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3. Drain the pond to get all the fish
5. Fong / Fang
7. Honesty
8. Even The 100-Foot Bamboo Can Grow One More Foot
9. Impartial and Fair to the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the World
10. Integrity
This Japanese proverb literally translates as: [After having achieved a fair degree of success,] one should still try to do better.
Others may translate this as “Always try to improve,” or “Always try to be better.”
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
See Also: Never Give Up
Used in modern times for divorced couples that come back together
破鏡重圓 is about a husband and wife who were separated and reunited.
About 1500 years ago in China, there lived a beautiful princess named Le Chang. She and her husband Xu De Yan loved each other very much. But when the army of the Sui Dynasty was about to attack their kingdom, disposed of all of their worldly possessions and prepared to flee into exile.
They knew that in the chaos, they might lose track of each other, so the one possession they kept was a bronze mirror which is a symbol of unity for a husband and wife. They broke the mirror into two pieces, and each of them kept half of the mirror. They decided that if separated, they would try to meet at the fair during the 15th day of the first lunar month (which is the lantern festival). Unfortunately, the occupation was brutal, and the princess was forced to become the mistress of the new commissioner of the territory, Yang Su.
At the Lantern Festival the next year, the husband came to the fair to search for his wife. He carried with him his half of the mirror. As he walked through the fair, he saw the other half of the mirror for sale at a junk market by a servant of the commissioner. The husband recognized his wife's half of the mirror immediately, and tears rolled down his face as he was told by the servant about the bitter and loveless life that the princess had endured.
As his tears dripped onto the mirror, the husband scratched a poem into his wife's half of the mirror:
You left me with the severed mirror,
The mirror has returned, but absent are you,
As I gaze in the mirror, I seek your face,
I see the moon, but as for you, I see not a trace.
The servant brought the inscribed half of the mirror back to the princess. For many days, the princess could not stop crying when she found that her husband was alive and still loved her.
Commissioner Yang Su, becoming aware of this saga, realized that he could never obtain the princess's love. He sent for the husband and allowed them to reunite.
This proverb, 破鏡重圓, is now used to describe a couple who has been torn apart for some reason (usually divorce) but have come back together (or remarried).
It seems to be more common these days in America for divorced couples to reconcile and get married to each other again. This will be a great gift if you know someone who is about to remarry their ex.
Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
In 632 BC, Duke Wen of the Kingdom of Jin was about to lead an army against the forces of the Kingdom of Chu.
The Duke asked one of his advisers, Jiu Fan, how they could win the impending battle, as they were drastically outnumbered.
Jiu Fan said, “All is fair in war,” and suggested a plan of dishonorable tactics (cheating).
The Duke was unsure of this advice, so he asked another adviser, Yong Ji, who replied, “If you catch fish by draining the pond, you can certainly get all the fish. But there will be no fish the following year. You can cheat this one time in battle, but such tactics can only be used once, as the enemy will be wise in future encounters.”
The Duke heard the words of his wiser adviser but cheated to gain victory in the battle. However, he rewarded Yong Ji more than Jiu Fan at the victory celebration, stating that while Jiu Fan's advice gained one victory, the wise words of Yong Ji would last forever.
This Chinese idiom/proverb is still used, over 2600 years later to remind people not to burn bridges, cheat, or dishonor themselves in exchange for a short-term gain while sacrificing the future.
竭澤而漁 is very similar to the meaning of the English phrase, “Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
This is the most common version of a Chinese surname that romanizes as Fong from Taiwan or Fang from mainland China.
The meaning of this character is square, upright, honest, fair and square, direction, place, or side. Sometimes 方 can refer to a method, prescription, or way of doing things.
In Japanese, this can be the given names Michi, Masani, Masashi,Tamotsu, Tadashi. It can also be Japanese surnames Hon, Hou, Ho, Fuon, Pan, Ban, Tokukata, or Kata.
真主 is how Chinese Muslims refer to God (it literally means “True Master”).
Oddly, in China, two different names for God have emerged. Even though Muslims, Christians, and Jews all worship the same God of Abraham.
