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1. Christian
2. Christian / Disciple of Christ
7. Jesus
10. Holy Bible
11. John 3:16
12. Joshua 24:15
13. Corinthians 13:4
15. Galatians 5:25
16. Holy Bible
17. John 14:15
18. John 14:18
19. John 3:16
20. Joshua 1:9
21. John 3:16
22. Joshua 24:15
克里斯蒂安 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the given name Christian.
See Also: Christianity
基督徒 is a very strong and direct word in Chinese for “Christian.”
The literal translation of the first two characters is “Christ.”
The last character means apprentice, follower, or disciple.
Altogether these three characters mean “Christ's Disciple” or “Christ's Apprentice.” 基督徒 is a pretty cool title to hang on your wall if you are a devout Christian.
Also used by Japanese Christians (but may be unfamiliar to non-Christian Japanese people).
See Also: Jesus Christ | God of Abraham
基督教徒 is the most verbose (longest) word for “Christian” in the Chinese and Japanese languages.
The literal translation of the first two characters is Christ.
The third Character means “Religion” or “Teaching.”
The last character means “apprentice” or “disciple.”
Altogether these three characters mean “Christ's Teaching Disciple” or “Christ's Religion Apprentice.”
Note: The last two characters are sometimes translated together as “follower (of a religion),” so you could also say it means “Follower of Christ.”
This four-character title makes it very clear what you are talking about in Chinese.
See Also: Jesus Christ | God of Abraham
Depending on the context, 教友 can mean Christian or “friend of the same religion.”
While technically, it could be any religion, this is used mainly within the Christian faith. You can also translate this as “Christian friend” and, in some cases, “Church member.”
福音 is the Chinese, Korean and Japanese word for “Gospel” or “Word of God.”
福音 is a specifically Christian word in Asia (not used for any other religion).
The first character means blessing, good fortune, or good luck. This first character is a special character used throughout China to bring good tidings and fortune - especially during Chinese New Year. The second character means sound, noise, or news.
Together, these characters create a word that means “The Good News” or “The Sound of Good Fortune.”
When read by a Chinese or Japanese person, this word is always perceived as “The Christian Gospel,” “Word of God,” or even “The Voice of God.”
See Also: Christianity | Jesus Christ | God of Abraham
基督教 is the Chinese, Japanese and Korean word for “Christianity.”
Just as in English, this word is often used to mean “Protestant” but includes Catholics in the true definition.
It is the word used to refer to the whole “Christian religion” or “Christian Faith,” and therefore, it can be translated as “Christianity.” However, used as an adjective in regard to a person, it would translate as “Christian.” But more like saying, “His religion is Christianity,” rather than a noun form.
If you break it apart, the characters mean Base/Foundation Leading/Supervising Religion/Teaching. It makes more sense in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. The first two characters together are translated as “Christ.” So you can also say this means “Christ's Religion” or “Christ's Teachings” when directly translated, or in reverse, “The Religion of Christ” or “The Teaching of Christ.”
Notes: The last character has a slight difference in one stroke - however, in calligraphic form, this will not be apparent. This entry can easily be read by any Korean person who knows Hanja characters (Chinese characters used in Korean).
See Also: Jesus Christ | God of Abraham
復活 is the Chinese, Japanese and Korean word for resurrection or rebirth.
復活 literally means “return to life.”
It is the term used in most Asian Bibles to refer to the resurrection of Christ. In Japanese, it is sometimes used to mean a Christian Revival. In some contexts, it can mean resuscitation.
See Also: Christianity | Jesus Christ | God of Abraham
愛は忍耐強い。愛は情け深い。ねたまない。愛は自慢せず、高ぶらない。is 1st Corinthians 13:4 in Japanese.
In English, this reads:
1st Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...
1st Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1st Corinthians 13:4 (Basic English) Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride.
If you want a big “love” character written above the verse on your artwork, just make a note in the “special instructions” tab when you are customizing your artwork. There is no extra charge for that service on this special verse.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
Here is the full translation of John 3:16 into Japanese.
