Claim Mind is the Way in Chinese / Japanese...

千慮一得 means “1000 tries, one success,” or “[a] thousand tries [leads to] one success.”

This proverb is a humble way to express your success, ideas, or accomplishments. As if you are a fool who just got lucky in inventing or creating something.

Translations for this proverb include:
Even without any notable ability on my part, I may still get it right sometimes by good luck.
Even a fool may sometimes come up with a good idea.

Compare this to the English idiom, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

国家忠诚父母孝道朋友有信杀生有择临战无退 are the five codes of Tang Soo Do.

I suggest you have this arranged in five columns when you get to the options page for your custom calligraphy wall scroll.

Here are my translations of each of the five codes:
國家忠誠 Be loyal to your country.
父母孝道 In regards to parents, behave in a filial way.
朋友有信 Be faithful in friendship.
殺生有擇 When fighting for life and death, make noble choices.
臨戰無退 No retreat in battle.

Note: “Tang Soo Do” is a romanization of 唐手道. It's 당수도 in Korean Hangul. It can also be romanized as “Tangsudo” or “Dangsudo.”

These are the “Five Reflections” of Vice Admiral Hajime Matsushita of the Japanese Imperial Navy.

These days, the Five Reflections are recited or contemplated daily by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force recruits in training. This long proverb is popularly translated into English this way:

Hast thou not gone against sincerity?
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds?
Hast thou not lacked vigor?
Hast thou not exerted all possible efforts?
Hast thou not become slothful?

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

阿比 is a common way to transliterate the name Abbi into Mandarin Chinese.

阿比 is a common way to transliterate the name Abbie into Mandarin Chinese.

繁榮富裕 is a proverb about “Prosperity and Abundance.”

This presents and reinforces the ideas of being prosperous, a booming economy, well-to-do, well-off, wealthy, riches, and opulence.

While this is the ancient/traditional Chinese way to write this, most Japanese can fully read and understand it. It's also the correct form of old Korean Hanja (though few Koreans of the current generation will be able to read this).

See Also:  Good Fortune

艾斯 is a common way to transliterate the name Ace into Mandarin Chinese.

現役 is a simple way to say “active duty.”

When I got off active duty in the Marines, I suddenly discovered that everyone on active duty seemed very proud of that fact. These Japanese / Chinese characters are offered to those servicemen with that pride.

Please note that there is a longer yet more natural phrase that means “Active Duty Soldier” or literally “Active Duty Military Person” - see the next entry...

現役軍人 means “Active Duty Soldier” or literally “Active Duty Military Person.”

This title is a great way to show pride in being an active duty member of the armed forces.

The first two characters mean “active duty” and the second two characters can be translated as “military personnel,” “soldier,” or “serviceman” (it is unisex, so male or female is not indicated).

See Also:  Military

針術 is a way to write acupuncture in Chinese.

The first character means “needle” or “pin.”
The second character means “technique” or “method.”

This is theoretically a Japanese word as well but not commonly used.

針療法 is one of two ways to write acupuncture in Chinese and Japanese.

The first character means “needle” or “pin.” The second character means “to treat” or “to cure.” The last character means “method” or “way.”

This is the only reasonable selection if your audience is Japanese. This is the formal way to express acupuncture in Chinese, so this version is universal in most of Asia (the best all-around choice in most cases).

This is the a common way to transliterate the surname Adams into Mandarin Chinese.

應變 means “to meet a contingency,” “to adapt oneself to changes,” or “to adapt to changes” in Chinese.

It's also used in Japanese but usually only in the context of Buddhism. 應變 is probably the shortest way to express the idea of adapting and overcoming whatever circumstances present themselves.

冒険 is a common Japanese way to say “Adventure.”

The first character can mean “to risk,” “to defy” or “to dare.” The second character means “inaccessible place” or “impregnable position.” Together, you get the idea of why these two characters mean adventure when put them together in Japanese.

