Will-Power Self-Control in Chinese / Japanese...

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

尤其要緊的你必須對你自己忠實 is the classic translation of a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet into Chinese.

百胜难虑敌三折乃良医 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: [Even a general who has won a] hundred victories [may be] hard put to see through the enemy's [strategy], [but one who has] broken [his] arm three [times] [will] be a good doctor.

Figuratively, this means: One cannot always depend on past successes to guarantee future success but one can always learn from lessons drawn from failure.

See Also:  Failure - Mother of Success | Experience - Mother of Success | Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 | Hard Knocks

力操正 is a Korean martial arts title meaning “Power Control.”

It's most often cited as one of the 8 key concepts from Tang Soo Do.

This can be pronounced in Chinese but will only be recognized by those familiar with martial arts terms.

我的命運我掌握 is a way to write “I control my own destiny” in Chinese.

The direct translation is more like, “My destiny, I'm in control.” The meaning is the same, but Chinese grammar and word order vary a bit from English.

There's a few other variations, and if you want any of these, just email me:
我的命运我做主 (wo3 de ming4 yun4 wo3 zuo4 zhu3) "my destiny, I'm in charge"
我的未来我掌握 (wo3 de wei4 lai2 wo3 zhang3 wo4) "my future, I'm in control"
我的未来我做主 (wo3 de wei4 lai2 wo3 zuo4 zhu3) "My future, I'm in charge"

有志者事竟成 is a Chinese proverb that means “A really determined person will find a solution.”

It figuratively means “Where there's a will, there's a way.”

不怕风浪大就怕桨不齐 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: Do not fear strong winds [and] high waves; what [one should] worry about whether or not you're rowing in unison.

Figuratively, this means: However difficult the task, the key to success lies in making collective efforts.

I like to translate this as “Don't sweat the details, just get together and get it done.”

龍馬精神虎虎生威 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone great health and success combined as a great compliment.

The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse and the power and prestige of the tiger.”

By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have these qualities. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.

自由意志 is a concept that has existed for thousands of years that humans can understand right and wrong, then make a decision one way or the other (thus affecting their fate).

Sources such as Confucius, Buddhist scriptures, the Qur'an, and the Bible all address this idea.

As for the characters shown here, the first two mean free, freedom, or liberty. The last two mean “will.”

Can be romanized from Japanese as jiyū-ishi, jiyuu-ishi, and sometimes jiyuu-ishii.
It's 자유의지 or jayuu-yiji in Korean and zìyóu yìzhì in Chinese.

See Also:  Freedom | Strong Willed | Fate

This can be read as “girl power,” “woman power,” “women empowerment” or “female strength.”

女力 is kind of a strange or unofficial title in Chinese and Japanese. At least, it's not common for a wall scroll.

This should be “onna ryoku” in Japanese but I found some who suggest it should be “me riki.”

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.

自強 is the kind of inner strength that applies to a person who has will-power and can inspire themselves to do great things.

自強 can also be the creed of a person that always pursues self-improvement.

Other translations: self-strengthening, striving for improvement, self-improvement, striving to become stronger, and self-renewal.

自己の完成 or Jiko no Kansei is a Japanese phrase that means self-completion, self-accomplishment, or self-perfection.

絶対的な力 is a long Japanese word that means “Absolute Power.”

By those terms, this is roughly the Japanese equivalent of “juggernaut.”

You may learn when everything goes right but the lessons learned when everything goes wrong are more vivid and lead to long-lasting wisdom.

Another way to look at this: One cannot always depend on past successes to guarantee future success but one can always learn from lessons drawn from failure.

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

終成眷屬 is a Chinese proverb that translates roughly as “Love will find a way to come together.”

有情人終成眷屬 is the long version of the Chinese proverb that translates as “Where there are lovers, love will find a way (to come together).”

愚公移山 is the Chinese proverb (also somewhat known in Japan and Korea) for “the silly old man moves a mountain.”

Figuratively, this means “where there's a will, there's a way.”

Based on a fable of Lord Yu (愚公). He moved the soil of the mountain in front of his house. After years of effort, he finally moved the entire mountain (some versions of the story have God seeing how determined the man was, and sending two angels to whisk the mountains away).

The moral of the story: Anything can be accomplished if one works at it ceaselessly.

The Japanese version of this is 愚公山を移す (gu kou yama wo utsu su). But better to get the Chinese version, since this is originally a Chinese proverb.

See Also:  Nothing is Impossible

毅力 is a way to express “perseverance” with the idea of “willpower” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. It can also mean “strong-willed.”

The first character means “strong” and “persistent,” while the second means “strength” and “power.”

大力 can mean immense physical strength or great power.

This can also act as an adjective for expressing how energetically or vigorously something is.

This can also be a given name, Dairiki, in Japanese.

悟性 means the power of understanding and insight in Chinese.

It is often associated with Neo-Confucianism. In that regard, it means to realize, perceive, or have the perception of man's true nature. It can also mean finding your soul, the soul of others, or the soul of the world. Some will translate this simply as the state of being “savvy.”

In Japanese, this is often translated as wisdom and understanding.

自尊心 is a Japanese and Korean word that means “pride” or “self-respect.”

The first Kanji/Hanja means oneself. The second can mean revered, valuable, precious, noble, or exalted. And the last Kanji/Hanja means heart, mind, and/or spirit.

While these characters make sense and hold the same general meaning in Chinese, this is not a normal Chinese word. This selection should only be used if your audience is Japanese or Korean.

