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Getting to the point quickly with the fewest words possible is the suggestion of this 少說為佳 Chinese proverb.
But taking it more profound, there is a warning that using too many words may act to “tip your hat” or “show your hand” (to use two American idioms).
It can also be said that using many words does not make the message have more value.
This is really about the art of brevity.
My only hope is that I did not use too many words to explain this proverb.
Speak simply, while expressing your idea completely
言簡意賅 is a Chinese proverb that suggests it is better to be brief and use fewer words while still expressing your main point or idea.
In another way to explain this, one should not use 100 words when 50 will do, or being more concise with your speech.
This can also be translated as concise, compendious, “brief in form but comprehensive in scope” or succinct.
This is a bit more positive than our other proverb for brevity.
力愛不二 is a proverb that literally means:
“Strength [and] Love [are] Not Two [separate ideas/concepts/things].”
You'll find this proverb translated from Japanese to English as:
Love and strength are not separate.
Power and love are indivisible.
Strength and love in harmony.
Strength and love stand together.
Old Japanese grammar is quite different than English, and so this proverb says a lot within the brevity of just 4 characters. If you just read these characters directly as “Strength Love Not Two,” you'd probably miss the real meaning.
According to the Swedish Shorinji Kempo Federation, this is the second characteristic of Shorinji Kempo.
This post really explains the concept best in my opinion: Bushido by MS: Riki Ai Fu Ni, which states: "Riki Ai Funi" is the philosophy that power (Riki) and love (Ai) are indivisible. More concretely, a person, who is powerful but does not have love, cannot control and misuse his/her power; on the other hand, a person, who has loved ones but is not powerful enough, cannot protect himself/herself nor loved ones.
簡 expresses the idea of something simple or the essence of simplicity in life in Chinese.
This can also refer to a simple slip of bamboo for taking notes or writing a letter (especially in Korean Hanja).
Technically this is a word meaning simplicity and brevity in Japanese but it's rarely used in modern Japanese. Therefore, you should probably only select this character if your audience is Chinese.
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your brevity search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
簡 简 see styles |
jiǎn jian3 chien kan かん |
More info & calligraphy: Simplicity(1) (See 簡にして要を得る) (ant: 繁・1) simplicity; brevity; (2) letter; note; correspondence; (3) bamboo writing strip (in ancient China); (4) (abbreviation) (See 簡体字) simplified Chinese character; (surname) Kan A tablet, memorandum; to abridge; appoint; examine; abrupt, concise, direct. |
朝露 see styles |
zhāo lù zhao1 lu4 chao lu asatsuyu; chouro / asatsuyu; choro あさつゆ; ちょうろ |
More info & calligraphy: Morning Dewmorning dew Morning dew, e.g. man's life as transient. |
少說為佳 少说为佳 see styles |
shǎo shuō wéi jiā shao3 shuo1 wei2 jia1 shao shuo wei chia |
More info & calligraphy: Brevity: Fewer Words are Best |
単簡 see styles |
tankan たんかん |
(noun or adjectival noun) brevity; simplicity |
短さ see styles |
mijikasa みじかさ |
brevity; shortness |
私印 see styles |
sī yìn si1 yin4 ssu yin shiin / shin しいん |
personal seal A monk's private seal, which should resemble a skull as reminder of the brevity of life. |
簡短 简短 see styles |
jiǎn duǎn jian3 duan3 chien tuan kantan かんたん |
brief (statement, summary etc); briefly; brevity (out-dated kanji) (noun or adjectival noun) (1) simple; easy; uncomplicated; (2) brief; quick; light |
草々 see styles |
sousou / soso そうそう |
(adj-na,int,n) (1) brevity; rudeness; hurry; (2) Yours Sincerely; (given name) Sousou |
草草 see styles |
cǎo cǎo cao3 cao3 ts`ao ts`ao tsao tsao sousou / soso そうそう |
carelessly; hastily (adj-na,int,n) (1) brevity; rudeness; hurry; (2) Yours Sincerely |
草々不一 see styles |
sousoufuitsu / sosofuitsu そうそうふいつ |
Sincerely yours (with the nuance of "please excuse the brevity of this letter") |
草草不一 see styles |
sousoufuitsu / sosofuitsu そうそうふいつ |
Sincerely yours (with the nuance of "please excuse the brevity of this letter") |
下手の長談義 see styles |
hetanonagadangi へたのながだんぎ |
(expression) (proverb) poor speakers make long speeches; brevity is the soul of wit |
人生一世,草木一春 see styles |
rén shēng yī shì , cǎo mù yī chūn ren2 sheng1 yi1 shi4 , cao3 mu4 yi1 chun1 jen sheng i shih , ts`ao mu i ch`un jen sheng i shih , tsao mu i chun |
Man has but one life, grass but one spring (idiom). fig. the brevity of human existence |
Variations: |
sousoufuitsu / sosofuitsu そうそうふいつ |
Sincerely yours (with the nuance of "please excuse the brevity of this letter") |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Brevity: Fewer Words are Best | 少說為佳 少说为佳 | shǎo shuō wéi jiā shao3 shuo1 wei2 jia1 shao shuo wei jia shaoshuoweijia | shao shuo wei chia shaoshuoweichia |
|
Brief and to the Point | 言簡意賅 言简意赅 | yán jiǎn yì gāi yan2 jian3 yi4 gai1 yan jian yi gai yanjianyigai | yen chien i kai yenchienikai |
|
Morning Dew | 朝露 | asatsuyu | zhāo lù / zhao1 lu4 / zhao lu / zhaolu | chao lu / chaolu |
Strength and Love in Unity | 力愛不二 力爱不二 | riki ai fu ni rikiaifuni | ||
Simplicity | 簡 简 | kan | jiǎn / jian3 / jian | chien |
Brevity Concise | 簡約 简约 | kanyaku | jiǎn yuē / jian3 yue1 / jian yue / jianyue | chien yüeh / chienyüeh |
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. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
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.
Some people may refer to this entry as Brevity Kanji, Brevity Characters, Brevity in Mandarin Chinese, Brevity Characters, Brevity in Chinese Writing, Brevity in Japanese Writing, Brevity in Asian Writing, Brevity Ideograms, Chinese Brevity symbols, Brevity Hieroglyphics, Brevity Glyphs, Brevity in Chinese Letters, Brevity Hanzi, Brevity in Japanese Kanji, Brevity Pictograms, Brevity in the Chinese Written-Language, or Brevity in the Japanese Written-Language.
40 people have searched for Brevity in Chinese or Japanese in the past year.
Brevity was last searched for by someone else on May 7th, 2024