Note: The second character is a morphed Japanese Kanji. The original Chinese version is also available and holds the same root meaning.

In the simplest terms, 愛語 means kind words.

In the Buddhist context, this is one of the four methods of approach to people which the bodhisattvas use to guide them to the way of the Buddha.

Other translations include loving speech or simply the words of a bodhisattva.

愛語 is also a common female name, Aigo, in Japanese.

合気武道 is the title Aiki-Budo or “Aiki Martial Arts” in Japanese Kanji.

合 means “union” or “harmony.”
気/氣 means “universal energy” or “spirit.”
武 means “martial” or “military.”
道 means “way” or “method.”

合気武道 is the modern Japanese way to write this. You may also see 合氣武道, where the second character is written in the older traditional (pre-1945) form. If you want this written 合氣武道, just include a note or email with your order.

合氣武道 are all Chinese characters as well, so I included the Chinese pronunciation above. However, while it can be understood in Chinese, this is not a common term in that language and is not used in any Chinese martial arts. Also, 気 is only used in Japan - Chinese will understand 気 to be the Japanese form of 氣.

See Also:  Martial Arts | Hapkido

合気道 is the modern Japanese way to write Aikido.

Aikido is often referred to as the defensive martial art.

While Aikido was born in Japan, it has become a somewhat famous form of defensive tactics taught to soldiers and Marines, as well as some law enforcement officers in the West.

Looking at the characters, the first means “union” or “harmony.”
The second character means “universal energy” or “spirit.”
The third means “way” or “method.”

Please note that while the original 合氣道 characters can be pronounced in Chinese, this word is not well-known in China and is not considered part of the Chinese lexicon.

Note: It is somewhat accepted that this is the origin of Hapkido in Korea. And other than a modern simplification to the middle Kanji of this 3-Kanji word, it is written the same in Korean Hanja.

See Also:  Martial Arts | Hapkido

This is a short way to write the name Aimee in Katakana (phonetic Japanese).

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

This is a common way to write the Japanese given name Akeno.

Some will also romanize this as Akino.

阿基拉 is a common way to transliterate the name Akira into Mandarin Chinese.

阿拉娜 is a common way to transliterate the name Alana into Mandarin Chinese.

阿爾菲 is a common way to transliterate the name Alfie into Mandarin Chinese.

阿林娜 is a common way to transliterate the name Alina into Mandarin Chinese.

萬事如意 is a Chinese and old Korean proverb that means to have all one's wishes.

When speaking to someone, it's a way to say best wishes, all the best, may all your hopes be fulfilled, or may everything go well.

On your wall as calligraphy, it's meant to inspire all your wishes, hopes, dreams, and life to go well or come true.

This is a common way to write the name Amati in Mandarin Chinese.

アメフト is a short word that means “American football” in Japanese.

It is supposed to sound like an abbreviated version, “ame futo” which sounds like “ah-may foot-oh” (American Football).

There's not a great standard way to say “football” in Japanese, as the sport is not popular in Japan. Other Japanese terms for football can be confused with soccer or rugby.

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

See Also:  Soccer

阿尼爾 is a common way to transliterate the name Anil into Mandarin Chinese.

動物王國 is literally what it says.

There is even a TV show in China that is similar to Wild Kingdom or what you would currently see on the Discovery Channel that has this same title.

For your information: In the Chinese way of thinking, the Tiger is the king of the animal kingdom (lions are not native to China, so the tiger took the role that we have given to the lion in our western way of thinking).

The modern Japanese version has a slight variation on the last character (国 instead of 國). Let me know if you want the modern Japanese version (國 would be considered the old or traditional version).

動物 is the way to write “animals” in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The first character means “moving,” and the second means “things.” So animals are “moving things” in these Asian languages.

This is a second way to write the name Ann-Marie in Chinese (Mandarin).

