The name Believe Faith Trust in Chinese / Japanese...

信 can mean to believe, truth, faith, fidelity, sincerity, trust, and confidence in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

This single character is often part of other words with similar meanings.

It is one of the five basic tenets of Confucius.

In Chinese, it sometimes has the secondary meaning of a letter (as in the mail) depending on context but it will not be read that way when seen on a wall scroll.

In the Buddhist context, this is śraddhā (faith through hearing or being taught).

See Also:  Faith | Trust | Confucius

神を信ぜよ is a way to express “Trust in God” in Japanese.

The first character is “God.”

The second character is a particle that links the ideas here.

The last three characters are a word that means “to believe,” “to believe in,” “to place trust in,” “to confide in,” and “to have faith in.”

Basically, this is the Japanese phrase for “Have faith in God,” “Belief in God,” or “Trust in God.”

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

神の信仰 is the simplest way to express “Trust in God” in Japanese.

The first character means God, deity, divinity, or spirit (in this case, it will be read as God).

The second character is a particle that links the ideas.

The last two characters mean faith, belief, or creed in a religious context.

信仰 means firm belief, faith, persuasion, conviction, and sometimes religion or creed in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This clearly fits the religious connotation of the English word “devotion.”

This is often used to refer to a person of faith or a religious person.

This can be directly translated as “firm belief,” “creed,” “conviction,” or simply as “religious,” depending on context.

Some will also use this to mean “trust in God” in Japanese (though the term for God is not actually in this title).

It should be noted that this word is a little strange alone on a wall scroll.

While this can be pronounced in Japanese, it’s not a great selection for a wall scroll if your audience is Japanese.

See Also:  Faith | Trust | Devotion | Trust | Trust in God

信賴 can also be translated as confidence, reliance, or dependence; thus, it can also mean “to rely on” or “to depend on.”

Trust is having faith in someone or something. It is a positive attitude about life. You are confident that the right thing will happen without trying to control or make it happen. Even when difficult things happen, trust helps us to find the gift or lesson in it.

There is a slight deviation in the Japanese Kanji form of the second character. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the special Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note that the traditional Chinese form is still readable and understood by Japanese people.

See Also:  Confidence | Truth | Honor

信靠上帝 means “Trust in God,” “Faith in God,” “Rely upon God” and/or “Believe in God.”

相信上帝 means exactly what the title suggests. The first two characters mean “trust” or “believe,” and the second two mean “God” (as in the God of Abraham and the God of Zion).

Thisis also how the American phrase “In God We Trust” as seen on U.S. Currency would be translated into Chinese. It would also be correct to say that this means “Believe in God,” though, in this arrangement/context, one would be more likely to interpret it as “trust.”

信念 expresses the idea of “having a belief” or “trusting in the unseen.”

信念 could also be translated as beliefs or convictions.

Note: Also considered to be one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

See Also:  Devotion | Dedication | Trust

信唸是在黎明前的黑闇中能感到光明的鳥 is a philosophical poem/quote from Indian Poet and Philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore, 1915

This quote is not sourced, and therefore several variations exist in English. Some suggest the original was in the Bengali language.

This, of course, is the Chinese translation that has the meaning of, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

More about Rabindranath Tagore

誰も信じるな is as close as you can get to the phrase “trust no man” in Japanese, though no gender is specified.

The first two characters mean everyone or anyone but change to “no one” with the addition of a negative verb.

The third through fifth characters express the idea of believing in, placing trust in, confiding in, or having faith in.

The last character makes the sentence negative (without the last character, this would mean “trust everyone,” with that last character, it's “trust no one”).

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

無法信任 is the kind of thing you expect to hear in a spy movie.

“Trust no one, 007!”

The first two characters express the idea of “no way” or “cannot.”

The last two characters mean “trust.”

The characters must go in this order due to Chinese grammar issues and in order to sound natural.

Note: This is not an ancient Chinese phrase by any means. It's just that we received a lot of requests for this phrase.

This is as close as you can get to the phrase “trust no man,” though technically, no gender is specified.

相信 is the Chinese way to say believe.

This specifically means to be convinced that something is true or to accept something as true or real.

This can also be translated as “convinced of,” “have trust in,” or “have faith in.”

信任 means belief or trust in Chinese characters, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

It can also mean having confidence in or credence.

信義 is a word often used to describe a person with an honest and loyal reputation.

Simply put, this applies to somebody you can trust (with your life).

