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Many custom options...

Tan Paper and Copper Silk Love Wall Scroll
Red Paper and Ivory Silk Love Wall Scroll
Orange Paper Love Scroll
Crazy Blue and Gold Silk Love Scroll


And formats...

Love Vertical Portrait
Love Horizontal Wall Scroll
Love Vertical Portrait

Won in Chinese / Japanese...

Buy a Won calligraphy wall scroll here!

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


  1. Won

  2. Opportunity Knocks Only Once

  3. Zen Garden

  4. Bodhicitta: Enlightened Mind

  5. One Who Does Not Do Bad Things, Worries Not of Knocks at His Door

  6. You May Learn from Victory, You Will Learn from Failure

  7. Nothing / Nothingness

  8. Beware of the Lawyers

  9. Strong bones come from hard knocks

10. Crazy / Mad / Wild

11. Phenomenon

12. Indomitable / Unyielding

13. Double Happiness Guest Book


 won
Won Scroll

ウォン is the name Won in Japanese Katakana.


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

 yuán
 
Won Scroll

元 is the name Korean name Won in Chinese characters, also known as Korean Hanja.

It's possible your origin character is one of these: 温, 文, 袁, or 阮. Take a look at some old family records to be sure.

Opportunity Knocks Only Once

 jī bù kě shī shí bù zài lái
Opportunity Knocks Only Once Scroll

機不可失, 時不再來 is often translated as Opportunity Knocks Only Once in Chinese.

The more literal meaning is, “This chance is not to be lost, it won't come again.”

 chán yuán
 zen sono
Zen Garden Scroll

禪園 literally means “meditation garden.”

The first character happens to be known as Zen in the west (the pronunciation comes from Japanese) but this title is not often used in Japan (won't be recognized as a Japanese title).

The title “Zen Garden” was made up by westerners I'm afraid.

Bodhicitta: Enlightened Mind

 mào dì zhì duō
 boujiishitta
Bodhicitta: Enlightened Mind Scroll

冒地質多 is a Chinese and Japanese way to write Bodhicitta.

冒地質多 is often translated as “the enlightened mind” or “enlightened heart.”

This title is strictly Buddhist and won't make sense to Chinese or Japanese people who do not have an expansive background in Buddhist terms, concepts, and scripture.

One Who Does Not Do Bad Things, Worries Not of Knocks at His Door

 bái tiān bú zuò kuī xīn shì yè bàn qiāo mén bù chī jīng
One Who Does Not Do Bad Things, Worries Not of Knocks at His Door Scroll

白天不做亏心事夜半敲门不吃惊 literally translates as: [If one does] not do bad things in the daytime, one need not be alarmed at knocks on the door in the middle of the night.

The meaning is something like, “A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.” Basically, the message is, “don't commit crimes and you won't be jumpy every time the doorbell rings (so don't do anything wrong and your life will have fewer worries and you can sleep at night).”

You May Learn from Victory, You Will Learn from Failure

 bǎi shèng nán lǜ dí sān zhé nǎi liáng yī
You May Learn from Victory, You Will Learn from Failure Scroll

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

Nothing / Nothingness

 wú
 mu
 
Nothing / Nothingness Scroll

無 is the simple way to express “nothing.”

However, this single character leaves a bit of mystery as to what you might really mean if you hang it as a wall scroll. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; as you can decide what it means to you, and you won't be wrong if you stay within the general context.

More info: 無 is usually used as a suffix or prefix for Chinese and Japanese words (also old Korean). It can be compared to “un-” or “-less” in English. It can also mean “not to have,” no, none, not, “to lack,” or nothingness.

Beware of the Lawyers

 xiǎo xīn lǜ shī
Beware of the Lawyers Scroll

提防律師 is a kind of Chinese joke about lawyers.

The first two characters mean “guard yourself against (an attack)” or “beware.”
The last two characters can be translated as lawyer, attorney, or solicitor.

Separately, those characters mean law/regulation/control and master/expert/teacher. Here, you can see the attorney meaning is pretty clear in the individual characters.

Please note this is Chinese only (it won't make sense in Japanese, and the last two characters are sometimes translated together as “Buddhist Priest” in Japanese).