子を持って知る親の恩 literally translates as: Only after you have a baby, you would appreciate your parents (feel the way they do, etc).

This is a bit like the “walk a mile in another man's shoes” saying. Basically, it's about you cannot fully understand the plight of others until you experience it yourself. It also shows appreciation for the plight of parents.

This Japanese proverb can also be translated a few more ways:

No man knows what he owes to his parents till he comes to have children of his own.

One knows not what one owes to one's parents till one comes to have children of one's own.

Only after you have a baby, you will appreciate your parents or feel the way they do.

Only after becoming a parent yourself do you realize how much you owe [how indebted you are] to your own parents.

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

心印 is a Buddhist concept that simply stated is “appreciation of truth by meditation.”

It's a deep subject, but my understanding is that you can find truth through meditation, and once you've found the truth, you can learn to appreciate it more through further meditation. This title is not commonly used outside of the Buddhist community (your Asian friends may or may not understand it). The literal translation would be something like “the mind seal,” I've seen this term translated this way from Japanese Buddhist poetry. But apparently, the seal that is stamped deep in your mind is the truth. You just have to meditate to find it.

Soothill defines it this way: Mental impression, intuitive certainty; the mind is the Buddha-mind in all, which can seal or assure the truth; the term indicates the intuitive method of the Chan (Zen) school, which was independent of the spoken or written word.

Reference: Soothill-Hodous Dictionary of Chinese Buddhism

See Also:  Zen

射手 means archer, shooter, or marksman in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Depending on the context, it can also mean “goal-getter” in Chinese. This would also be the word for a bowman.

射手 is modern in Asia, meaning that it's only been in use for a few hundred years. However, the more ancient version of the archer is often not even recognized by the current generation of Chinese and Japanese people.

The first character means “shoot” or “fire” (in the context of a gun or bow). It's also a suffix for radioactive things (in the context of chemistry) - radioactive things “fire off” electrons. In Japanese, the first Kanji is a short name and suffix for archery.

The second character means “hand,” but the hand can also mean a person, in the same way, that a “farmhand” is a person in English.

弋人 is the ancient way to write archer in both Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

If you carried a bow into battle in an army of ancient Asia, this would be your title.

Note: 弋人 is an antiquated term that is rarely used in modern Chinese, Korean or Japanese. Beyond archer, this can also mean a ceremonial hunter in Japanese.

Note: This title is so old, that most Asian people will not recognize this as a normal word. It has not been in regular use for many generations.

阿齊 is a common way to transliterate the name Archi into Mandarin Chinese.

阿齊 is a common way to transliterate the name Archie into Mandarin Chinese.

阿琳 is a common way to transliterate the name Arlene into Mandarin Chinese.

鎧 is a simple way to write armor/armour in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also be Yoroi (a Japanese place name). It can also refer to mail as chain mail.

醫道 means the art of healing or medical skill.

This can also refer to a Korean TV show, Hur Jun about an ancient doctor. The Chinese-subtitled version of the show is also quite popular in China.

While this is a common title in Chinese and Korean, it's not used as often in Japanese where someone might read it as “medical course” or “the way of medicine.”

道天地將法 is a list of five key points to analyzing your situation from the first chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

This reads like a 5-part military proverb. Sun Tzu says that to sharpen your skills, you must plan. To plan well, you must know your situation. Therefore, you must consider and discuss the following:

1. Philosophy and Politics: Make sure your way or your policy is agreeable among all of your troops (and the citizens of your kingdom as well). For when your soldiers believe in you and your way, they will follow you to their deaths without hesitation and will not question your orders.

2. Heaven/Sky: Consider climate / weather. This can also mean considering whether God is smiling upon you. In the modern military, this could be waiting for clear skies so that you can have air support for an amphibious landing.

3. Ground/Earth: Consider the terrain in which the battle will take place. This includes analyzing defensible positions, and exit routes, while using varying elevations to your advantage. When you plan an ambush, you must know your terrain and the best location from which to stage that ambush. This knowledge will also help you avoid being ambushed, as you will know where the likely places in which to expect an ambush from your enemy.