In Chinese, this is often defined as good faith, honor, trust, and justice.
In Korean, this word means fidelity, truthfulness, or faithfulness.
In Japanese: faith, fidelity, and loyalty. It's also a Japanese male given name when pronounced “Nobuyoshi.”

自分を信じる means “believe in yourself,” “have faith in yourself,” or “believe in myself” (can be myself or yourself depending on if you're saying it to yourself or someone else).

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

相信自己 means “believe in yourself” in Chinese.

信德 is a term used often in Buddhism to express faith.

信德 is sometimes translated as the merit of the believing heart, faith of virtue, the power of faith, or virtuous faith.

In this context:
信 = Faith
德 = Virtue

愛信強 is the shortest way to write the word list, “love faith strength.”

The first character is love, the second is faith or believe, and the third means strong or strength.

It should be noted that word lists like this are not as natural sounding in Chinese as word lists can be in English. it’s more common to have a full phrase (with subject, verb, and object) or single words on calligraphy wall scrolls in Asia.

This means “Trust Your Heart” in Chinese.

堅信 means to believe firmly, with firm faith, or without any doubt.

Japanese Christians sometimes use this term to mean the rite of confirmation.

This can also be the Japanese given name Kenshin.

忠誠 is the written form of loyalty that is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Loyalty is staying true to someone. It is standing up for something you believe in without wavering. It is being faithful to your family, country, school, friends, or ideals when the going gets tough and when things are good. With loyalty, you build relationships that last forever.

Notes:

1. There is also a Japanese version that is part of the Bushido Code which may be more desirable depending on whether your intended audience is Japanese or Chinese.

2. This version of loyalty is sometimes translated as devotion, sincerity, fidelity, or allegiance.

See Also:  Honor | Trust | Integrity | Sincerity

正直 or honesty is being truthful and sincere. It is important because it builds trust. When people are honest, they can be relied on not to lie, cheat or steal. Being honest means that you accept yourself as you are. When you are open and trustworthy, others can believe in you.

正直 is one of the 8 key concepts of Tang Soo Do.

Note: This entry is cross-listed as "integrity" because it also fits that definition.

Please note that the second Kanji sometimes has an alternate form in Japanese. Let us know if you want the alternate form shown to the right.

See Also:  Truth | Trust | Integrity

博愛信念力量 is the verbose way to write the word list, “love faith strength.”

It should be noted that word lists like this are not as natural sounding in Chinese as word lists can be in English. it’s more common to have a full phrase (with subject, verb, and object) or single words on calligraphy wall scrolls in Asia.

信愛和 is a word list that reads, “Faith Love Peace.”

This is not a natural phrase in Chinese or Japanese, as it lacks a subject, verb, or object. But if this is what you want, here it is.

信仰と希望と愛 is a Japanese list of words (not really a phrase) meaning faith, hope, and love.

Some have associated this word list with Corinthians 13:13, though there are no specific religious connotations in this word list, and it's not directly from that Japanese Bible verse.

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

信望愛 is a Chinese list of words meaning faith, hope, and love.

This is not a typical phrase in Chinese but rather just random words strung together. There's no bad meaning, it's just not typical Chinese grammar.

信 is another character that expresses the idea of honesty.

It can also mean truth, faith, belief in, fidelity, sincerity, trust, and/or confidence.

Some have included this in the list for the Bushido, although “makoto” is probably more common/popular.

Note: In some contexts, this character can mean a letter (mail), news, or envoy. However, alone, it will generally be read with the honesty-meaning.

See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also:  Loyalty Trustworthiness Trustworthy

獻身 is used to describe being so devoted to something that you will make sacrifices for that goal/thing/person.

You can also translate this word as any of the following:

This can be a dedication to or for someone but is often used as a dedication or making sacrifices for your country, public service, or a cause. For instance, an Olympic athlete makes great sacrifices to train in his/her sport for their country and compatriots.

While the form shown to the upper-left is considered an ancient Japanese version, in modern Japan, they use the simplified version of the first Kanji (shown to the right). Click on the Kanji at the right instead of the button above if you want this modern Japanese version.

If you are looking for a more religious meaning of devotion, see Faith.

See Also:  Confidence | Dedication

仁義禮智信 are the core of Confucius's philosophy.

Simply stated:
仁 = Benevolence / Charity
義 = Justice / Rectitude
禮 = Courtesy / Politeness / Tact
智 = Wisdom / Knowledge
信 = Fidelity / Trust / Sincerity

Many of these concepts can be found in various religious teachings. It should be clearly understood that Confucianism is not a religion but should instead be considered a moral code for a proper and civilized society.