In Arabic, the word Allah is just the Arabic way to say, God. Arab Christians pray to Allah, just like Arab Muslims. Somehow in China, the title of God diverged.
If you are curious, there are millions of Muslims throughout China but especially in the northwest portion of China known as Xinjiang. Here you will find descendants of Turkmen, Persian, Arab, and other ethnicities. Some are mixed with Han-Chinese blood; others appear to be pure Turkmen. Many have fair complexions, green eyes, and light hair but all are citizens of China. A visit to Xinjiang will shift your paradigm and blow away all of your stereotypes about what it means to be Chinese.
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.
一視同仁 is how to write “universal benevolence.” This is also how to express the idea that you see all people the same.
If you are kind and charitable to everyone, this is the best way to state that virtue. It is the essence of being impartial to all mankind, regardless of social standing, background, race, sex, etc. You do not judge others, but instead, you see them eye to eye on the same level as you.
See Also: Benevolence | Compassion | Equality | Justice | Right Decision | Selflessness | Work Unselfishly for the Common
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.
正義 means justice or righteousness in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
Practicing justice and righteousness is being fair.
It solves problems, so everyone wins. You don't prejudge. You see people as individuals. You don't accept it when someone acts like a bully, cheats, or lies. Being a champion for justice takes courage. Sometimes when you stand for justice, you stand alone.
Note: This is also considered to be one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.
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.
大公無私 is a Chinese proverb that comes from an old story from some time before 476 BC. About a man named Qi Huangyang, who was commissioned by the king to select the best person for a certain job in the Imperial Court.
Qi Huangyang selected his enemy for the job. The king was very confused by the selection, but Qi Huangyang explained that he was asked to find the best person for the job, not necessarily someone that he liked or had a friendship with.
Later, Confucius commented on how unselfish and impartial Qi Huangyang was by saying, “Da Gong Wu Si” which, if you look it up in a Chinese dictionary, is generally translated as “Unselfish” or “Just and Fair.”
If you translate each character, you'd have something like
“Big/Deep Justice Without Self.”
Direct translations like this leave out a lot of what the Chinese characters really say. Use your imagination, and suddenly you realize that “without self” means “without thinking about yourself in the decision” - together, these two words mean “unselfish.” The first two characters serve to drive the point home that we are talking about a concept that is similar to “blind justice.”
One of my Chinese-English dictionaries translates this simply as “just and fair.” So that is the short and simple version.
Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used term.
See Also: Selflessness | Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Altruism
These search terms might be related to Fair:
1000 Good Moves Ruined by 1 Bad
A Bright Future
A House Might Be Worth 1 Million Dollars, but Good Neighbors Are Worth 10 Million
An Open Book Benefits Your Mind
Blessings and Good Wishes
Bright and Promising Future
Bright Pearl
Calm and Open Mind
Distinguish Good and Evil
Divine Light
Doing Good is the Greatest Source of Happiness
Even a Fool May Sometimes Come Up With a Good Idea
Every Day is a Good Day
Extremely Good Friends
Fair / Impartial
Faith is the Bird That Feels the Light When the Dawn is Still Dark
Flower Open / Blooming Flower
Fragrant / Good Smell
God is Good
Good and Evil
Good Conduct
Good Good Study, Day Day Up
Good Health