4. Leadership: This applies to you as the general and your lieutenants. A leader should be smart and be able to develop good strategies. Leaders should keep their word, and if they break a promise, they should punish themselves as harshly as they would punish subordinates. Leaders should be benevolent to their troops, with almost a fatherly love for them. Leaders must have the ability to make brave and fast decisions. Leaders must have steadfast principles.

5. [Military] Methods: This can also mean laws, rules, principles, models, or systems. You must have an efficient organization in place to manage both your troops and supplies. In the modern military, this would be a combination of how your unit is organized and your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

Notes: This is a simplistic translation and explanation. Much more is suggested in the actual text of the Art of War (Bing Fa). It would take a lot of study to master all of these aspects. In fact, these five characters can be compared to the modern military acronyms such as BAMCIS or SMEAC.

CJK notes: I have included the Japanese and Korean pronunciations but in Chinese, Korean and Japanese, this does not make a typical phrase (with subject, verb, and object) it is a list that only someone familiar with Sun Tzu’s writings would understand.

東方自尊 is the universal way to write “Asian Pride.”

We worked on this one for a long time. The effort involved both Chinese and Japanese translators and lengthy discussions. If you have been searching for this term, there is a reason that it's hard to find the way to write “Asian Pride” in Chinese and Japanese - it's because of the inherent difficulties in figuring out a universal combination of characters that can be read in all languages that use forms of Chinese characters.

This final solution that you see to the left creates a reasonable title in Chinese and an exotic (perhaps unusual) title in Japanese (This could be read as “Eastern Self-Respect” in Japanese”).
Although not as natural, it does have the same meaning as Korean Hanja, and the older generation of Vietnamese people will be able to read it.

The first two characters literally mean “Oriental” and the second two mean “pride,” “self-esteem,” or “self-respect” (we chose the most non-arrogant way to say “pride”). If you have “Asian Pride” (sometimes spelled Asian Pryde) these are the characters for you.

Note: For those who wonder, there is nothing technically wrong with the word “Oriental.” It is a correct word, and any bad meanings were created by so-called “Asian Americans” and Caucasians in the United States. To say “Asian” would not completely correct the intended meaning since that would include people from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, India, and portions of Russia.

For further proof, if you were of East Asian ancestry and born in England, you would be known as a “British Oriental” (The “Oriental stigma” is basically an American creation and, therefore, applies mainly to the American English language - where they get a bit overzealous with political correctness).

Further, since the Chinese and Japanese word for Oriental is not English, they can not be construed as having ill meaning. On one trip to China or Japan, you will find many things titled with these two characters, such as malls, buildings, and business names. These places also use “Oriental” as their English title (much as we do since our Chinese business name starts with these same two characters).

In short, the first two characters have the meaning that Americans attach to “Asian” but is more technically correct.

刺客 is the most sophisticated way to write “assassin” in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

The unsophisticated way just means murderer.

雅典娜 is a common way to transliterate the name Athena into Mandarin Chinese.

阿蒂庫斯 is the most common way to write the name Atticus in Mandarin Chinese.

八月 is the month of August in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

八月 literally means “eighth month” or “eighth moon.”

In Japanese, this can also be the female given name, Yatsuki, in much the same way August can be a female given name in English.

化身 is a way to say avatar in Chinese characters, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

This is the original Buddhist idea of an avatar (not the movie). This can also mean: incarnation; reincarnation; embodiment; personification; impersonation.

化身 is the Chinese word used for the original Sanskrit, nirmāṇakāya. Alternates for nirmāṇakāya include 應身, 應化身, or 變化身. In the context of Buddhism, this is a Buddha's metamorphosic body, which has the power to assume any shape to propagate the Truth. This title, 化身, is used for the appearance of a Buddha's many forms.

