Adamantine in Chinese / Japanese...

jīn gāng

kongou

금강

金剛 can translate as adamantine from Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

Other meanings and translations can include diamond, thunderbolt, Indra's indestructible weapon, Buddhist symbol of the indestructible truth, Vajra (a mythical weapon), guardian deity, hardness, indestructibility, power, the least frangible of minerals.

The Chinese pronunciation of "Jīn Gāng" became the loanword used in English as "King Kong". You can see King Kong as the indestructible ape guardian deity depending on how you read the story.

jīn gāng bù huài

kon gou fu e

金剛不壞 is originally a Buddhist term for, "The diamond indestructible." Sometimes, it's written 金剛不壞身, The diamond indestructible body.

Outside that context, it still means firm and solid, sturdy and indestructible, unshakable, or adamantine (a mythological indestructible material).

Note: If you order this from the Japanese master calligrapher, the last Kanji will look like the one shown to the right.

jīn gāng

kon gou

금강

金剛 is a common way to call diamonds in Chinese and Japanese. Traditionally, there were not that many diamonds that made their way to Asia, so this word does not have the deep cultural significance that it does in the west (thanks mostly to De Beers marketing). Therefore, this word was kind of borrowed from other uses.

This title can also refer to vajra (a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond that originally refers to an indestructible substance); hard metal; pupa of certain insects; Vajrapani, Buddha's warrior attendant; King Kong; adamantine; Buddhist symbol of the indestructible truth.