This title is also labeled “5 Confucian virtues.”

If you order this from the Japanese calligrapher, expect the middle Kanji to be written in a more simple form (as seen to the right). This can also be romanized as "jin gi rei satoshi shin" in Japanese. Not all Japanese will recognize this as Confucian tenets but they will know all the meanings of the characters.

See Also:  Confucius Teachings | Ethics

精進 is a wide-ranging word that is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

It can mean devotion, diligence, concentration, aggressive, enterprising, vigorous, energetic, purification, pushing, asceticism, assiduity, or virility. 精進 is deep, and these two characters can express ideas that take a full English phrase to describe, such as “concentration of mind,” “to forge ahead vigorously,” or “to dedicate oneself to progress.”

Used in the context of Buddhism, it means “making earnest efforts to cultivate virtue and get rid of evil” or “zeal in one's quest for enlightenment.”

善意 is a word that means good intentions, goodwill, or to things done in good faith in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

It's the reason you do good deeds or the desire you have inside yourself to do the right thing.

This can also be translated as benevolence, kindness, virtuous mind, positive mindset, or favorable sense.

善意 is also used in the legal context for things done in good faith (regardless of outcome).

In Japanese, this can be the personal name Yoshi or Yoshii.

至誠 is the idea that you enter into something with the utmost sincerity and fidelity. Ideas such as devotion, honesty, and “one's true heart” are also contained in this word.

至誠 is a universal word as the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja are all identical.

Besides “to hope” this also means “to wish for” or “to desire.”

It can also mean expectation or aspiration depending on context.

Note: Also considered to be one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

See Also:  Faith | Desire

專心 makes a word that means “paying attention with your heart.”

It's often translated as “dedication,” as in “be absorbed in” or “concentrate one's efforts.” It's also used to mean “with the single mind,” “whole-heartedly,” “paying attention,” “undivided attention,” “concentration (-ed),” “engrossed,” “devotionally (listening/watching),” and/or “attentive.”

The first character means “for a particular person, occasion, or purpose,” “focused on one single thing,” “concentrated,” and sometimes, “special.”

The second character means “heart” or “mind” by itself.

My favorite translation, which comes from the Oxford Advanced Chinese/English Dictionary, is, “wholehearted devotion.”

If it seems like the meaning of this word is quite open, you are correct. The context in which the word is used matters a lot. It can mean different things depending on how you use it. This makes it kind of nice as you can decide what this means to you (within some limits). This is always positive in meaning, so even if a Chinese person reads it differently than you, it will still have a good meaning.

In Japanese, they tend to use a variation of the second character which has one less stroke. If you want your calligraphy written this Japanese form, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note: Japanese and Chinese people will recognize either form.

See Also:  Faith | Devotion

實 means real, true, honest, or solid.

It is one of several ways to express the idea of truth.

Note: In some contexts, this can carry extended meanings of reality, actuality, sincerity, or substance.

See Also:  Truth | Trust | Justice

Integrity is living by your highest values. It is being honest and sincere. Integrity helps you to listen to your conscience, do the right thing, and tell the truth. You act with integrity when your words and actions match. Integrity gives you self-respect and a peaceful heart.

Please note that the second Kanji sometimes has an alternate form in Japanese. Let us know if you want the alternate form shown to the right.

Note: This entry is cross-listed as “honesty” because it also fits that definition.

Beyond Integrity, this word also means "upright" and "honest" in Chinese. Means "integrity," "honesty" or "frankness" in Japanese.

See Also:  Honor | Honesty | Truth | Trust

誠 means truth, faith, fidelity, sincerity, trust, and/or confidence.

As a single-character wall scroll, this suggests that you believe “honesty is the best policy,” as your personal philosophy.

This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also:  Sincerity | Sincere

自信 is created by simply putting the character for “faith/believe/confidence” with the character for “oneself” in front of it.

The literal translation holds the same meaning in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

It's like a self-affirmation to say, “you can do it.”

Some may also use this to mean self-esteem or a sense of self-worth. 自信 is also how to say “believe in oneself.”

See Also:  Confidence

Here is 1 Corinthians 14:22 in Chinese.

The text with punctuation:
这样看来，说方言，不是为信的人作证据，乃是为不信的人。作先知讲道，不是为不信的人作证据，乃是为信的人。

Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.

This translation is from the Chinese Union Bible.

You may know it from the KJV as:
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

英信流 is the Japanese martial arts term, Eishin-ryu.

This can also be pronounced Hidenobu-ryu. The direct meaning is something like, hero faith school (or school of heroic faith).