This translation comes from the Shinkaiyaku Bible (a preferred translation by many Japanese Christians).
Just for reference, from the KJV, this reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
This House Serves the LORD
私と私の家とは、主に仕える is the last bit of Joshua 24:15 in Japanese.
Joshua 24:15 (KJV) ...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 (NIV) ...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
This came from the Shinkaiyaku Japanese Bible. This is the most commonly-used Bible translation in Japan for both Protestants and Catholic Japanese folks.
I think it is a bit like having a secret code on your wall that quietly expresses to whom you are faithful.
This will be a nice gift for a friend or a wonderful expression of faith for your own home.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
All you need to know about LOVE
愛是恆久忍耐又有恩慈愛是不嫉妒愛是不自誇不張狂 is 1st Corinthians 13:4 in Chinese.
With large “love” character added.
In English, this reads:
1st Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...
1st Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1st Corinthians 13:4 (Basic English) Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride.
The Chinese translation follows the love meaning, rather than the King James' use of “charity.” I was a little confused when writing this description with the significant differences between the NIV vs. KJV translations. After speaking to a Greek scholar about this, it would seem that the KJV has an almost errant translation with the use of “charity” in place of “love.”
We used the most popular Christian Chinese Bible, which is the Chinese Union Version (CUV). The CUV was first published in 1919. We use this so that the Chinese translation would be as accurate and standard as possible. Any Chinese Christian worth their salt will easily be able to identify this verse when they see these characters.
If you want a big “love” character written above the verse on your artwork, just make a note in the “special instructions” tab when you are customizing your artwork. There is no extra charge for that service on this special verse.
原諒我的罪孽 is a religious phrase, which means exactly what the title suggests.
See Also: Christian
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit
我們若是靠聖靈得生就當靠聖靈行事 is the translation of Galatians 5:25 into Mandarin Chinese via the Chinese Union Bible.
KJV: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
NIV: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
The annotation of this Chinese translation:
1.我们 wǒ men - we / us / ourselves
2.若是 ruò shì - if
3.靠 kào - depend upon / lean on / near / by / against / to support
4.圣灵 shèng líng - Holy Ghost
5.得 děi - to have to / must / ought to / degree or possibility
6.生就 shēng jiù - born one way or another (nervous, suspicious, etc.)
7.当 dàng - suitable / adequate / fitting / proper
8.靠 kào - depend upon / lean on / near / by / against / to support
9.圣灵 shèng líng - Holy Ghost
10.行事 xíng shì - how one does things / how one runs things (in this case, it suggests, “to walk in step with”)
聖經 is how to write Bible in Chinese.
The first character means Holy, sacred, saint, or sage.
The second character means sacred book or scripture.
Each Sunday morning, if you are near a Catholic or Protestant Church, you will see plenty of Chinese people carrying their Bibles. Virtually every large or medium city in China has at least one Christian church. Beijing has about 14 Christian churches of Catholic and various Protestant denominations. That number doubles if you count all the church services that are for foreigners only and doubles again if you count all of the underground Christian Churches. Many Embassies (Canadian, Italian, French, etc.) offer Protestant and Catholic services. However, the U.S. Embassy is the most unfriendly in all of China, offering no such religious services, regularly denying entry, and kicking out Americans and others, whether or not they have official business.
你們若愛我就必遵守我的命令 is the translation of John 14:15 into Chinese.
This comes from the Chinese Union Bible which comes from a revised King James version. This Chinese Bible was originally translated and printed in 1919 (several revisions since then).
Because of the origin being the KJV, I'll say that in English, this would be, “If ye love me, keep my commandments...”
In basic English, this would be, “If you have love for me, you will keep my laws.”
我不撇下你們為孤兒我必到你們這里來 is the translation of John 14:18 into Chinese.
This comes from the Chinese Union Bible which comes from a revised version of the King James. This Chinese Bible was originally translated and printed in 1919 (several revisions since then).
Because of the origin being the KJV, I'll say that in English, this would be, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you...”
