It Happens in Chinese / Japanese...

世事難料 is a polite Chinese version of “shit happens.” This phrase suggests that things happen (for no reason, and for which we have no control).

The first two characters mean the affairs of life, things of the world, worldly affairs, or ways of the world.

The third character means disaster, distress, problem, difficulty, difficult, hardships, troubles, or defect.

The last character in this context means: to expect, to anticipate, or to guess.

If you put this back together, you have something like, “In life, troubles [should be] expected.”

物事は全て理由があって起きる means everything happens for a reason.

However, this is a work in progress. We're still trying to decide the best way to express this in Japanese. If you order this, we might have a discussion about the best version that fits you. Here's how the characters break down by meaning (keep in mind, Japanese grammar and sentence construction is very different from English, so it doesn't make complete sense in English)...

物事 = things, everything
は particle
全て all, the whole, entirely
理由 reason
が particle
あっ be, exist, have, take place, happens
て particle
起きる to occur, to happen; to take place (usually unfavorable incidents)

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

萬事皆因果 means “Everything happens for a reason” in Chinese.

The first two characters mean “all things” or “everything.”

The middle character kind of means “in all cases.”

The last two characters create a complex word that can be defined in many ways, such as “karma,” “cause and effect,” “fate,” and “every cause has its effect, as every effect arises from a cause.”

Keep in mind that Chinese grammar is a bit different than English, so trust me that this makes a natural-sounding proverb in Chinese.

This is the place name Denver (as in Denver, Colorado), in Chinese.

Also good if your name happens to be Denver.

This is the place name Denver (as in Denver, Colorado), in Japanese.

Also good if your name happens to be Denver.

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

水兔年 means water rabbit year.

This happens to be the combination in the 60-year cycle for the year 2023, starting on Feb 4th, 2023.

德 is the simple way to express the ideas of having virtue, morals, kindness, benevolence, goodness, etc.

德 also happens to be the first character of the Chinese word for Germany.

There is a slight deviation in the Japanese Kanji form. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the special Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note that the traditional Chinese form is still readable and understood by Japanese people.

See Also:  Ethics | Chastity | Prudence | Benevolence | Morality

卡桑德 is another transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Cassandre.

This happens to be the French version. This is the Cassandre with pronunciation that ends abruptly without a “rah” sound at the end.

灰 is the color Gray Mandarin Chinese.

You can use this to represent your name if your given or surname happens to be Gray. This also means ash or lime (the mineral) depending on context.

雙子座 is the Japanese way to write Gemini (twins) from western astrology.

This also happens to be the Simplified Chinese version of this title - however, I recommend the Traditional Chinese version if your audience is Chinese.

See Also:  Chinese Zodiac

骨 is Chinese, Japanese, and Korean for bone or bones.

If your name happens to be Bone or Bones, this is a cool character for a wall scroll to hang in your home or office.

This is a Japanese given name that romanizes as Kenzou or Kenzō.

There are other names that can also romanize this way, so make sure this is the right one.

This happens to be the Kenzo used by 高田賢三 (Takada Kenzō), famous Japanese fashion designer.

常在河邊走哪能不濕鞋 is an old Chinese proverb that is sometimes compared to the English saying “Shit Happens.”

It's a reflection that there are risks in life, and you should not be surprised when things don't go your way.

A secondary translation might be, “When walking by a river, often one cannot avoid wet shoes.”

This is another transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Leanna.

The first character is the only difference. Both ways, the first character is pronounced like “lee” but this one happens to be the same “lee” as in “Bruce Lee” - it also means plum.

蓮 is another name for “lotus.”

This happens to be a single character that expresses “lotus” in Chinese, and the common name of “lotus” in Japanese and Korean (note that there are two ways to pronounce this character in Korean).

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.

If you want to wish someone a happy new year, 新年快樂 is the way.

You can hang this up during Western New Years (Dec 31st - Jan 1st) and keep it up until after Chinese New Year which happens in either January or February of each year (it changes from year to year because China uses a lunar calendar).

生活在繼續 means “No matter what happens, life goes on” or “For better or worse, life goes on.”

生活在繼續 is kind of modern Chinese proverb, but the meaning is generational.

生活 = to live; life; livelihood.
在 = (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress).
繼續 = to continue; to proceed with; to go on with.

菖蒲 is the title for the iris flower in Japanese.

If your name happens to be Iris, this is a nice way to express your name by meaning in Japanese (it will mean your name but not sound like your name).

Can also mean Siberian iris (Iris sanguinea) or sweet flag (Acorus calamus / Acorus gramineus) varieties.

Note: This will also be recognized in Chinese, though it is generally written with the addition of a character meaning "stone" in front of this title in Chinese.

天使 is the meaning of Angel in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The first character means heaven. The second means messenger. Together it makes sense that we are talking about angels as Heaven's Messengers.

If you are an “Angel Junkie,” this may be the wall scroll for you.
I also think it's a great choice if your name happens to be Angel.

See Also:  Angel

This Kanji represents a bond, as in the bond between mother and daughter, father and son, family ties, or a family bond.

絆 is the kind of character that says, no matter what happens (difficult times), we have this bond that cannot be broken.

If you go to the Japanese dictionary, the definition is the bonds (between people), (emotional) ties, relationship, connection, link, tether, or fetters.

Read this before ordering...
This Kanji is best if your audience is Japanese. While this is also a Chinese character, it has a completely different meaning in Chinese (it means to hinder or stumble in Chinese). it’s a very rare character in Korean Hanja but does mean bond in Korean (used in Korean words for certain kinds of glue and sticking plaster).