復仇者 is a Chinese title that means avenger or taker of revenge.

The first two characters literally mean avenge, vengeance, reprisal, or revenge.

The last character is a way to say, person. This last character is like adding -er or -ist to subjects like write and art to get writer and artist.

復讐者 is a Japanese Kanji title that means avenger or revenger.

The first two characters literally mean revenge or avenge.

The last character is a way to say a person (or soldier/warrior).

Altogether, you have something like, an “avenging person,” hence avenger.

艾弗莉 is a common way to transliterate the name Avery into Mandarin Chinese.

乳児 is a common two-Kanji way to write “baby” in Japanese.

This can also be translated as “infant” or “suckling baby.”

赤ん坊 is one way that Japanese people express “baby.”

獾 is the most common way to say badger in modern Chinese (also used in Korean).

平 is a single character that means balance in Chinese but it's not too direct or too specific about what kind of balance.

Chinese people often like calligraphy art that is a little vague or mysterious. In this way, you can decide what it means to you, and you'll be right.

平 is also part of a word that means peace in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

Some alternate translations of this single character include: balanced, peaceful, calm, equal, even, level, smooth, or flat.

Note that in Japanese, this just means “level” or “flat” by itself (not the best choice for balance if your audience is Japanese).

萬歲 is the traditional Chinese, Korean Hanja, and ancient Japanese way of writing banzai.

In modern times, the first character was simplified in Japan and China. So you might want to select the other entry for universal readability.

While it has become a popular, if not an odd, thing to scream as you jump out of an airplane (preferably with a parachute attached), banzai is actually a very old Asian way to say “hooray.” The Japanese word “banzai” comes from the Chinese word “wan sui,” which means “The age of 10,000 years.” It is actually a wish that the Emperor or the Empire live that long.

Imagine long ago when the Emperor made a rare public appearance. 萬歲 is what all people would yell to their leader in respect.

So if you like it as a hooray, or you want to wish someone that they live for 10,000 years, this is the calligraphy for you.

Other translations include Cheers! (not the drinking kind), hurrah!, long live [name]!, and congratulations!

To other things with banzai in their names, I am still waiting for the promised sequel to Buckaroo Banzai.

Notes: Sometimes people confuse banzai with bonsai. A bonsai is a miniature tree. They have nothing to do with each other.

万歲 is the modern Japanese way to write banzai.

We've made two almost identical entries for this word, with just a variation on the first character. In the last century, 萬 was simplified to 万 in Japan and China. The new generation will expect it to be written as 万 but the old generation can still read the more traditional 萬 form. You must make your determination as to what version is best for you. If your audience is mostly Japanese, I suggest 万歲.

While it has become a popular, if not an odd, thing to scream as you jump out of an airplane (preferably with a parachute attached), banzai is actually a very old Asian way to say “hooray.” The Japanese word “banzai” comes from the Chinese word “wan sui” which means “The age of 10,000 years.” It is actually a wish that the Emperor or the Empire live that long.

Imagine long ago when the Emperor made a rare public appearance. This is what all of the people would yell to their leader in respect.

So if you like it as a hooray, or you want to wish someone that they live for 10,000 years, this is the calligraphy for you.

To other things with banzai in their names, I am still waiting for the promised sequel to Buckaroo Banzai.

Other translations: hurrah, long life, congratulations, cheers, live long.

Notes: Sometimes people confuse banzai with bonsai. A bonsai is a miniature tree. They have nothing to do with each other. Further, Bonzai is not a word at all - although it would make a great name for a calcium supplement for older people.

This is the a common way to transliterate the surname Barnes into Mandarin Chinese.

蝠 is the simplest way to write bat in Chinese and old Korean Hanja.

This also means bat in Japanese but is almost never written alone like this (it's often part of other titles for vampire bats or fruit bats).