In basic English, this would be, “I will not let you be without a friend: I am coming to you.”
神愛世人甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們叫一切信他的不至滅亡反得永生 is the full translation of John 3:16 into Chinese.
This is from the Chinese Union Bible which comes from a revised version of the King James. This Chinese Bible was originally translated and printed in 1919 (several revisions since then).
Because of the origin being the KJV, I'll say that in English, this would be, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
As with any translation, there are interesting cultural and linguistic issues. For instance, the word used for “world” in Chinese can also mean “common people.” So you could say that it means “For God so loved the common people...”
This does not take away from the text, as it will be understood with the same meaning and connotation.
There is no direct Greek-to-Chinese translation in print (that I know of), so this is the best available. Of course, you can ask any Greek person of faith, and they will claim that a bit is lost from the original Greek of the New Testament to any of the English versions of the Bible in print.
Here is the full translation of Joshua 1:9 into Chinese.
The text with punctuation:
我岂没有吩咐你吗?你当刚强壮胆。不要惧怕,也不要惊惶。因为你无论往哪里去,耶和华你的神必与你同在。
Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.
This translation comes from the 1919 Chinese Union Bible.
For reference, from the KJV, this reads, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
This House Serves the LORD
至於我和我家我們必定事奉耶和華 is the last sentence of Joshua 24:15 in Chinese.
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Joshua 24:15 (KJV) ...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 (NIV) ...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
We used the only official Christian Chinese Bible that I know of so that the translation would be as accurate and standard as possible. Any Chinese Christian worth their salt will easily be able to identify this verse from the Chinese words on this scroll.
I think it is a bit like having a secret code on your wall that quietly expresses to whom you are faithful.
A great gift for your devout Christian or Jewish friend if they happen to be fond of Asian art.
Or perhaps a wonderful “conversation starter” for your own home.
Note: If you are curious, the last three characters represent the way “LORD” is used in most English Bibles. In Chinese, this is actually the phonetic name from Mandarin Chinese for “Jehovah.”
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Christian | 克里斯蒂安 | kè lǐ sī dì ān ke4 li3 si1 di4 an1 ke li si di an kelisidian | k`o li ssu ti an kolissutian ko li ssu ti an |
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Christian | クリスチャン | kurisuchan | ||
Christian Disciple of Christ | 基督徒 | kirisuto | jī dū tú ji1 du1 tu2 ji du tu jidutu | chi tu t`u chitutu chi tu tu |
Disciple of Christianity | 基督教徒 | kirisutokyouto kirisutokyoto | jī dū jiào tú ji1 du1 jiao4 tu2 ji du jiao tu jidujiaotu | chi tu chiao t`u chituchiaotu chi tu chiao tu |
Christian Friend | 教友 | jiào yǒu / jiao4 you3 / jiao you / jiaoyou | chiao yu / chiaoyu | |