In Japanese, 礼儀 means “manners,” “courtesy,” or “etiquette.”

This also clearly means etiquette in Chinese, though the first Japanese Kanji has been “modernized” and happens to be the same as the modern Simplified Chinese version. Therefore, this word will be understood by both Japanese and Chinese people but best if your audience is mostly Japanese (Chinese people would generally prefer the ancient Traditional Chinese version).

See Also:  Kindness | Respect

鳶尾花 is the title for the iris flower in Chinese and Japanese.

If your name happens to be Iris, this is a beautiful way to express your name by meaning in both of these languages (it will mean your name but not sound like your name).

Can also mean wall iris, roof iris, or Iris tectorum.
Note: There are other titles for specific iris varieties - contact us if you need something special.

Whether you want to make a joke about what marriage really is or just feel that the world is full of love and hate, this selection is for you.

愛與恨 happens to literally translate. So the first character is love. The middle character is a connecting particle-like “and” in English. The last character is hate.

Upon request, we can omit the “and” character and just put a dot to separate love and hate if you prefer.

鼇 means “legendary turtle” in Chinese. 鼇 is a great mythological turtle that travels the seas. The creature is comparable to the dragon of China, however, it so happens that dragons became a bit more famous as history progressed. In modern Chinese, this character can just refer to a large sea turtle.

Note: 鼇 can be pronounced in Korean but this is a very rare Korean Hanja form - it hasn't been used in Korea for at least a few hundred years (even before they switched to Hangul characters).

紅包 literally means “red treasure.”

Depending on the context, it can also mean “money wrapped in red as a gift,” “a bonus payment,” “a kickback,” or “a bribe.”

However, most of the time, this is an innocent gift of money in a red envelope that is given from an elder relative to a youngster. This usually happens during the Chinese New Year. It can also happen in preparation for or during a wedding in China.

紅包 is pronounced “Hong Bao” (with an “oh” vowel sound on hong) in Mandarin Chinese. Filipino Chinese call it “Ang Pao.” There are a few other variations.

米蘭 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin name Milan.

This also happens to be the Chinese name for the city Milan or Milano in Italy.

米蘭 are only used for their phonetic properties but this would mean “rice orchid.” But any Chinese person will know that you are talking about either the Italian city or a person named Milan (and will not take the literal meaning).

Though technically, you are supposed to use Katakana instead of Kanji, this also sounds like Milan in Japanese. The pronunciation was borrowed from Chinese when Japan borrowed Chinese characters in the 5th century.

不見棺材不落淚 is a cautionary tale that suggests you are unknowingly (though it should be obvious）on a bad course.

It further suggests that you will not realize your folly until the worst has happened.

This can also be a warning of inaction until it's too late to take action. Again, not realizing your error until it's too late.

In an alternate interpretation, some will suggest this means doing something bad and not looking back - Then the worst happens.

It should be noted that this is one of the oddest selections for a wall scroll in our whole Asian calligraphy database. All of our translators are convinced that no Chinese person would ever hang this on their wall.

礼 is one of the five tenets of Confucius.

Beyond respect, 礼 can also be translated as propriety, good manners, politeness, rite, worship, or an expression of gratitude.

We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. We treat others with dignity and honor the rules of our family, school, and nation. Respect yourself, and others will respect you.

Please note that Japanese use this simplified 礼 version of the original 禮 character for respect. 礼 also happens to be the same simplification used in mainland China. While 禮 is the traditional and original version, 礼 has been used as a shorthand version for many centuries. Click on the big 禮 character to the right if you want the Traditional Chinese and older Japanese versions.

This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also:  Confucius

月 is how to write the title for “moon” in Chinese, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

月 is also used to refer to the month. This is because China traditionally uses a lunar calendar, so saying “next moon” is the same as saying “next month” etc.
In modern Chinese and Japanese and old Korean, the character for a number is put in front of this moon character to represent western months. So “one moon” is January “two moons” is February etc.

If you are wondering, in the east Asian way to write dates, the character for “sun” or “day” is used with a number in front of it to express the day of the month. So “ten moons, one sun” becomes “October 1st” or “10/1” (this date happens to be Chinese National Day - The equivalent of Independence Day in the USA, Canada Day, or the Queen's Birthday).

In Japanese, 月 can be a surname that romanizes as Tsuki, Tsukizaki, or Takagetsu.

緣 represents the fate that brings and bonds people together.

緣 is a complicated single character. It can mean a lot of different things depending on how you read it.

In Japanese, it can mean fate, destiny, a mysterious force that binds two people together, a relationship between two people, bond, link, connection, family ties, affinity, opportunity, or chance (to meet someone and start a relationship). It can also mean “someone to rely on,” relative, reminder, memento, or the female given name, Yori.

It's the same in Chinese, where it's defined as cause, reason, karma, fate, or predestined affinity.

In the Buddhist context, it's Pratyaya. This is the concept of indirect conditions, as opposed to direct causes. It's when something happens (meeting someone) by circumstance or a contributing environment. Instead of a direct cause or act, it is a conditioning cause without direct input or action by the involved people.

Occasionally, this character is used in a facetious way to say hem, seam, or edge of clothing. In this case, it's the seam that brings or holds the clothing together.

Note: Japanese will tend to use the variant of this Kanji shown to the right. If you want this version (and are ordering this from the Japanese master calligrapher), click on the Kanji at the right instead of the button above.