Discipline in Chinese / Japanese...

This Japanese word for discipline relays the ideas of keeping order, observance (of rules, laws, regulations).

規律 is also a word in Chinese and old Korean Hanja where it suggests that you are one who follows a certain law of behavior, or have a regular and dependable pattern of behavior, personal regime or rhythm.

See Also:  Self-Control | Will-Power

鍛練 is the Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja word that is used for discipline.

This has a meaning like "forging or creating something from lots of training and practice". My Japanese dictionary translates this as, "tempering, forging, hardening, disciplining, training".

鍛練 / 鍛錬 is for Japanese and Korean only. In Chinese, these characters might be translated as (physical) "exercise".

The modern form of the second Japanese Kanji looks like the first image to the right. There’s also an alternate modern form after that, and finally, an alternate traditional form. Because calligraphy is an art, the calligrapher could choose any of these possible forms. Let us know if you have a preference.

See Also:  Self-Control | Will-Power

This Chinese and Korean word conveys the idea of extreme self-control and perhaps self-sacrifice, and obedience.

紀律 matches the kind of "discipline" I was in the Marine Corps. There is also an additional idea of maintaining order or being orderly in your tasks.

This idea would also fit an athlete training for the Olympics who gives up many pleasures to stay focused on their training.

See Also:  Self-Control | Will-Power

軍紀 means military discipline or military principles.

If maintaining your military discipline is important to you personally, or important to your military unit, this is the wall scroll to have up behind your desk. In fact, it's the kind of thing I expect to see behind the desk of a First Sergeant or maybe a hardcore NCO.

Note: In some rare context, it could be extended to mean "morale" but "discipline" is much closer to the commonly-held definition.

Note: This term is not well-known outside of the military services in Asia (not used by the common person).

See Also:  Self-Discipline

自律 means self-discipline and self-control.

It is doing what you really want to do, rather than being tossed around by your feelings like a leaf in the wind. You act instead of react. You get things done in an orderly and efficient way. With self-discipline, you take charge of yourself.

Not sure if this one works for a Japanese audience.

See Also:  Discipline | Self-Control

This is a form of discipline which suggests training of the mind and character, aimed at producing self-control, obedience, etc.

One of my Chinese-English dictionaries even translates this as "tempering oneself" or turning yourself into hardened steel.

In old Korean Hanja, they use these characters in reverse order but with the same meaning. If you want the Korean version, please click this link instead of the button above: Korean version.

This literally translates as, "Love [your] children in [your] heart, [but] be stern [with them] in [your] manner".

This is a little like saying "Love your child but don't spare the switch".

When reading an account of some battles in China, I came across this Chinese word. As it turns out, it's only used in military circles to describe neat, orderly, and well-disciplined troops. Perhaps this is actually closer to the meaning I was taught while in the U.S. Marines.

The first character literally means stern, serious, strict, or severe (it can also mean "air tight" or "water tight".
The second character means exact, in good order, whole, complete, and orderly.
Together, these two characters multiply each other into a word that expresses the highest military level of discipline.

See Also:  Self-Control | Will-Power

修養 means self-improvement in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Other translations for this word include: accomplishment; training; self-cultivation; (mental) training; self-discipline; cultivation; cultivating moral character.

鍛煉 / 鍛鍊 means exercise in much the same way we use the word exercise in English.

This can be exercising your body at the gym, or exercising your mind in studies. Most of the time, this refers to physical exercise.

This can also be translated as to temper, to toughen, to train, to drill, to forge, or simply discipline.

If training or drill is important to you (especially for military drill and training), this might be just the thing for a drill master to hang behind his/her desk.

This term is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja. It can also mean practice or exercise, depending on context.

克己 / 剋己 can be translated as "self-denial", "self-abnegation", "self-restraint", "self-discipline", "self-mastery" or selflessness.

As a tenet of Korean taekwondo, and other martial arts, this is often used with the title "self-control".

This Chinese, Korean, and Japanese word means, "determination to achieve". It can also be translated as: will; willpower; determination; volition; intention; intent.

In Japanese, this can also be the given name Ishi.

意志力 is the form of will power or self-control is about having the determination or tenacity to keep going.

In Japanese, this is the power of will, strength of will, volition, intention, intent, or determination.

The short and sweet version of self-control.

Note: This can also mean self-restraint.

See Also:  Will-Power | Discipline

自己抑制 has a meaning like "to restrain oneself" in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

The first two characters mean "regarding oneself", and the second two mean "to refrain" or "to restrain".

See Also:  Discipline | Will-Power

This phrase can mean either "strong hearted", "strong willed" or "determination".

The first two characters can be translated as "will", "willpower", "determination", "volition", "intention", or "intent". But, it should be noted that this first part possess the element of "heart" in the lower portion of both characters (they also partially carry the meaning "with whole heart").