信心 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that means confidence, faith, or belief in somebody or something.

The first character means faith, and the second can mean heart or soul. Therefore, you could say this means “faithful heart” or “faithful soul.”

In Korean especially, this word has a religious connotation.

In the old Japanese Buddhist context, this was a word for citta-prasāda (clear or pure heart-mind).
In modern Japan (when read by non-Buddhists), this word is usually understood as “faith,” “belief,” or “devotion.”

See Also:  Self-Confidence

These four characters together relay the meaning that can be expressed in English as “When three people say there's a tiger running in the street, you believe it.”

Of course, there is an ancient story behind this idiom...

三人成虎 is actually a proverb that resulted from a conversation that occurred around 300 B.C.

The conversation was between the king of the Wei kingdom and one of the king's ministers named Pang Cong.

It was near the end of one of many wars, this time with the Zhao kingdom. Pang Cong was to be sent by the king to the Zhao kingdom with the king's son, who was to be held hostage. It was common at the time for a king to make his son a hostage to secure stable peace between warring kingdoms.

Before minister Pang Cong departed, he asked his king, “If one person told you a tiger was running in the street, would you believe it?.”

“No,” the king said.

The minister continued, “What if two people told you?”

The king replied, “Well, I would have my doubts but I might believe it.”

The minister continued, “So, what if three people told you that a tiger is running in the streets?”

The king replied, “Yes, I would believe it. It must be true if three people say it.”

The minister then reminded the king, “Your son and I are now traveling far away to live in the distant Zhao kingdom - much farther from your palace than the street. Rumors may fly about me in my absence, so I hope your majesty will weight such rumors appropriately.”

The king replied, “I have every trust in you, do not worry”

While the minister was gone, the king's enemies gossiped about minister Pang Cong on many occasions. At first, the king thought nothing of these comments and rumors. But slowly, as the rumors mounted, the king began to suspect ill of his minister.

Sometime later, when peace was well-established, the minister and prince were freed and returned to the kingdom of Wei. The king received his son BUT DID NOT EVEN SUMMON MINISTER PANG CONG TO THE PALACE!

Hopefully, this story will help you see how dangerous words can be when used to promote rumors or create ill will. And perhaps will inspire you not to believe everything you hear.

There is also a secondary suggestion in this idiom that gossip is as ferocious as a tiger. Some Chinese people who don't know the ancient story above may believe that this scroll means that rumors are as vicious as three tigers.

Note: This proverb appears in my Korean dictionary but is not well-known in Korea.

These Japanese Kanji, 安心立命, can be translated as “religious enlightenment” or “spiritual peace gained through faith.”

Other dictionaries define as “spiritual peace and enlightenment” or “keeping an unperturbed mind through faith.”

My Buddhist dictionary defines it as “spiritual peace and realization of enlightenment.”

In the Zen school, this is about settling one's body and life; attaining complete peace, and establishing one's course of life in accord with the ultimate reality.

信實 means trustworthy, reliable, to believe something, to be true, and/or to be faithful.

白羊座 is an alternate Chinese way to write Aries (ram) from western astrology.

I don't believe it is used at all in Japanese, so the other version is probably better or at least more universal.

See Also:  Chinese Zodiac

摩羯座 is an alternate Chinese way to write Capricorn (horned goat) from western astrology.

I don't believe it is used at all in Japanese, so the other version is probably better or at least more universal.

See Also:  Chinese Zodiac

This single character means “forgive” in Chinese.

In Korean, this kind of means forgive but also has slightly different definitions of considering, excuse, faithful or believe.

因果 is a label that is used inside and outside of the Buddhist faith to speak of Karma.

Along with the meaning of Karma, this word can be translated as “retribution” or “chain of cause and effect.”

See Also:  Buddhism

道教 is the title often used in both Chinese and Japanese to describe the beliefs or religion of Taoism / Daoism.

The first character is simply “dao” and the second character can be translated as “teachings,” “faith” or “doctrine.”

香 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja that means: fragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic; savory; appetizing; perfume; incense; aroma; fragrance; scent; good smell.

Fragrance or incense is known to be one of the Buddha's messengers to stimulate faith and devotion.

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.”

淨土 literally means “pure land” or “clean earth.”

淨土 is also the abbreviated title of a Buddhist sect that involves faith in the rebirth of Buddha Amitabha (Amitābha) in the Western Heaven. Sometimes this sect is translated as “Paradise of the West.” Other titles of this school of Buddhism include Amidism or Elysium.

