What About Black in Chinese / Japanese...

黑八馬 means “eight black horses” in Chinese.

This is an unusual title for calligraphy, but several people have searched for it, so we added it.
Eight horses are a sign of success in business in Chinese culture.

子を持って知る親の恩 literally translates as: Only after you have a baby, you would appreciate your parents (feel the way they do, etc).

This is a bit like the “walk a mile in another man's shoes” saying. Basically, it's about you cannot fully understand the plight of others until you experience it yourself. It also shows appreciation for the plight of parents.

This Japanese proverb can also be translated a few more ways:

No man knows what he owes to his parents till he comes to have children of his own.

One knows not what one owes to one's parents till one comes to have children of one's own.

Only after you have a baby, you will appreciate your parents or feel the way they do.

Only after becoming a parent yourself do you realize how much you owe [how indebted you are] to your own parents.

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

黑帶 is “black belt” in Chinese.

Many will argue whether rank systems that include a “black belt” are used in pure Chinese martial arts systems. The argument goes that it's more a Japanese idea merged into the western versions of Chinese martial arts. However, in Wushu (often referred to as Kung Fu), it's said that all students started with white belts. Over the years of training, the white belt would get dirty until finally appearing black with filth. Thus, more advanced students had darker belts.

If you want this title in Chinese, this would be the form.

Often, the second character is written like the image to the right. If you like this version, click on this character instead of the button above.

黑 is the color black in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

In some contexts, this can mean “dark” or “evil.”

There is an alternate form of this character which is commonly used in modern Japan (shown to the right). If you want this alternate/Japanese form, just click on the character to the right, instead of the button above.

These are the Kanji for “Black Belt” in Japanese.

This would be the gift to buy someone who is about to achieve the rank of black belt, or perhaps for yourself, like a certificate on the wall to subtly show your accomplishment.

It should be mentioned that the title “black belt” is not a typical selection for a calligraphy wall scroll.

Note: with a tiny stroke difference on the second character, this also means black belt in Korean Hanja. Let me know if you need the exact Korean version (though any Korean who can read Hanja will know this is black belt).

黒龍 is a generic title for “Black Dragon.”

The first character is black color.
The second means dragon.

Sometimes written as 黑龍 (just a minor variation in the first character).

玄龍 is a sophisticated or scholarly way to say “Black Dragon.”

玄龍 is the title you'd expect in ancient Chinese literature.

The first character means black or mysterious.

The second character means dragon.

This black dragon represents a king dwelling in the depths of the mystic waters.

墨龍 is a cool way to say “Black Dragon.”

墨龍 is literally “Ink Dragon.” The ink part is black Chinese ink, the deepest, darkest ink available for thousands of years.

黑旗門 is often romanized as “Hek Ki Boen” in Cantonese, this is the title for a certain branch school of Wing Chun or Eng Chun martial arts.

烏 can mean raven or crow but is also used as an alternate way to write the color black.

Therefore, this is a symbol of the black raven (with emphasis on black). This can also mean rook or dark.

Notes: This can be the Japanese surname Karasu, or Chinese surname Wu.

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

黑虎拳 is Hei Hu Quan or “Black Tiger Fist” - a school of Chinese Martial Arts.

黑狼 is how the title Black Wolf is written in Chinese.

黑狼 is not a common term in Chinese but will be understood.

鷲 is the way to write black eagle or condor in Chinese.

It means eagle (sometimes vulture) in Japanese Kanji. 鷲 hasn't been in common use in Korean for hundreds of years, so it's hard to say what bird it represented in old Korean Hanja.

There are other multi-character words that express different specific species of birds of prey (bald eagle, osprey, golden eagle, etc).

If you need a more specific title, just contact me.

見義勇為 means the courage to do what is right in Chinese.

This could also be translated as “Never hesitate to do what is right.”

This comes from Confucian thought:
Your courage should head in an honorable direction. For example, you should take action when the goal is to attain a just result as, without honorable intent, a person’s gutsy fervor can easily lead them astray.

One who flaunts courage but disregards justice is bound to do wrong; someone who possesses courage and morality is destined to become a hero.

Some text above paraphrased from The World of Chinese - The Character of 勇

See Also:  Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Justice | Bravery

義を見てせざるは勇なきなり is a Japanese proverb that means “Knowing what is right and not doing is a want of courage.”

I've also seen it translated as:
To see what is right, yet fail to do so, is a lack of courage.
To know righteousness, but take no action is cowardice.
You are a coward if you knew what was the right thing to do, but you did not take action.
Knowing what is right without practicing it betrays one's cowardice.

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

五段 represents the 5th Rank or 5th Degree (5th Degree of black belt) in Japanese martial arts.

This can also be the 5th rank in other fields such as chess play (Japanese “Go”) etc.

黑龍之家 was added by special request of a customer. This phase is natural in Chinese, but it is not a common or ancient title.

The first character is black.
The second is dragon.
The third is a possessive modifier (like making “dragon” into “dragon's”).
The fourth character means home (but in some context can mean “family” - however, here it would generally be understood as “home”).

生活是自己創造的 is a Chinese phrase meaning “Life is what you make of it,” or “Life is your own creation.”

人生は作るもの means “life is what you make of it,” in Japanese.

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

白酒紅人面黃金黑世心 literally says: [Just as] white liquor makes people's faces turn red, [So] yellow gold makes people's hearts turn black.

This is a warning about the nature of greed. The suggestion is that one who lusts for gold and riches will eventually have a black heart (or become a heartless greedy bastard). As a wall scroll, this is a reminder and warning to keep yourself from following the greedy path.

人生謳歌 means “live for what you love” in Japanese.

The first two characters mean “human life” or simply “living.” The last two characters mean “merit,” “prosperity,” or “what you enjoy.” This phrase can suggest working or staying busy for your own goals (in your career).

See Also:  Prosperity

不當和尚不知齋戒苦 literally translates as:
[One who has] not been a monk [does not] know the suffering of [being on a] vegetarian diet.

This is a bit like the “walk a mile in another man's shoes” saying. Basically, it's about you cannot fully understand the plight of others until you experience it yourself.

七段 represents the 7th Rank or 7th Degree (7th Degree of black belt) in Japanese martial arts.

This can also be the 7th rank in other fields such as chess play (Japanese “Go”) etc.

今日事今日畢 is a Chinese proverb that means “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

记住什么是重要的 means “Remember What Is Important To You” in Mandarin Chinese.

貴方にとって重要な事を記憶する means “Remember What Is Important To You” in Japanese.

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

六段 is the Japanese title for the 6th Degree or 6th Level.

This applies mostly to martial arts and earning the title of a 6th-degree black belt.

The first character is simply the number 6.
The second character is “dan” which is often translated as “degree” in the context of Japanese martial arts. 六段 means grade, rank, level. When a number is in front like this, it refers to a senior rank in martial arts or games of strategy such as go, shogi, chess, etc.

In Chinese, 鴟 is the Scops Owl. In Japanese, this is the black kite (Milvus migrans).

Colloquially in Japanese, this can refer to a construction worker who walks on or erects scaffolding. It can also be a firefighter up high on a ladder or building.

玄武 can refer to the Black Tortoise (an ancient Chinese constellation of stars- part of the seven mansions of the north sky).

In Daoism, this is the God of the North sky.

This also refers to a Black Tortoise god, said to rule over the northern heavens in Japanese. Can also be pronounced/romanized as genmu or when used as a personal name, Hirotake in Japanese.