This Chinese proverb means "Be undaunted in the face of repeated setbacks". More directly-translated, it reads, "[Overcome] a hundred setbacks, without flinching". This 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 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 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 strength will who puts up stubborn resistance against great odds.
My Chinese-English dictionary defines these 4 characters as, "keep on fighting in spite of 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.
I felt like messing around with doing some giclée print calligraphy with various backgrounds. I came up with some layouts that I really like, and passed them around with my Chinese and Japanese friends who gave them rave reviews.
After giclée printing them on Japanese-made kozo paper, I sent the raw artwork off to Beijing to my workshop where they were built into wall scrolls by hand.
If you want a custom print scroll with your design, or other calligraphy, just contact me.
About My Giclée Prints
I'm really into this as a hobby more than a business, but that means I have more dedication to the art than the profit.
I love to experiment with different papers and graphic designs until I find the perfect combination.
Quality really matters to me, and is also more important than profit.
There's another fine art print shop down the street that charges twice as much as I do - so maybe I am doing something wrong, but you benefit from my folly.
It took me a few years to find just the right fine art giclée printer.
The first printer handled the handmade papers from Japan and China really well, but the dye-based ink could fade in direct sunlight (dye-based inks are not good for long-lasting art).
The next printer was a huge HP DesignJet. I spent almost $7000 on the used printer, new heads, and new ink tanks just get it going. However, it constantly jammed when trying to feed these fine papers. I sold it for $1200 - ouch!
I finally bought a wonderful Canon imagePROGRAF PRO Series. A big investment (printer and initial ink, about $6000) but this time it was a good investment.
This Canon printer has 18,432 nozzles and can fire more than 32 Million precision droplets of ink per second. Your home inkjet printer cannot compete with that.
There are 12 ink tanks, and with so many ink colors, the gamut is excellent.
This printer can reproduce any color the human eye can perceive, and the gradients and tones are smooth and, well, perfect.
I use only authentic Canon Lucia Pro pigment-based inks. This ink is archival and UV-resistant. In independent laboratory testing, giclée prints created with this ink are rated to last 95 years without fading (but still don't hang this in direct sunlight). I figure you'll get a lifetime of enjoyment if you take good care of this artwork.
Want a customized wall scroll or custom-sized print? Just contact me!
I can print this larger, on the paper texture of your choice, and give you whatever silk brocade colors you want. Ready-to-frame prints can be delivered in a few days. However, it does take several weeks for custom wall scrolls. Either way, it's worth the wait if you want something really custom and unique.
