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Fail in Chinese / Japanese...

Buy a Fail calligraphy wall scroll here!

Personalize your custom “Fail” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Fail” title below...


  1. Keep Calm in Face of Adversity

  2. Failure in Not an Option

  3. Courage To Do What Is Right

  4. Let Us Try

  5. Rise and Fall / Ups and Downs

  6. Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight


Keep Calm in Face of Adversity

 shitsuitaizen
Keep Calm in Face of Adversity Scroll

失意泰然 is a very old Japanese proverb that suggests “keeping calm and collected at times of disappointment,” or “maintaining a serene state of mind when faced with adversity.”

It's hard to relate individual character meanings to the overall meaning unless you also understand Japanese grammar. The word order is very different than English. That being said, here's the character meaning breakdown:
失 To miss, lose or fail.
意 Feelings, thoughts, meaning.
泰 Safe, peaceful.
然 Like that, in that way, however, although.

Using these definitions in English, we might say, “Although you may fail or lose, have a feeling of peace and calm.”

Failure in Not an Option

 shī bài bìng fēi yì zhǒng xuǎn zé
Failure in Not an Option Scroll

失敗並非一種選擇 is probably the best way to say, “Failure is not an option,” in Chinese.

Just don't forget that some ancient Chinese proverbs suggest that failure is a learning opportunity that leads to success or innovation. So don't plan to fail but failure is only a waste if nothing is learned from the failure.


See Also:  Failure is a Stepping Stone to Success | Failure is the Mother of Success

Courage To Do What Is Right

 giomitesezaruhayuunakinari
Courage To Do What Is Right Scroll

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.

Let Us Try

Essayons

 cháng shì
Let Us Try Scroll

嘗試 is a close match for the English phrase “let us try” or the French word “Essayons.”

Essayons Essayons the motto of Combat Engineers in the U.S. Army.

This word can also be translated as “to try” or “to attempt.”

Even if you're not a Combat Engineer, this word should inspire you to attempt to accomplish difficult things. If you don't try, you are certain to fail; if you do try, at least there is a chance of success.

The worst thing is not failure, the worst thing is not trying at all.

Rise and Fall / Ups and Downs

Eiko-Seisui

 ei ko sei sui
Rise and Fall / Ups and Downs Scroll

This Japanese proverb can be translated as “flourish and wither, prosper and perish,” “life is full of fortune and misfortune,” or simply “vicissitudes of life.”

栄枯盛衰 / 榮枯盛衰 is about the rise and fall of human affairs or the ups and downs of life. Prosperity comes and goes, everything is fleeting and temporary, but like waves, another swell of prosperity may come.

Here's how the Kanji break down in this proverb:

栄 = prosper; thrive; flourish; boom.
枯 = wither; die.
盛 = prosperous; flourishing; thriving; successful; energetic; vigorous; enthusiastic.
衰 = become weaker; decline; get weak; die down; subside; abate; fail.


榮 Notes: The original version of the first character looks like the image to the right. In modern Japan, they simplified that Kanji a bit into the version shown above. If you have a preference for which style is used for your calligraphy, please let me know when you place your order.

Apparently, with that original version of the first character, this is also used in Korean Hanja. However, I have not confirmed that it’s used in the same way or is widely-known in Korean.

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight

Always rising after a fall or repeated failures

 shichi ten hakki / nana korobi ya oki
Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight Scroll

七転八起 is a Japanese proverb that relays the vicissitudes of life, with the meaning “seven times down eight times up.”

Some would more naturally translate it into English as “Always rising after a fall or repeated failures” or compare it to the English, “If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again.”

The first Kanji is literally “7.” The second means “fall down” (sometimes this Kanji means “turn around,” “revolve” or “turn over” but in this case, it holds the meaning of “fall”). The third is “8.” And the last is “get up,” “rouse,” or “rise.”

Basically, if you fail 7 times, you should recover from those events and be prepared to rise an 8th time. This also applies if it is the world or circumstances that knock you down seven times...
...just remember that you have the ability to bounce back from any kind of adversity.

Note: This can be pronounced in two ways. One is “shichi ten hakki” or “shichitenhakki.” The other is “nana korobi ya oki” also written, “nanakorobi-yaoki.”

Special Note: The second character is a Kanji that is not used in China. Therefore, please select a Japanese calligrapher for this title.


Not the results for Fail that you were looking for?

Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your Fail search...