See Also:  Respect | Pride | Self-Reliance | Self-Control | Self-Discipline

霊能力 is a word that means psychic power or spiritual ability in Japanese.

You may recognize the first character, 霊 (rei), is the same as the first Kanji in the word reiki. It means spirit or spiritual, but in this context can also mean psychic.
能力 can mean ability, capacity, or power.

自愛 means self-love, self-regard, regard for oneself, cherishing one's good name, taking care of oneself, or love myself.

In the Buddhist context, this is the cause of all pursuit or seeking, which in turn causes all suffering. All Buddhas discharge themselves from self-love and all pursuits of personal gratification. Such elimination of self-love is a step towards nirvāṇa.

This title can be taken as positive or negative, depending on how you read it. Some will see it as arrogant, and others will read it as a token of self-respect. Because of this ambiguity, I do not recommend this title for a wall scroll.

自省 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja means: to examine oneself; to reflect on one's shortcomings; introspection; self-awareness; self-criticism; self-examination; reflection.

In Japanese, this can be the given name, Jisei.

自己改革 is a Japanese title that refers to one who changes themselves or improves themselves by reforming their lives.

Another way to translate it is “A person who changes their attitude or something about themselves.”

自恃 means self-reliance but is often used to mean self-confidence or the state of being self-assured.

Basically, this means you can rely on yourself (with a slight suggestion that others can rely on you as well).

The first character means “oneself,” while the second means “to rely upon.”

See Also:  Confidence | Self-Confidence

克己 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.”

捨己 is a Chinese and Japanese word that means selfless, self-sacrifice (to help others), self-renunciation, or altruism.

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

自信心 is the long title for self-confidence.

It differs from the other version, only with the addition of the character for heart or soul at the end. With that addition, you could say this means a self-confident heart.

See Also:  Confidence

自覺 is the idea of being conscious, self-aware, and sometimes “on one's own initiative.”

After WWII, they started using a simplified form of the second Kanji for this word in Japan. That version is shown to the right, and you can click on that Kanji if you want the modern Japanese form. Otherwise, the characters shown in the upper left are the correct ones for ancient/old/traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

自意識 is the idea of being conscious and self-aware in Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja.

This is not a normal word in Chinese.

自衛 means self-defense in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

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 reacting. 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

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, or cultivating moral character.

自尊 means self-respect or self-esteem in Chinese, Korean and Japanese. It can also mean “pride in oneself.”

Note: Japanese sometimes put the character for the heart after these two. However, this two-character word is universal between all three languages (which is often better since more than a third of the world's population can read this version as a native word).

自力 is a word in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, old Korean, and Buddhist term meaning: the power within oneself; self-sufficient; by oneself; self-made; self-power; inner ability.

自我實現 is the Chinese and old Korean Hanja title for self-actualization or self-realization.

自己実現 is the Japanese title for self-actualization, self-fulfillment, or self-realization.

自性覚れば即ち是れ佛なり is a Zen quote that means “If one realizes one's own nature, one becomes a Buddha.”

The inference here is that if you understand who you really are, and become truly aware of yourself and your original nature, you are well on your way to becoming a liberated person (a Buddha).

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

緩急 is often used as a Korean martial arts term, “speed control.” It's also one of the 8 key concepts of Tang Soo Do.

In other contexts, this can mean priority, pace, tempo, or slow and fast.

力 is the simplest form of “power” or “strength.”

In Japanese, it is pronounced “chikara” when used alone, and “ryoku” when used in a sentence (there are also a few other possible pronunciations of this Kanji in Japanese).

In some contexts, this can mean ability, force, physical strength, capability, and influence.

See Also:  Strength | Vitality | Health

己に忠実なれ is “...to thine own self be true” in Japanese.

This is a small portion of the classic line from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

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

有志竟成 is a Chinese proverb that means “persevere and you will succeed.”

It's very much like the English idiom, “where there's a will, there's a way.”

精神一到何事か成らざらん is a Japanese expression that means “Where there is a will, there is a way. There are other Japanese phrases with similar meanings but this one is the most commonly used (according to the number of results on Japanese Google).

This can also be romanized as “seshinittonanigotokanarazaran.”

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

鉄心石腸 is a Japanese proverb that suggests you should have the inner-strength and will as hard and steadfast as iron.

It's the Japanese way of saying, “stay strong.” This is an especially uplifting thing to say to a person in distress or recovering from a disaster. It's kind of the survivor's creed.

If you literally translate this, it means “iron will, stone guts” or “iron heart, rock-hard bowels.”

意志 is a Chinese, Korean, and Japanese word that means “determination to achieve.” It can also be translated as: will; willpower; determination; volition; intention; or intent.

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

意志力 is a form of willpower or self-control and is about having the determination or tenacity to keep going.

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

威爾 is the name Will in Chinese (Mandarin).

ウィル is the name Will in Japanese.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

火の意志 or the “Will of Fire” is an element from the Naruto series.

The word order in Japanese makes this more like “Fire's Will.”

火 is fire.

の is a possessive article.

意志 means will, volition, intention, or intent.

君子豹変す is a Japanese proverb that suggests that a wise man is willing to change his mind, but a fool will stubbornly never change his.

The first word is 君子 (kunshi), a man of virtue, a person of high rank, a wise man.

The second word is 豹変 (hyouhen), sudden change, complete change.

The last part, す (su), modifies the verb to a more humble form.

The “fool” part is merely implied or understood. So if wise and noble people are willing to change their minds, it automatically says that foolish people are unwilling to change.