Word of God The Gospel | 福音 | fukuin | fú yīn / fu2 yin1 / fu yin / fuyin | |
Christianity Christian | 基督教 | kirisutokyou kirisutokyo | jī dū jiào ji1 du1 jiao4 ji du jiao jidujiao | chi tu chiao chituchiao |
Jesus | イエス | iesu | ||
Resurrection Re-Birth | 復活 复活 | hukkatsu / hukatsu | fù huó / fu4 huo2 / fu huo / fuhuo | |
Corinthians 13:4 | 愛は忍耐強い。愛は情け深い。ねたまない。愛は自慢せず、高ぶらない。 | ai ha nintai tsuyoi. ai ha nasakebukai. netama nai. ai ha jiman se zu, takabura nai. | ||
Holy Bible | 聖書 圣书 | seisho | ||
John 3:16 | 神は 實に そのひとり 子をお 與えになったほどに 世を 愛された. それは 御子を 信じる 者が ひとりとして 滅びることなく 永遠のいのちを 持つためである. | kami wa, minoru ni, sono hitori ko o o atae ni natta hodo ni, yo o aisare ta. Sore wa miko o shinjiru mono ga, hitori toshite horobiru koto naku, eien no inochi o motsu tame de aru. | ||
Joshua 24:15 | 私と私の家とは主に仕える | Watashi to watashinoie to wa omo ni tsukaeru | ||
Corinthians 13:4 | 愛是恆久忍耐又有恩慈愛是不嫉妒愛是不自誇不張狂 爱是恒久忍耐又有恩慈爱是不嫉妒爱是不自夸不张狂 | ài shì héng jiǔ rěn nài yòu yǒu én cí ài shì bú jì dù ài shì bú zì kuā bù zhāng kuáng ai4 shi4 heng2 jiu3 ren3 nai4 you4 you3 en2 ci2 ai4 shi4 bu2 ji4 du4 ai4 shi4 bu2 zi4 kua1 bu4 zhang1 kuang2 ai shi heng jiu ren nai you you en ci ai shi bu ji du ai shi bu zi kua bu zhang kuang | ai shih heng chiu jen nai yu yu en tz`u ai shih pu chi tu ai shih pu tzu k`ua pu chang k`uang ai shih heng chiu jen nai yu yu en tzu ai shih pu chi tu ai shih pu tzu kua pu chang kuang |
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Forgive Me of My Sins | 原諒我的罪孽 原谅我的罪孽 | yuán liàng wǒ de zuì niè yuan2 liang4 wo3 de zui4 nie4 yuan liang wo de zui nie yuanliangwodezuinie | yüan liang wo te tsui nieh yüanliangwotetsuinieh |
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Galatians 5:25 | 我們若是靠聖靈得生就當靠聖靈行事 我们若是靠圣灵得生就当靠圣灵行事 | wǒ men ruò shì kào shèng líng shēn jiù dāng kào shèng líng xíng shì wo3 men ruo4 shi4 kao4 sheng4 ling2 dei3 shen1 jiu4 dang1 kao4 sheng4 ling2 xing2 shi4 wo men ruo shi kao sheng ling dei shen jiu dang kao sheng ling xing shi | wo men jo shih k`ao sheng ling tei shen chiu tang k`ao sheng ling hsing shih wo men jo shih kao sheng ling tei shen chiu tang kao sheng ling hsing shih |
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Holy Bible | 聖經 圣经 | shèng jīng sheng4 jing1 sheng jing shengjing | sheng ching shengching |
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John 14:15 | 你們若愛我就必遵守我的命令 你们若爱我就必遵守我的命令 | nǐ mén ruò ài wǒ jiù bì zūn shǒu wǒ de mìng lìng ni3 men2 ruo4 ai4 wo3 jiu4 bi4 zun1 shou3 wo3 de ming4 ling4 ni men ruo ai wo jiu bi zun shou wo de ming ling | ni men jo ai wo chiu pi tsun shou wo te ming ling | |
John 14:18 | 我不撇下你們為孤兒我必到你們這里來 我不撇下你们为孤儿我必到你们这里来 | wǒ bù piě xià nǐ mén wéi gū ér wǒ bì dào nǐ mén zhè lǐ lái wo3 bu4 pie3 xia4 ni3 men2 wei2 gu1 er2 wo3 bi4 dao4 ni3 men2 zhe4 li3 lai2 wo bu pie xia ni men wei gu er wo bi dao ni men zhe li lai | wo pu p`ieh hsia ni men wei ku erh wo pi tao ni men che li lai wo pu pieh hsia ni men wei ku erh wo pi tao ni men che li lai |