See Also:  Nirvana | Shin Buddhism

This is one Chinese surname that romanizes as Lei.

There are other characters that romanize as Lei, and are surnames. Make sure you get the right one.

I believe this is also a surname in Korean, where it's written as 루 and pronounced like “Ru” or “Lu” in modern Korean.

金魚 is the title for goldfish in Chinese and Japanese.

There was a time in ancient China when only the Emperor could possess the actual yellow-gold colored fish. This is why alternate coloration such as orange, black, red, and white was bred. Many believe this is why colors other than yellow-gold are more common for “goldfish” in pet shops today.

猴 is the monkey character in Chinese.
猴 means ape in Japanese due to an error made long ago as Japan absorbed Chinese characters.

If you were born in the year of the monkey, you . . .

Are smart, brave, active, and competitive.
Like new things.
Have a good memory.
Are quick to respond
Have an easy time winning people's trust.
Are, however, not very patient.

See also our Chinese Zodiac page.

Note: This character does have the meaning of monkey in Korean Hanja but is not used very often.

If you believe that life is a journey, this is a nice Japanese title for your wall.

人生行路 means “journey of life” in Japanese Kanji. The actual word order is more like “life (人生) journey (行路)” as Japanese grammar is a bit different than English.

Note: The “journey” part can also be translated as “road,” so this is also how to say “the road of life.”

少林寺 is the full title of the Shaolin Temple.

This refers to the Buddhist monastery famous for its kung fu monks.

少林寺 is also known in Japanese, where they use the same characters but romanize them as Shourinji or Shōrinji.

Some believe this monastery and temple represent where Bodhidharma sat with his face to a wall for nine years, leading to his discovery of enlightenment and the establishment of Buddhism in China.

操守 is the Chinese and Japanese Kanji for personal integrity, constancy, fidelity, and honor/honour.

The original meaning of the first character is chastity, fidelity, honor, and/or faith.

The second character means to defend, guard, keep watch, and be observant.

So, this is about being observant of and guarding your integrity and honor.

忍耐 is patience, the quiet hope, and trust that things will turn out right.

You wait without complaining. You are tolerant and accepting of difficulties and mistakes. You picture the end in the beginning and persevere to meet your goals.

忍耐 can also mean “to endure,” “restrain oneself,” or “forbearance,” and in some contexts, it can mean “perseverance” or “endurance.”

忍耐 is also used as a tenet of Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, and other Korean martial arts where it's titled “Endurance” and romanized as “In Neh.”

Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write the first character in the form shown to the right. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect this Kanji form (yes, it’s just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in the Japanese Kanji form).

See Also:  Peace | Harmony | Perseverance

無一是主惟有安拉穆罕默德是安拉的差使 is one of the key creeds of Islam.

While perhaps more often seen in Arabic as

there are many native Chinese Muslims (especially the Hui ethnicity) that do not speak Arabic.

Instead, they use this Chinese phrase to express this idea or statement of faith.

南無阿弥陀仏 is the modern Japanese version of “Namu Amida Butsu” or “The Compassionate Amitabha Buddha.”

Some will translate this as “I sincerely believe in Amitabha; Lord have mercy on me.”

This phrase especially applies to Japanese Pure Land Buddhists.

There is a universal version using ancient characters (with more strokes) for the 4th and last characters. That version is also used in Chinese, Korean, and occasionally Vietnamese. This is used to pay homage to Amitabha Buddha.

See Also:  Bodhisattva | Buddhism | Nirvana

關羽 is the name Guan Yu, Army General for the Kingdom of Shu.

He is also known as Guan Gong (like saying Duke Guan or Sir Guan)

He was immortalized in the novel, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

He was a fearsome fighter, also famous for his virtue and loyalty. He is worshiped by some modern-day soldiers and has the title “Warrior Saint” in China. Some believe he offers safety and protection for military servicemen.

Guan Yu lived until 219 A.D.

宿業 is the Buddhist concept of Past Karma. Simply put, it's the sum of all the good and bad from all previous lives (perhaps earlier in your current life). This term is not commonly used outside of the Buddhist faith (you'll have a tough time finding a non-Buddhist Asian person that knows this word).

Other ways to translate this are “The karma of previous existence,” “The karma remaining from prior existences,” or simply “Former karma.”

See Also:  Buddhism

Here is Galatians 5:22 and a bit of 23 in Chinese.

The text with punctuation:
圣灵所结的果子，就是仁爱，喜乐，和平，忍耐，恩慈，良善，信实，温柔，节制。
Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.
This translation is from the Chinese Union Bible.