Characters

If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese

Pronunciation
Romanization
Simple Dictionary Definition

空軍


空军

see styles
kōng jun
    kong1 jun1
k`ung chün
    kung chün
 kuugun / kugun
    くうぐん

More info & calligraphy:

Air Force
air force; (slang) to fail to catch anything (on a fishing trip); to get skunked
air force

see styles
shī
    shi1
shih
 shitsu
    しつ
to lose; to miss; to fail
(1) loss (of something); disadvantage; (2) mistake; error; failure; (3) flaw; defect; (4) (abbreviation) {baseb} (See 失策・2) error
To lose, opp. of 得; to err.

see styles
cuò
    cuo4
ts`o
    tso
obstructed; to fail; to oppress; to repress; to lower the tone; to bend back; to dampen


see styles
guà
    gua4
kua
 kake
    かけ
to hang; to suspend (from a hook etc); to hang up (the phone); (of a line) to be dead; to be worried; to be concerned; (dialect) to make a phone call; to register (at a hospital); to make an appointment (with a doctor); (slang) to kill; to die; to be finished; to fail (an exam); classifier for sets or clusters of objects
(suf,adj-no) (1) -clad; (2) (kana only) in the midst of; (3) tenths (e.g. wholesale price, as tenths of retail price); (4) times (i.e. multiplied by); (5) able-to-seat (of a chair, etc.); (suffix) charge; duty; person in charge; official; clerk; (1) (abbreviation) credit; (2) money owed on an account; bill; (3) (abbreviation) (kana only) hot noodles in broth; (n,n-suf) (4) proportion (of wholesale price, as tenths of list price); (suffix) (5) in the midst of; (6) rest; rack; hanger; (surname) Kake
To hang, suspend.


see styles
bài
    bai4
pai
 hai
    はい
to defeat; to damage; to lose (to an opponent); to fail; to wither
(1) loss; defeat; (suf,ctr) (2) (ant: 勝・しょう・3) counter for losses
Subvert, defeat, ruin, spoil, destroy.


see styles
dàng
    dang4
tang
 atari
    あたり
at or in the very same...; suitable; adequate; fitting; proper; to replace; to regard as; to think; to pawn; (coll.) to fail (a student)
(surname) Atari
Suitable, adequate, equal to; to bear, undertake; ought; proper; to regard as, as; to pawn, put in place of; at, in the future.

see styles

    za2
tsa
to smash; to pound; to fail; to muck up; to bungle

see styles
cuō
    cuo1
ts`o
    tso
 sa
to error; to slip; to miss; to err
to fail

不明

see styles
bù míng
    bu4 ming2
pu ming
 fumi
    ふみ
not clear; unknown; to fail to understand
(noun or adjectival noun) (1) unclear; obscure; indistinct; uncertain; ambiguous; (adj-no,suf) (2) unknown; unidentified; (3) ignorance; lack of wisdom; lack of insight; (female given name) Fumi
unclear

不第

see styles
bù dì
    bu4 di4
pu ti
to fail the civil service examination (in imperial China)

不遂

see styles
bù suì
    bu4 sui4
pu sui
 fuzui
to fail; to fail to materialize; not to get one's way
not done

何卒

see styles
 nanitozo
    なにとぞ
    nanisotsu
    なにそつ
(adverb) (1) (humble language) please; kindly; I beg of you; if it pleases you; (2) by all means; without fail; (ik) (adverb) (1) (humble language) please; kindly; I beg of you; if it pleases you; (2) by all means; without fail

冠る

see styles
 kamuru
    かむる
    kaburu
    かぶる
(transitive verb) (1) (kana only) to put on (one's head); to wear; to have on; to pull over (one's head); to crown (oneself); (2) (kana only) to be covered with (dust, snow, etc.); to pour (water, etc.) on oneself; to dash on oneself; to ship water; (3) (kana only) to bear (e.g. someone's debts, faults, etc.); to take (blame); to assume (responsibility); to shoulder (burden); (4) to overlap (e.g. sound or color); (5) to be similar; to be redundant; (v5r,vi) (6) to be fogged (due to overexposure, etc.); (7) to close; to come to an end; (8) to get a full house; to sell out; (9) (archaism) to blunder; to bungle; to fail; (10) (archaism) to be deceived

失察

see styles
shī chá
    shi1 cha2
shih ch`a
    shih cha
to fail in observing or supervising; to miss; to let something slip through