In Chinese culture, the bat is a good luck charm, as the pronunciation is very similar to the word for “good luck” or “good fortune.” The character for bat (蝠) even looks like the good luck (福) character.

幸せである is a way to express the idea of “be happy” in Japanese.

Japanese grammar is far different than English, so the word order is the opposite of English. If you translated directly, you'd have something like “Happiness henceforth” or “Happiness hereafter.” The idea is to be happy from this moment on.

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

This is probably the closest way to write, “be yourself” in Japanese.

This western idea is hard to clearly express in Japanese.

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

熊 is the way to write “bear” (as in the animal) in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

If you are a bear fanatic, this is the wall scroll for you.

熊 is not specific to species, such as panda bears, polar bears, brown bears, etc.

If you need a more specific title, just post a contact me.

See Also:  Panda

美麗的姑娘 is the best way to express “beautiful girl” in Chinese.

See Also:  Beautiful Woman | Beauty

美麗的公主 is how to write beautiful princess in Chinese.

The first two characters mean feminine beauty or rather a way to say beautiful that only applies to women. The middle character is just a connecting character. The last two characters mean princess.

See Also:  Queen

美しい魂 is a common way to write “Beautiful Soul” in Japanese.

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

美魂 is a very short or abbreviated way to say “Beautiful Soul” in Japanese.

There is a more extended version that might be a little more natural and also closer to the intended meaning. This short title is often translated awkwardly as “Beauty Soul” in Japanese.

美しい精神 is a common way to write “Beautiful Spirit” in Japanese.

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

美麗的女人 is the best and most polite way to express “beautiful woman” in Chinese.

Note: Some people may like the simple 2-character 美女 way to express this, but there are some bad connotations with that, so better to stay with this longer and more respectful title.

See Also:  Beautiful Girl | Beauty

沈魚落雁 is an old proverb that literally means “fish sink, goose alights.”

...But this takes some explaining. This is a proverb from Zhuangzi (莊子), who lived in the late 4th century BC.

This figuratively refers to female beauty that is so captivating that even the birds and beasts take notice.

Perhaps a better and more accurate way to describe this is to say that it speaks of the charms of a uniquely beautiful woman who is so beautiful that fish stay on the bottom of the water and flying wild geese fall from the sky in shame.

This proverb is so famous that it is also known and used in Japan (same characters, different pronunciation).

Note: This can also be written 沉魚落雁 instead of 沈魚落雁 (just the first character varies slightly).

Any woman with affection for Asian art will love a gift of this Chinese proverb calligraphy on a wall scroll.

She will melt in your arms as you tell her the meaning of these characters.

Contained in this phrase is a reference to the most beautiful woman in Chinese history. Her name was Xi Shi, and she was known to have good looks that need not have fine robes or makeup. Her charms were so powerful that she brought down an entire kingdom (in a successful effort to bring honor and pride back to her people).

情人眼里出西施 is a great way to express that the woman in your life is your one love.

初心 is often translated in Japanese as “beginner's mind” or “beginner's spirit.”

In Chinese, the dictionary definition is “one's original intention.”

The first character means first, initial, primary, junior, beginning, or basic.

The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence.

初心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The state of shoshin is that of a beginners mind. It is a state of awareness that always remains fully conscious, aware, and prepared to see things for the first time. The attitude of shoshin is essential to continued learning.

北京 is how to write Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, in Chinese and Japanese.

Occasionally, you will see a romanized version, Peking or Pekin. That's the same place, just an older way to romanize the characters.

相信 is the Chinese way to say believe.

This specifically means to be convinced that something is true or to accept something as true or real.

This can also be translated as “convinced of,” “have trust in,” or “have faith in.”

信 can mean to believe, truth, faith, fidelity, sincerity, trust, and confidence in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

This single character is often part of other words with similar meanings.

It is one of the five basic tenets of Confucius.

In Chinese, it sometimes has the secondary meaning of a letter (as in the mail) depending on context but it will not be read that way when seen on a wall scroll.