You may know it from the KJV as:
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance...

萬事皆因果 means “Everything happens for a reason” in Chinese.

The first two characters mean “all things” or “everything.”

The middle character kind of means “in all cases.”

The last two characters create a complex word that can be defined in many ways, such as “karma,” “cause and effect,” “fate,” and “every cause has its effect, as every effect arises from a cause.”

Keep in mind that Chinese grammar is a bit different than English, so trust me that this makes a natural-sounding proverb in Chinese.

Usually, when people are looking for 道元 or “Dogen,” they are referring to the Japanese Zen monk by this name.

He lived from 1200-1253. This Dogen name or title literally means “The Way Origin” or “Beginning of the Path.” It is understood to mean “beginning of right doctrine or faith” in the context of his name and work to establish the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan.

To accomplish that task, this humble monk traveled from Japan and across China to find the more original or pure forms of Buddhism.

Besides the title above, 慈悲 can also be defined as clemency or lenience and sometimes the act of giving charity.

In the Buddhist context, it can be defined as “benevolence,” “loving-kindness and compassion,” or “mercy and compassion.”

This Buddhist virtue is perhaps the most important to employ in your life. All sentient beings that you encounter should be given your loving kindness. And trust me, however much you can give, it comes back. Make your life and the world a better place!

This Chinese/Japanese Buddhist term is the equivalent of Metta Karuna from Pali or Maitri Karuna from Sanskrit.

慈 can mean loving-kindness by itself.
悲 adds a component of sorrow, empathy, compassion, and sympathy for others.

See Also:  Benevolence

This is the title of a Buddhist poem known as Xin Xin Ming, Xinxinming, or Hsin Hsin Ming in Chinese and Shinjinmei in Japanese.

This title is typically translated as “Faith in Mind.” The poem itself is quite long and steeped with meaning.

Download this document for more info: http://www.ln.edu.hk/econ/staff/Xin Xin Ming.doc

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.

承諾 embodies the idea of commitment but also means to make a big effort or to undertake a great task.

Commitment is caring deeply about something or someone. It is deciding carefully what you want to do and then giving it 100%, holding nothing back. You give your all to a friendship, a task, or something you believe in. You finish what you start. You keep your promises.

In Chinese, this word directly means to undertake something or to make a promise to do something.

Outside of the commitment idea, this particular word can also mean approval, acceptance, consent, assent, acquiescence, or agreement, depending on context (especially in Japanese and Korean). Therefore, this word is probably best if your audience is Chinese.

See Also:  Partnership | Hard Work | Dedication

It was tough to find the best way to say “soul mates” in Chinese. We settled on 天生一對 as an old way to say, “A couple selected by heaven.”

The first two characters together mean “natural” or “innate.” Separated, they mean “heaven” and “born.” The last two characters mean “couple.” So this can be translated as “A couple that is together by nature,” or “A couple brought together by heaven's decree.” With a slight stretch, you could say, “A couple born together from heaven.”

It's a struggle to find the best way to describe this idea in English but trust me, it is pretty cool, and it is a great way to say “soulmates.”

If you're in a happy relationship or marriage and think you have found your soul mate, this would be a wonderful wall scroll to hang in your home.

信仰希望慈善堅忍正義慎重節制 is a list in Chinese and Japanese Kanji of an interpretation of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

1. Faith is belief in God, and the right virtues.
2. Hope is taking a positive future view that good will prevail.
3. Charity is a concern for, and active helping of, others.
4. Fortitude is never giving up.
5. Justice is being fair and equitable with others.
6. Prudence is care of and moderation with money.
7. Temperance is moderation of needed things and abstinence from things that are not needed.

The full list is here. 信仰希望慈善堅忍正義慎重節制 is a word list, not a common phrase. While all Chinese and Japanese people will recognize the words in the list, they may not understand what the list is about (unless they are familiar with the Seven Heavenly Virtues).

don’t get this as a tattoo or anything like that without first consulting a native translator in the target language. These are fine for a wall scroll but a long discussion is needed before you commit to this for a lifetime inking commitment.

In Buddhism, 僧伽 refers to a community of monks and/or nuns (one of the “Three Jewels”). In general terms, it can simply mean “all followers of the Buddha.”

Notes: Though there are not vast numbers of Chinese Hindus, in the Hindu faith, this term means “community together.”
The original Sanskrit word is also Romanized as samgha.
The first character means “monk.” The second character means Buddha or Shakyamuni.
僧伽 is a transliteration of the original Sanskrit, but it uses two very profound Chinese characters related to Buddhism.