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John 3:16 | 神愛世人甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們叫一切信他的不至滅亡反得永生 神爱世人甚至将他的独生子赐给他们叫一切信他的不至灭亡反得永生 | shén ài shì rén shèn zhì jiāng tā de dú shēng zǐ cì gè tā mén jiào yí qiè xìn tā de bú zhì miè wáng fǎn dé yǒng shēng shen2 ai4 shi4 ren2 shen4 zhi4 jiang1 ta1 de du2 sheng1 zi3 ci4 gei3 ta1 men2 jiao4 yi2 qie4 xin4 ta1 de bu2 zhi4 mie4 wang2 fan3 de2 yong3 sheng1 shen ai shi ren shen zhi jiang ta de du sheng zi ci gei ta men jiao yi qie xin ta de bu zhi mie wang fan de yong sheng | shen ai shih jen shen chih chiang t`a te tu sheng tzu tz`u kei t`a men chiao i ch`ieh hsin t`a te pu chih mieh wang fan te yung sheng shen ai shih jen shen chih chiang ta te tu sheng tzu tzu kei ta men chiao i chieh hsin ta te pu chih mieh wang fan te yung sheng |
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Joshua 1:9 | 我豈沒有吩咐你嗎你當剛強壯膽不要懼怕也不要驚惶因為你無論往哪里去耶和華你的神必與你同在 我岂没有吩咐你吗你当刚强壮胆不要惧怕也不要惊惶因为你无论往哪里去耶和华你的神必与你同在 | wǒ qǐ méi yǒu fēn fù nǐ ma nǐ dāng gāng qiáng zhuàng dǎn bù yào jù pà yě bù yào jīng huáng yīn wèi nǐ wú lùn wǎng nǎ lǐ qù yē hé huá nǐ de shén bì yǔ nǐ tóng zài wo3 qi3 mei2 you3 fen1 fu4 ni3 ma ni3 dang1 gang1 qiang2 zhuang4 dan3 bu4 yao4 ju4 pa4 ye3 bu4 yao4 jing1 huang2 yin1 wei4 ni3 wu2 lun4 wang3 na3 li3 qu4 ye1 he2 hua2 ni3 de shen2 bi4 yu3 ni3 tong2 zai4 wo qi mei you fen fu ni ma ni dang gang qiang zhuang dan bu yao ju pa ye bu yao jing huang yin wei ni wu lun wang na li qu ye he hua ni de shen bi yu ni tong zai | wo ch`i mei yu fen fu ni ma ni tang kang ch`iang chuang tan pu yao chü p`a yeh pu yao ching huang yin wei ni wu lun wang na li ch`ü yeh ho hua ni te shen pi yü ni t`ung tsai wo chi mei yu fen fu ni ma ni tang kang chiang chuang tan pu yao chü pa yeh pu yao ching huang yin wei ni wu lun wang na li chü yeh ho hua ni te shen pi yü ni tung tsai |
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John 3:16 (first half) | 神愛世人甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們 神爱世人甚至将他的独生子赐给他们 | shén ài shì rén shèn zhì jiāng tā de dú shēng zǐ cì gè tā mén shen2 ai4 shi4 ren2 shen4 zhi4 jiang1 ta1 de du2 sheng1 zi3 ci4 gei3 ta1 men2 shen ai shi ren shen zhi jiang ta de du sheng zi ci gei ta men | shen ai shih jen shen chih chiang t`a te tu sheng tzu tz`u kei t`a men shen ai shih jen shen chih chiang ta te tu sheng tzu tzu kei ta men |
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Joshua 24:15 | 至於我和我家我們必定事奉耶和華 至于我和我家我们必定事奉耶和华 | zhì yú wǒ hé wǒ jiā wǒ men bì dìng shì fèng yē hé huá zhi4 yu2 wo3 he2 wo3 jia1 wo3 men bi4 ding4 shi4 feng4 ye1 he2 hua2 zhi yu wo he wo jia wo men bi ding shi feng ye he hua | chih yü wo ho wo chia wo men pi ting shih feng yeh ho hua | |
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. |
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.
Some people may refer to this entry as Christian Kanji, Christian Characters, Christian in Mandarin Chinese, Christian Characters, Christian in Chinese Writing, Christian in Japanese Writing, Christian in Asian Writing, Christian Ideograms, Chinese Christian symbols, Christian Hieroglyphics, Christian Glyphs, Christian in Chinese Letters, Christian Hanzi, Christian in Japanese Kanji, Christian Pictograms, Christian in the Chinese Written-Language, or Christian in the Japanese Written-Language.