.
Note: In Japanese, this would be read as the spirit of 坂本龍馬 (Sakamoto_Ryōma), a beloved rebel who help abolish the old Japanese feudal system. This can be confusing, so I am declaring this proverb to be Chinese only.
龍馬精神虎虎生威 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone great health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse and the power and prestige of the tiger.”
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have these qualities. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.
Incredible 10,000-Mile Flight of the Peng
鵬程萬里 is an ancient Chinese proverb used in modern times to wish someone a long and successful career.
It's really about the 10,000 Flight of the Peng (Peng, also known as Roc is a mythical fish that can turn into a bird and take flight).
莊子
Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu
Breaking down each character:
1. Peng or Roc (a kind of bird).
2. Journey (in this case, a flight).
3. 10,000 (Ten Thousand).
4. Li is a unit of distance often referred to as a “Chinese Mile,” though the real distance is about half a kilometer.
Direct Translation: “Peng's Journey [of] 10,000 Li.”
Literal meaning: “The 10,000-Li Flying Range Of The Roc.”
Perceived meaning: “To have a bright future” or “To go far.”
This proverb/idiom comes from the book of Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu. It tells the tale of a huge fish that could turn into a gigantic bird. This bird was called a “peng” and was many miles long. This legendary size allowed the Peng to fly from the Northern Sea to the Southern Sea in a single bound.
Wishing someone “a Peng's Journey of 10,000 Li” will imply that they can travel far without stopping and will have great success, a long career, and a prosperous future.
鷹頭獅 is the Chinese title for a Griffin.
This refers to the legendary creature with the head, talons, and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Sometimes also spelled Gryphon or Griffon. From the Greek γρύφων or γρύπων, or Latin Gryphus.
This Chinese title, 鷹頭獅, literally means “Eagle Head Lion.”
鼇 means “legendary turtle” in Chinese. 鼇 is a great mythological turtle that travels the seas. The creature is comparable to the dragon of China, however, it so happens that dragons became a bit more famous as history progressed. In modern Chinese, this character can just refer to a large sea turtle.
Note: 鼇 can be pronounced in Korean but this is a very rare Korean Hanja form - it hasn't been used in Korea for at least a few hundred years (even before they switched to Hangul characters).
木蘭 is a general term for the magnolia (magnolia liliflora) or lily magnolia in Chinese and Japanese.
This can refer to any of the flowering plants or trees in the Magnolia genus.
In Chinese, this is also the name Mulan, as in Hua Mulan, the legendary woman warrior and folk hero of fifth-century China.
In Japanese, this can also be the female given name Mokuren.
鳳凰 is the word that translates as “Legendary Phoenix” in Chinese.
This refers to the bird that, according to Chinese folklore, rose from the fiery ashes.
The phoenix and dragon are by far the most famous creatures in Chinese mythology.
鳳凰涅磐 is a proverb that suggests “Legendary Phoenix rises from the ashes.” It means “Legendary Phoenix [reaches] Nirvana.”
There is a legend in China of a great bird reborn once every 500 years. This bird gathers all the ill will, suffering, desire, and other negative things of the world. The bird then plunges into the fire to burn away all negative things, sacrificing itself in the process (achieving Nirvana, or perhaps allowing others the opportunity to reach Nirvana).
500 years later, the phoenix is reborn from the ashes again, and the cycle repeats.
姻緣紅線 is the legendary red string of destiny that binds all soul mates or lovers together.
In ancient Chinese culture, a mythological matchmaker named 月老 (Yuè Lǎo) was the controller of the fate that led lovers to meet. He did this by tying a celestial red string to the ankle of each person. Sometime during their life, they will meet and marry as fate dictates.
While the origin of the red string comes from China, it has spread to other parts of Asia (such as Japan, where it's known as 赤い糸).
釋迦牟尼 is a transliteration of “Shakyamuni” or “Sakyamuni” in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.
The perceived meaning of the name is roughly translated as “Sage of the Sakyas.”