In the Buddhist context, this is śraddhā (faith through hearing or being taught).

See Also:  Faith | Trust | Confucius

貝爾 is a common way to transliterate the name Bell into Mandarin Chinese.

波恩 is a common way to transliterate the name Bern into Mandarin Chinese.

狂戰士 is the most popular way to write berserker in Chinese.

This title kind of means Norse warrior but often refers to the berserker in a fantasy role-playing game.
There is another way to write berserker in Chinese, which is 狂暴者.

狂暴者 is an alternate way to write berserker in Chinese.

This title often refers to the berserker in a fantasy role-playing game.

貝爾莎 is a common way to transliterate the name Bertha into Mandarin Chinese.

至友 is one way to say best friend in Chinese.

The first character can mean “most,” “extreme,” or “best.”
The second character means “friend” or “friends” (plural forms work differently in China).

Can also be translated as “close friend” or “most intimate friend.”

See Also:  Friendship | Soulmates

至交 is an alternate way to say best friend in Chinese.

The first character can mean “most,” “extreme” or “best.” The second character means “making friends” or “building friendship.” There's sort of a suggestion with the second character that fate caused you to intersect in life and become friends (that character can mean intersection in some context).

This can also mean “most intimate friend,” “very good friend of long-standing,” or “closest friend.”

See Also:  Friendship | Soulmates

親友 is the Japanese way to say “best friend.”

The first character can mean “relative” or sometimes “parents.” The second character means “friend.” Think about the close relationship that Japanese people have with their parents and relatives, and this starts to mean “close friends.”

Some Japanese-English dictionaries also translate this as “bosom friend,” “old friend,” “intimate friend,” “buddy,” “crony” or “chum.”

Note that in Chinese, this means “relatives and friends.” It's a good meaning in Chinese, but it's not quite the same as “best friends.”

玄龍 is a sophisticated or scholarly way to say “Black Dragon.”

玄龍 is the title you'd expect in ancient Chinese literature.

The first character means black or mysterious.

The second character means dragon.

This black dragon represents a king dwelling in the depths of the mystic waters.

墨龍 is a cool way to say “Black Dragon.”

墨龍 is literally “Ink Dragon.” The ink part is black Chinese ink, the deepest, darkest ink available for thousands of years.

烏 can mean raven or crow but is also used as an alternate way to write the color black.

Therefore, this is a symbol of the black raven (with emphasis on black). This can also mean rook or dark.

Notes: This can be the Japanese surname Karasu, or Chinese surname Wu.

祝福 is a nice way to give good wishes to someone.

It can be a general blessing or used to congratulate someone for a special occasion or graduation.

This has a good meaning in Japanese but is more appropriate when expressed orally. 祝福 is not a natural selection for a wall scroll if your audience is Japanese.

Perhaps a pacifist view or perhaps the best kind of victory; 兵不血刃 reflect this idea:
The edges of the swords not being stained with blood.

You could also translate it as: Win victory without firing a shot.

The first character means army or force. The second character means without or none. The last two characters mean bloodstained knives. So it represents a returning victorious army without bloodstained knives. 兵不血刃 is the very literal sense of this Chinese proverb. The title definition is more accurate to the way this proverb is understood.

Asking yourself why the direct or literal translation is different?
...Think of compound words in English such as “nevertheless” if we break it apart to “never the less,” we will have trouble getting the real definition of “in spite of that.” Similar things happen when multiple characters create a compounded word in Chinese.

蒼穹 is a poetic way to express “sky” in Chinese and Japanese Kanji.

It's like saying, “The blue dome of heaven,” or a way to say “blue sky” within a poem.

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.

菩提達磨 is the title Bodhidharma in Chinese and Japanese.

Bodhidharma, commonly known as Damo, is reputed as the founder of the Chan (Zen) or Intuitional or Mystic School.