失效

see styles
shī xiào
    shi1 xiao4
shih hsiao
to fail; to lose effectiveness

失敗


失败

see styles
shī bài
    shi1 bai4
shih pai
 shippai
    しっぱい
to be defeated; to lose; to fail (e.g. experiments); failure; defeat; CL:次[ci4]
(n,vs,vt,vi) failure; mistake; blunder

失瞻

see styles
shī zhān
    shi1 zhan1
shih chan
to fail to greet in timely manner

弄混

see styles
nòng hún
    nong4 hun2
nung hun
to confuse (fail to differentiate)

必ず

see styles
 kanarazu
    かならず
(adverb) always; without exception; necessarily; certainly; without fail; positively; invariably

必達

see styles
 hittatsu
    ひったつ
(noun, transitive verb) (abbreviation) (from 必ず達成する) certain fulfilment; reaching a goal without fail

怠る

see styles
 okotaru
    おこたる
(transitive verb) (1) to neglect; to be negligent in; to be neglectful of; to fail to do; to leave undone; to avoid (doing); to shirk; to be unmindful of; (v5r,vi) (2) (dated) to improve (of an illness); to get better

愆期

see styles
qiān qī
    qian1 qi1
ch`ien ch`i
    chien chi
(formal) to delay; to miss a deadline; to fail to do something at the appointed time

打嘴

see styles
dǎ zuǐ
    da3 zui3
ta tsui
to slap sb's face; to slap one's own face; fig. to fail to live up to a boast

掛科


挂科

see styles
guà kē
    gua4 ke1
kua k`o
    kua ko
to fail (a course)

損う

see styles
 sokonau
    そこなう
(irregular okurigana usage) (Godan verb with "u" ending) (1) to harm; to hurt; to injure; to damage; (auxiliary verb) (2) to fail in doing

是非

see styles
shì fēi
    shi4 fei1
shih fei
 zehi
    ぜひ
right and wrong; quarrel
(adverb) (1) certainly; without fail; (2) right and wrong; pros and cons; (surname) Zehi
yes and no

曠職


旷职

see styles
kuàng zhí
    kuang4 zhi2
k`uang chih
    kuang chih
 koushoku / koshoku
    こうしょく
to fail to show up for work
neglect of official duty

未果

see styles
wèi guǒ
    wei4 guo3
wei kuo
 mika
    みか
to fail to eventuate; (verb suffix) to be unsuccessful in ...ing
(female given name) Mika

未能

see styles
wèi néng
    wei4 neng2
wei neng
 minō
cannot; to fail to; unable to
not yet capable of

未遂

see styles
wèi suì
    wei4 sui4
wei sui
 misui
    みすい
to fail to accomplish; unsuccessful (attempt); abortive (coup d'état); attempted (murder, suicide); unfulfilled (wish)
(n,n-suf,adj-no) (See 既遂・2) failed attempt (at a crime, suicide, etc.)
not yet finished

Click here for more Fail results from our dictionary

The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Keep Calm in Face of Adversity失意泰然shitsuitaizen
Failure in Not an Option失敗並非一種選擇
失败并非一种选择
shī bài bìng fēi yì zhǒng xuǎn zé
shi1 bai4 bing4 fei1 yi4 zhong3 xuan3 ze2
shi bai bing fei yi zhong xuan ze
shih pai ping fei i chung hsüan tse
Courage To Do What Is Right義を見てせざるは勇なきなりgiomitesezaruhayuunakinari
giomitesezaruhayunakinari
Let Us Try嘗試
尝试
cháng shì
chang2 shi4
chang shi
changshi
ch`ang shih
changshih
chang shih
Rise and Fall
Ups and Downs
栄枯盛衰 / 榮枯盛衰
荣枯盛衰
ei ko sei sui
eikoseisui
Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight七転八起shichi ten hakki / nana korobi ya oki
shichi ten haki / nana korobi ya oki
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.


Dictionary

Lookup Fail in my Japanese & Chinese Dictionary


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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.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

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.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

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.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

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.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

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.


Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.

Some people may refer to this entry as Fail Kanji, Fail Characters, Fail in Mandarin Chinese, Fail Characters, Fail in Chinese Writing, Fail in Japanese Writing, Fail in Asian Writing, Fail Ideograms, Chinese Fail symbols, Fail Hieroglyphics, Fail Glyphs, Fail in Chinese Letters, Fail Hanzi, Fail in Japanese Kanji, Fail Pictograms, Fail in the Chinese Written-Language, or Fail in the Japanese Written-Language.

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