Good Health / Healthy / Vigor
Good Heart
Good Intentions
Good Intentions / Good Will / Good Faith
Good Luck
Good Luck / Good Fortune
Good Night
Goodness / Good Deed
Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once
House of Good Fortune
Hunt Foxes With Stealth, Hunt Wolves in the Open
Impartial and Fair to the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the World
In Good Order
In Good Order / Organized
Inner Light / Intelligence
Intuitive Wisdom / Inner Light
Just as Liquor Turns a Face Red, Gold Turns a Heart Black
Just Do It
Life is Good
Life is Good / Life is Beautiful
Light / Bright
Light / Bright / Shine
Light / Bright and Promising Future
Light of the World
Listen With Open Mind
Lucky / Auspicious / Good Omen
Merciful Heart / the Light From a Buddha Mind
Non-Violence
One Good Deed Each Day
Open and Calm Mind
Open Door
Open Hearted
Open Mind
Open the Minds of the Next Generation to Stimulate Thinking
Opportunity / Good Luck
Peace and Good Health
Proud / Pride / Lofty-Minded
Radiance / Rays of Light
Restoration to Good Health
Scarlet / Bright Red
Strong Minded
Strong-Minded Woman
Sunny / Clear and Bright
The Foundation of Good Conduct
The Good Life / Beautiful Life
Unselfish: Perfectly Impartial
Warriors of Light
Work Unselfishly for the Common Good
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Always Try to do Better | 更に上を目指す | sara ni ue o me za su saraniueomezasu | ||
Broken Mirror Rejoined | 破鏡重圓 破镜重圆 | pò jìng chóng yuán po4 jing4 chong2 yuan2 po jing chong yuan pojingchongyuan | p`o ching ch`ung yüan pochingchungyüan po ching chung yüan |
|
Drain the pond to get all the fish | 竭澤而漁 竭泽而渔 | jié zé ér yú jie2 ze2 er2 yu2 jie ze er yu jiezeeryu | chieh tse erh yü chiehtseerhyü |
|
Fair Impartial | 公平 | kouhei / kohei | gōng píng gong1 ping2 gong ping gongping | kung p`ing kungping kung ping |
Fong Fang | 方 | hou / ho | fāng / fang1 / fang | |
Allah God of Islam | 真主 | zhēn zhǔ / zhen1 zhu3 / zhen zhu / zhenzhu | chen chu / chenchu | |
Honesty | 正直 | shoujiki / shojiki | zhèng zhí zheng4 zhi2 zheng zhi zhengzhi | cheng chih chengchih |
Even The 100-Foot Bamboo Can Grow One More Foot | 百尺竿頭更進一步 百尺竿头更进一步 | bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìng yī bù bai3 chi3 gan1 tou2 geng4 jing4 yi1 bu4 bai chi gan tou geng jing yi bu baichigantougengjingyibu | pai ch`ih kan t`ou keng ching i pu pai chih kan tou keng ching i pu |
|
Impartial and Fair to the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the World | 一視同仁 一视同仁 | isshidoujin ishidojin | yí shì tóng rén yi2 shi4 tong2 ren2 yi shi tong ren yishitongren | i shih t`ung jen ishihtungjen i shih tung jen |
Integrity | 正直 | shoujiki / shojiki | zhèng zhí zheng4 zhi2 zheng zhi zhengzhi | cheng chih chengchih |
Justice Righteousness | 正義 正义 | sei gi / seigi | zhèng yì / zheng4 yi4 / zheng yi / zhengyi | cheng i / chengi |
Seven Heavenly Virtues | 信仰希望慈善堅忍正義慎重節制 信仰希望慈善坚忍正义慎重节制 | shinkou kibou jizen kennin seigi shinchou sessei shinko kibo jizen kennin seigi shincho sesei | xìn yǎng xī wàng cí shàn jiān rěn zhèng yì shèn zhòng jié zhì xin4 yang3 xi1 wang4 ci2 shan4 jian1 ren3 zheng4 yi4 shen4 zhong4 jie2 zhi4 xin yang xi wang ci shan jian ren zheng yi shen zhong jie zhi | hsin yang hsi wang tz`u shan chien jen cheng i shen chung chieh chih hsin yang hsi wang tzu shan chien jen cheng i shen chung chieh chih |
Sunny Clear and Bright | 晴朗 | seirou / sero seiro / sero | qíng lǎng qing2 lang3 qing lang qinglang | ch`ing lang chinglang ching lang |
Unselfish: Perfectly Impartial | 大公無私 大公无私 | dà gōng wú sī da4 gong1 wu2 si1 da gong wu si dagongwusi | ta kung wu ssu takungwussu |
|
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. |
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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.
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.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
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