He likely came from south India and spread Mahayana Buddhism throughout China (even meeting the Emperor) and his disciples likely spread this all the way to Korea, Japan, and beyond in the 5th and 6th centuries.

Sometimes the last character varies in Chinese to 摩 instead of 磨 - let me know if you need a certain variation when you order.

一路平安 is a wish for someone to have a pleasant journey.

It's probably the closest way to translate “bon voyage” into Chinese.

The first two characters mean one road or one path. The second two characters mean “safe and sound” or “without mishap.”

一路平安 means the same thing in Japanese but is not the most common selection for a wall scroll.

書 is the most simple way to say “book” in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

書 is usually read as “book” but can refer to a letter, or document.

In a certain context, it can refer to writing, penmanship, or handwriting. Especially in Chinese, it can be a short way to say calligraphy.

If you love books or want to write books, this is the simple, all-encompassing character for you.

愛は全てを完全に結ぶ帯である is a Japanese phrase that suggests we (or a couple) are bound together by love.

I searched the web and found all of these English translation variations for this phrase:

Have love; The only way in which you may be completely joined together.

Love is the sash that perfectly binds us together.

Love is what binds us together

Love binds all things together in perfect unity.

This same Japanese phrase is used as part of Colossians 3:14 in at least one version of the Japanese Bible.

A few Biblical versions include:

...Charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (KJV)

...Love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (NIV)

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

貝迪 is a common way to transliterate the name Brady into Mandarin Chinese.

勇敢的心 is the title “Braveheart,” as in the movie starring Mel Gibson.

The character meanings break down this way:
勇敢 brave.
的 possessive particle.
心 heart/mind.

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.

英國人 is the traditional Chinese and Japanese way to write British person, Briton, English person, Englishman, Englishwoman, etc.

In modern Japan, the middle character has been simplified, making it 英国人. This same simplification is used in mainland China as well.

This is the a common way to transliterate the surname Brooks into Mandarin Chinese.

兄姉 means “brother and sister,” in Japanese.

There's no perfect way to say it in calligraphy, but this is probably the best way.

褐 is the most simple way to express brown in Chinese.

It also means brown in Japanese but this character is not often written alone in Japanese (they would tend to write 褐色 (brown color) to refer to brown or the color of tanned skin.

In some contexts, this can refer to gray or a dark color, or coarse hemp cloth.

In the Buddhist context, it can refer to a coarse serge (cheaply sewn clothing) hence poverty.

Note: In Taiwanese Mandarin, this is spoken with the 2nd or rising tone instead of the 4th or falling tone used in the mainland.

勤求 is a complex word that means inquiring in the Buddha way.

To put it another way, it is seeking something in the right way, at the right time, and diligently seeking only truth or the good.

仏 is the single Japanese Kanji that can mean Buddha or Buddhism.

This Kanji was a shorthand way to write 佛 (Buddha) in Chinese (popular around the 13th century). Somehow, this became the version of this Chinese character that was absorbed into Japanese and thus became part of standard Kanji. Centuries later, this character is not recognized in China (except for those from China with a background in Chinese literature or language).

仏 is also a rare or derivative Korean Hanja form - but I doubt you will find any Korean that knows that.

仏教 can mean Buddha or Buddhism in Japanese.

Depending on the context, this word can be used to refer to the religion and lifestyle of Buddhism or in some cases, the Buddha himself.

Note: Until the 5th century, Japan did not have a written language. At that time, Japan absorbed Chinese characters to form their written language (these characters are known as “Kanji” in Japanese). The first character of this Buddhism title was a shorthand way to write 佛 (Buddha) in Chinese (popular around the 13th century). Somehow, this became the version of this character that was absorbed into Japanese and thus became part of standard Kanji. Centuries later, this character is not recognized in China at all.

仏 is also a rare form of Buddha Korean Hanja - though seldom used even when the Korean Hanja writing system was more common 100 years ago.