This same Buddha is also known as “Siddhartha Gautama,” “Gotama Buddha,” “Tathagata,” or simply, “The Supreme Buddha.”
Shakyamuni is the legendary man and prince who eventually established the Buddhist religion.
Note: Occasionally Romanized as “Siddhattha Gotama.”
This combination of characters is sometimes seen and used in South Korea and Japan as well (with the same meaning).
Note: 釋迦牟尼 came from the Sanskrit शाक्यमुनि and can also be romanized with diuretics as Śākyamuni.
天狗 is the Japanese title for Tengu, which roughly translates as “heavenly dog.”
Tengu is a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and is also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural being).
The origin is Chinese, though this term is seldom used in Chinese anymore. It was a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou)
Although the title contains the word “dog,” the tengu are often depicted with human and bird-like characteristics. Sometimes they have large noses or beaks like birds.
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Bodhi - Awakening Enlightenment | 菩提 | bodai | pú tí / pu2 ti2 / pu ti / puti | p`u t`i / puti / pu ti |
The Tree of Enlightenment The Bodhi Tree | 菩提樹 菩提树 | bodaiju | pú tí shù pu2 ti2 shu4 pu ti shu putishu | p`u t`i shu putishu pu ti shu |
The Spirit of the Dragon Horse | 龍馬精神 龙马精神 | lóng mǎ jīng shén long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 long ma jing shen longmajingshen | lung ma ching shen lungmachingshen |
|
The Spirit of the Dragon Horse and Power of a Tiger | 龍馬精神虎虎生威 龙马精神虎虎生威 | lóng mǎ jīng shén hǔ hǔ shēng wēi long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 hu3 hu3 sheng1 wei1 long ma jing shen hu hu sheng wei | lung ma ching shen hu hu sheng wei | |
A Bright Future | 鵬程萬里 鹏程万里 | péng chéng wàn lǐ peng2 cheng2 wan4 li3 peng cheng wan li pengchengwanli | p`eng ch`eng wan li pengchengwanli peng cheng wan li |
|
God of Warcraft | 蚩尤 | shi yuu / shiyuu / shi yu | chī yóu / chi1 you2 / chi you / chiyou | ch`ih yu / chihyu / chih yu |
Griffin Gryphon | 鷹頭獅 鹰头狮 | yīng tóu shī ying1 tou2 shi1 ying tou shi yingtoushi | ying t`ou shih yingtoushih ying tou shih |
|
Legendary Turtle | 鼇 | áo / ao2 / ao | ||
Legendary Turtle | 伝説の亀 | densetsu no kame densetsunokame | ||
Magnolia | 木蘭 木兰 | mokuren | mù lán / mu4 lan2 / mu lan / mulan | |
Legendary Phoenix | 鳳凰 凤凰 | houou / ho | fèng huáng feng4 huang2 feng huang fenghuang | |
Phoenix Rise from the Ashes | 鳳凰涅磐 凤凰涅磐 | fèng huáng niè pán feng4 huang2 nie4 pan2 feng huang nie pan fenghuangniepan | feng huang nieh p`an fenghuangniehpan feng huang nieh pan |
|
The Red Thread of Fate | 姻緣紅線 姻缘红线 | yīn yuán hóng xiàn yin1 yuan2 hong2 xian4 yin yuan hong xian yinyuanhongxian | yin yüan hung hsien yinyüanhunghsien |
|
Shakyamuni The Buddha | 釋迦牟尼 释迦牟尼 | sha ka mu ni shakamuni | shì jiā móu ní shi4 jia1 mou2 ni2 shi jia mou ni shijiamouni | shih chia mou ni shihchiamouni |
Tengu | 天狗 | ten gu / tengu | tiān gǒu / tian1 gou3 / tian gou / tiangou | t`ien kou / tienkou / tien kou |
Yue Fei | 岳飛 岳飞 | gakuhi | yuè fēi / yue4 fei1 / yue fei / yuefei | yüeh fei / yüehfei |
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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