The last two characters mean "strong" or "staunch".

Chinese word order and grammar is a bit different than English, so in this case, they are in reverse order of English but have the correct meaning in a natural form.

See Also:  Strong Willed | Discipline | Will-Power

極真 is the Japanese title Kyokushin.

The literal meaning is "great truth" or "ultimate truth". However, 極真 is usually associated with the style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達).

Practitioners of the Kyokushinkai Karate follow a philosophy of discipline and self-improvement.

This literally translates as:
A stick (or switch) produces filial sons; chopsticks produce disobedient [ones].

Figuratively, this means:
Strict discipline produces dutiful children whereas indulgence produces disobedient ones.

棒頭出孝子箸頭出忤逆 is very similar to this English proverb:
"Spare the rod and spoil the child".

修行 is shugyō or shugyou in Japanese. It refers to ascetic practices, training, practice, discipline, and study.

修行 is also a word in the original Chinese, where it refers more to religious studies and practices.

In Buddhist context, this represents caryā. In Buddhism, this refers to conduct; to observe and do; to end one's ways; to cultivate oneself in right practice; to be religious; to be pious.

This Japanese title refers to the belief that where there's a will, there's a way.

Another way to translate this is, "The Guts Theory" or "The Doctrine of Will-Power". Maybe breaking down the meaning of the characters will help clarify this:
根性 = will-power; guts; temper; nature; spirit; nature and character; the nature of the powers of any sense.
論 = theory; doctrine; treatises on dogma, philosophy, discipline, etc.

This Chinese proverb literally means: [The value of] soldiers/warriors lies in [their] quality, not [just] in [their] quantity.

In simple terms, this says that in regard to warriors, quality is better than quantity.

Most tacticians will agree that this can aid in the factor known as "force multiplication". Having good troops, of high morale, excellent training, and good discipline is like having a force that is three times larger.

See Also:  兵在精

節制 means moderation or temperance in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Moderation is creating a healthy balance in your life between work and play, rest and exercise. You don't overdo or get swept away by the things you like. You use your self-discipline to take charge of your life and your time.

節制 can also be translated as sobriety, or self-restraint.

節制 is often used as part of the Seven Heavenly Virtues to represent sobriety and/or temperance.

See Also:  Prudence | Ethics | Humble | Humility

正業 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Action, along with Right Speech and Right Living constitute the path to Virtue.

The five precepts of Right Action are:
1. To refrain from destroying living beings (no murder, or any form of taking a life).
2. To refrain from stealing.
3. To refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.).
4. To refrain from false speech (lying or trickery).
5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness (no drugs or alcohol).

This concept can be summarized as, "Avoidance of actions that conflict with moral discipline".

Note: In Japanese, when read by a non-Buddhist, this will mean "the right job/vocation".

This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.

See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

太極拳 is the famous Taoist meditation and martial art exercise. The direct translation of these characters would be something like "grand ultimate fist" but that does not quite hit the mark for what this title really means.

An early-morning walk through any city in China near a park or open area will yield a view of Chinese people practicing this ancient technique.

The typical scene is an old man of no less than 80 years on this earth, with a wispy white beard and perhaps a sword in one hand. He makes slow moves that are impossibly smooth. He is steady-footed, and always in balance. For him, time is meaningless and proper form and technique is far more important than speed.

For the younger generation, faster moves may look impressive and seem smooth to the casual observer. But far more discipline and mental strength is needed to create perfectly smooth moves in virtual slow motion.

Note: There are two ways to Romanize these Chinese characters as seen in the title above. The pronunciation and actual characters are the same in Chinese. If you really used English sounds/words to pronounce this, it would be something like "tie jee chew-on" (just make the "chew-on" as one flowing syllable).

In Japanese, the modern definition, using simple terms is "A martial art involving swords" or "The art of the sword".

However, in Chinese, this is the word for fencing (as in the Olympic sport).

I will suppose that you want this for the Japanese definition which comes from skills and techniques developed in the 15th century. At that time, Kenjutsu (or swordsmanship) was a strictly military art taught to Samurai and Bushi (soldiers). The fact that swords are rarely used in military battles anymore, and with the pacification of Japan after WWII, Kenjutsu is strictly a ceremonial practice often studied as a form of martial art (more for the discipline aspect rather than practical purpose).

Language note: The Korean definition is close the Japanese version described above. However, it should be noted that this can mean "fencing" depending on context in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

Character variation notes: There are slight variations possible with second character. Either way is correct and understood by both Japanese and Chinese folks.

Since there are about 5 common ways to write the sword character, if you are particular about which version you want, please note that in the "special instructions" when you place your order.

Romanization note: This term is often Romanized as Kenjitsu, however, following the rules of Japanese Romaji, it should be Kenjutsu.