Strong bones come from hard knocks

 bù kē bù pèng gǔ tóu bù yìng
Strong bones come from hard knocks Scroll

不磕不碰骨頭不硬 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: Without being knocked around a bit, [one's] bones won't become hard.

Figuratively, this means: One can't become strong without first being tempered by “hard knocks.”

While true for everyone, this sounds like the “Iron Body” form of Kung Fu, where practitioners' bodies are beaten (and often bone fractured) in order to become stronger.
For the rest of us, this is just about how we can be tempered and build character through the hardships in our lives.

This is not a common title for a wall scroll in China.

Crazy / Mad / Wild

 kuáng
 kyou
 
Crazy / Mad / Wild Scroll

狂 is a single character that means “crazy” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

狂 means crazy, unrestrained, lunatic, insane, confused, deranged, wild, or mad.

This can also refer to an extreme enthusiast (like a football fan). But then, it can also refer to a person possessing a mental abnormality.

In some contexts, this can mean conceited (it probably won't be read that way on a wall scroll).

A warning: 狂 is an odd selection for a wall scroll. You should only order this if you plan to bewilder or confuse those who see it. It kind of says something about you, something that most native Asian people will not view in a good light.

 xiàn xiàng
 genshou
Phenomenon Scroll

I must first say that 現象 is an odd thing to put on a wall scroll in Asian cultures. It won't make a lot of sense alone unless you have a special or personal meaning that you attach to it for yourself.

These two characters mean phenomenon in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Hanja. They can also be translated as “a happening,” depending on context.

The sum of these characters is a little different than their individual meanings. But I will break it down anyway...
The first character means present, existing, actual, apparent, now, or current.
The second character alone means pattern after, imitate, image, shape, sign (of the times), form, appearance, to be like, to resemble, to take after, to seem, or elephant.

Indomitable / Unyielding

 bù qū bù náo
 fu kutsu fu tou
Indomitable / Unyielding Scroll

不屈不撓 means “Indomitable” or “Unyielding.”

不屈不撓 is a long word by Chinese standards. At least, it is often translated as a single word into English. It's actually a proverb in Chinese.

If you want to break it down, you can see that the first and third characters are the same. Both mean “not” (they work as a suffix to make a negative or opposite meaning to whatever character follows).

The second character means “bendable.”

The last means “scratched” or “bothered.”

So this really means “Won't be bent, can't be bothered.” I have also seen it written as “Will not crouch, will not submit.” This comes from the fact that the second character can mean “to crouch” and the last can mean “to submit” (as in “to give in” such as “submitting to the rule of someone else”). This may explain better why these four characters mean “indomitable.”

Notes:
Some will translate this as “indomitable spirit”; however, technically, there is no character to suggest the idea of “spirit” in this word.
Other translations include indefatigability, indomitableness, or unremitting tenacity.

The first two characters can be stand-alone words in Chinese.
In Japanese, this is considered two words (with very similar meanings). It's more common to see the word order flipped to 不撓不屈 in Japanese.
The same characters are used in old Korean Hanja. Just like in Japanese, the words are swapped to 不撓不屈 creating a word pronounced “불요불굴” in Korean.


See 不撓不屈


See Also:  Tenacity | Fortitude | Strength | Undaunted

Double Happiness Guest Book

Customize a special Asian guest book for your wedding

 xǐ
 
Double Happiness Guest Book Scroll

Start customizing a “Double Happiness Guest Book Wall Scroll” Here!

The paper panel length can be whatever you choose from 68cm to 135cm (27” to 53”).

If you don't mention what paper length you want in the special instructions tab (on the next page), we'll make it about 100cm (40”).

How many signatures fit

The medium-size scroll with a 33cm x 100cm (13” x 40”) paper panel can usually handle up to 89 signatures. That breaks down to 37 signatures per empty square and 15 signatures around the 囍 character. If you switch to a 135cm paper panel, add another 37 potential signatures.

We can splice two 135cm papers together, but that would be a crazy-long scroll. These are only estimates, your mileage may vary.


With silk panels, this will yield a wall scroll about 155cm (61”) long. That's enough for up to 89 signatures. Of course, that depends on if your guests just sign a brief salutation and name, or more verbose good wishes. Customer feedback is that 126 people can sign the 135cm long paper on a medium-sized scroll. If we go bigger than that, there will be a minor paper seam and an extra charge. Email me with your specifications if you need something special.