Some may pronounce this as “seng qie” or “seng jia” in Mandarin (two possible pronunciations for the second character). Note that “qie” sounds like “chee-ah” using typical English pronunciation. Chinese Romanization is not actually designed to match English sounds.

Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write the first character in the form shown to the right. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect this special Kanji form. However, it should also be noted that this is not a common term in Japanese (except by certain sects of Buddhism or perhaps devout Buddhists in Japan).

因緣 is the Buddhist concept of a chance meeting or an opportunity that presents itself by fate.

Sometimes this is used to describe a cosmic chain of events or cause and effect.

It also is used to describe predestined relationships between people - and sometimes married couples (although if you want one about marriage, try this: Fate / Destiny of Lovers.

因緣 can also be translated as origin, karma, destiny, affinity, connection, and relation. This all depends on context - seen alone on a wall scroll, this will be read with a “fate/chance” meaning by a Chinese person or a Korean person who can read Hanja.

The more complex definition of this word would be, “Direct causes and indirect conditions, which underlie the actions of all things.”

This concept is known as nidana in the original Sanskrit. Also sometimes presented as hetupratyaya (or “hetu and prataya”), which I believe is Pali.

Note: Japanese will tend to use this version of the second Kanji:
If you order this from the Japanese master calligrapher, expect that you’ll get this version. However, this word often carries a negative connotation in Japanese (bad things happen), as it is used that way in a certain Japanese idiom. Therefore, this may not be the best choice if Japanese is your target language.

See Also:  Buddhism | Opportunity

唐手道 is the alternate title for Karate-do.

This title uses a character, 唐, which represents the Tang Dynasty of China. Thus, this is often translated as the “Tang Hand Way” or incorrectly, “Tang Fist Way.”
I have also seen some call it “China Hand Way.”
Many in Korea refer to and romanize these characters as “Tang Soo Do” (당수도) where these characters refer to a kind of Korean style of Karate.

There is not a lot of information on this title but some believe that a simplified form of Kung Fu that started in China and ended up very popular in Japan used this title initially. It was later changed in Japan to a different Karate title which means “Empty Hand” (as in, without weapons).

Note: When used in Korean, this is pronounced 당수도. This title is often romanized as “Tang Soo Do,” “Tangsudo,” “Dang Su Do,” or “Dangsudo.” The last two romanizations on that list are the official Korean government romanization, though martial arts schools tend to use other non-standard versions.

空無 is “nothingness” in a Buddhist context.

The first character means empty but can also mean air or sky (air and sky have no form).

The second character means have not, no, none, not, or to lack.

Together these characters reinforce each other into a word that means “absolute nothingness.”

I know this is a term used in Buddhism, but I have not yet figured out the context in which it is used. I suppose it can be the fact that Buddhists believe that the world is a non-real illusion, or perhaps it's about visualizing yourself as “nothing” and therefore leaving behind your desire and worldliness.
Buddhist concepts and titles often have this element of ambiguity or, rather, “mystery.” Therefore, such ideas can have different meanings to different people, and that's okay. If you don't get it right in this lifetime, there will be plenty more lifetimes to master it (whatever “it” is, and if “it” really exists at all).

Soothill defines this as “Unreality, or immateriality, of things, which is defined as nothing existing of independent or self-contained nature.”

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

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.

酒后吐真言 / 酒後吐真言 is a nice Asian proverb if you know a vintner or wine seller - or wine lover - although the actual meaning might not be exactly what you think or hope.

The literal meaning is that someone drinking wine is more likely to let the truth slip out. It can also be translated as “People speak their true feelings after drinking alcohol.”

It's long believed in many parts of Asia that one can not consciously hold up a facade of lies when getting drunk, and therefore the truth will come out with a few drinks.

I've had the experience where a Korean man would not trust me until I got drunk with him (I was trying to gain access to the black market in North Korea which is tough to do as an untrusted outsider) - so I think this idea is still well-practiced in many Asian countries.

VS

Please note that there are two common ways to write the second character of this phrase. The way it's written will be left up to the mood of the calligrapher, unless you let us know that you have a certain preference.

See Also:  Honesty | Truth

龜 is the generic term for turtle in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. It's like saying “turtle” (or “tortoise”) without being specific about the species of turtle.

Please note that there are many special characters in Chinese and a few in Japanese that denote specific species of turtle and do not include this character. We can't possibly cover all of these species, but if you want a certain one, such as “loggerhead” or a “leatherback,” just contact me, and I'll do my best to research your special species.