Most customers pick the festive red paper with gold flecks and white or ivory silk. Red is a good luck color in Chinese culture, thus the most popular choice. But, you can do any color combination that you want.

There is a long history of Chinese-character-use outside of mainland China. This Double Happiness character is also seen at weddings in Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as in Chinese communities in Thailand, Indonesia, and elsewhere. While Japan borrowed Chinese characters into their language, you won't see 囍 as often at Japanese weddings.


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

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Wonウォンwon
Wonyuán / yuan2 / yuanyüan
Opportunity Knocks Only Once機不可失時不再來
机不可失时不再来
jī bù kě shī shí bù zài lái
ji1 bu4 ke3 shi1 shi2 bu4 zai4 lai2
ji bu ke shi shi bu zai lai
jibukeshishibuzailai
chi pu k`o shih shih pu tsai lai
chipukoshihshihputsailai
chi pu ko shih shih pu tsai lai
Zen Garden禪園
禅园
zen sono / zensonochán yuán
chan2 yuan2
chan yuan
chanyuan
ch`an yüan
chanyüan
chan yüan
Bodhicitta: Enlightened Mind冒地質多
冒地质多
boujiishitta
bojishitta
mào dì zhì duō
mao4 di4 zhi4 duo1
mao di zhi duo
maodizhiduo
mao ti chih to
maotichihto
One Who Does Not Do Bad Things, Worries Not of Knocks at His Door白天不做虧心事夜半敲門不吃驚
白天不做亏心事夜半敲门不吃惊
bái tiān bú zuò kuī xīn shì yè bàn qiāo mén bù chī jīng
bai2 tian1 bu2 zuo4 kui1 xin1 shi4 ye4 ban4 qiao1 men2 bu4 chi1 jing1
bai tian bu zuo kui xin shi ye ban qiao men bu chi jing
pai t`ien pu tso k`uei hsin shih yeh pan ch`iao men pu ch`ih ching
pai tien pu tso kuei hsin shih yeh pan chiao men pu chih ching
You May Learn from Victory, You Will Learn from Failure百勝難慮敵三折乃良醫
百胜难虑敌三折乃良医
bǎi shèng nán lǜ dí sān zhé nǎi liáng yī
bai3 sheng4 nan2 lv4 di2 san1 zhe2 nai3 liang2 yi1
bai sheng nan lv di san zhe nai liang yi
pai sheng nan lü ti san che nai liang i
Nothing
Nothingness

muwú / wu2 / wu
Beware of the Lawyers提防律師
提防律师
xiǎo xīn lǜ shī
xiao3 xin1 lv4 shi1
xiao xin lv shi
xiaoxinlvshi
hsiao hsin lü shih
hsiaohsinlüshih
Strong bones come from hard knocks不磕不碰骨頭不硬
不磕不碰骨头不硬
bù kē bù pèng gǔ tóu bù yìng
bu4 ke1 bu4 peng4 gu3 tou2 bu4 ying4
bu ke bu peng gu tou bu ying
bukebupenggutoubuying
pu k`o pu p`eng ku t`ou pu ying
pukopupengkutoupuying
pu ko pu peng ku tou pu ying
Crazy
Mad
Wild

kyou / kyokuáng / kuang2 / kuangk`uang / kuang
Phenomenon現象
现象
genshou / genshoxiàn xiàng
xian4 xiang4
xian xiang
xianxiang
hsien hsiang
hsienhsiang
Indomitable
Unyielding
不屈不撓
不屈不挠
fu kutsu fu tou
fukutsufutou
fu kutsu fu to
bù qū bù náo
bu4 qu1 bu4 nao2
bu qu bu nao
buqubunao
pu ch`ü pu nao
puchüpunao
pu chü pu nao
Double Happiness Guest Book
喜喜
xǐ / xi3 / xihsi
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 Won 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 Won Kanji, Won Characters, Won in Mandarin Chinese, Won Characters, Won in Chinese Writing, Won in Japanese Writing, Won in Asian Writing, Won Ideograms, Chinese Won symbols, Won Hieroglyphics, Won Glyphs, Won in Chinese Letters, Won Hanzi, Won in Japanese Kanji, Won Pictograms, Won in the Chinese Written-Language, or Won in the Japanese Written-Language.

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