If you noticed, I said species names that do not include this character. This is because, in much the same way we can do it in English by just saying, “loggerhead” instead of “loggerhead turtle,” the same can be done in Chinese and Japanese.

This may be hard to believe, but the image shown to the right is an alternate version of this character, which is currently used in Japan. This was originally an alternate form in ancient China for turtle - but it's so obscure now that most Chinese people would just think this is the Japanese version of turtle (I did a lot of research on this). The version shown in the upper left is traditional Chinese (also used in Korea 100+ years ago). It will generally not be recognized by the new generation of Japanese people. If your audience is Japanese, please click on the Kanji image shown to the right to have the calligrapher write that version (instead of clicking the button above).

Note: In Japanese, this Kanji is also a representation of long life. This is related to the fact that a tortoise can live for hundreds of years.

布施 is the Buddhist practice of giving known as Dāna or दान from Pali and Sanskrit.

Depending on the context, this can be alms-giving, acts of charity, or offerings (usually money) to a priest for reading sutras or teachings.

Some will put Dāna in these two categories:
1. The pure or unsullied charity, which looks for no reward here but only in the hereafter.
2. The sullied almsgiving whose object is personal benefit.
The first kind is, of course, the kind that a liberated or enlightened person will pursue.

Others will put Dāna in these categories:
1. Worldly or material gifts.
2. Unworldly or spiritual gifts.

You can also separate Dāna into these three kinds:
1. 財布施 Goods such as money, food, or material items.
2. 法布施 Dharma, as an act to teach or bestow the Buddhist doctrine onto others.
3. 無畏布施 Courage, as an act of facing fear to save someone or when standing up for someone or standing up for righteousness.

The philosophies and categorization of Dāna will vary among various monks, temples, and sects of Buddhism.

Breaking down the characters separately:
布 (sometimes written 佈) means to spread out or announce, but also means cloth. In ancient times, cloth or robs were given to the Buddhist monks annually as a gift of alms - I need to do more research, but I believe there is a relationship here.
施 means to grant, to give, to bestow, to act, to carry out, and by itself can mean Dāna as a single character.

Dāna can also be expressed as 檀那 (pronounced “tán nà” in Mandarin and dan-na or だんな in Japanese). 檀那 is a transliteration of Dāna. However, it has colloquially come to mean some unsavory or unrelated things in Japanese. So, I think 布施 is better for calligraphy on your wall to remind you to practice Dāna daily (or whenever possible).

道天地將法 is a list of five key points to analyzing your situation from the first chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

This reads like a 5-part military proverb. Sun Tzu says that to sharpen your skills, you must plan. To plan well, you must know your situation. Therefore, you must consider and discuss the following:

1. Philosophy and Politics: Make sure your way or your policy is agreeable among all of your troops (and the citizens of your kingdom as well). For when your soldiers believe in you and your way, they will follow you to their deaths without hesitation and will not question your orders.

2. Heaven/Sky: Consider climate / weather. This can also mean considering whether God is smiling upon you. In the modern military, this could be waiting for clear skies so that you can have air support for an amphibious landing.

3. Ground/Earth: Consider the terrain in which the battle will take place. This includes analyzing defensible positions, and exit routes, while using varying elevations to your advantage. When you plan an ambush, you must know your terrain and the best location from which to stage that ambush. This knowledge will also help you avoid being ambushed, as you will know where the likely places in which to expect an ambush from your enemy.

4. Leadership: This applies to you as the general and your lieutenants. A leader should be smart and be able to develop good strategies. Leaders should keep their word, and if they break a promise, they should punish themselves as harshly as they would punish subordinates. Leaders should be benevolent to their troops, with almost a fatherly love for them. Leaders must have the ability to make brave and fast decisions. Leaders must have steadfast principles.

5. [Military] Methods: This can also mean laws, rules, principles, models, or systems. You must have an efficient organization in place to manage both your troops and supplies. In the modern military, this would be a combination of how your unit is organized and your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

Notes: This is a simplistic translation and explanation. Much more is suggested in the actual text of the Art of War (Bing Fa). It would take a lot of study to master all of these aspects. In fact, these five characters can be compared to the modern military acronyms such as BAMCIS or SMEAC.

CJK notes: I have included the Japanese and Korean pronunciations but in Chinese, Korean and Japanese, this does not make a typical phrase (with subject, verb, and object) it is a list that only someone familiar with Sun Tzu’s writings would understand.