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The name Life Death in Chinese / Japanese...

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


  1. Five Codes of Tang Soo Do

  2. Choose Life

  3. Death with Dignity

  4. Die Without Regret

  5. Empress

  6. Enjoy Life

  7. Impermanence

  8. Jesus is My Life

  9. Life is Short

10. Madly in Love

11. Musashi

12. Sword of Death

13. Reincarnation / Life in Flux

14. Birth Old-Age Sickness Death

15. Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence


Five Codes of Tang Soo Do

 guó jiā zhōng chéng fù mǔ xiào dào péng yǒu yǒu xìn shā shēng yǒu zé lín zhàn wú tuì
Five Codes of Tang Soo Do Scroll

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.”

 xuǎn zé shēng huó
Choose Life Scroll

選擇生活 can mean to choose life instead of death (or suicide) or to choose to live life to the fullest.

I think of it as the key phrase used by Renton (Ewan McGregor) in the movie Trainspotting. While Chinese people will not think of Trainspotting when they see this phrase, for me, it will always be what comes near the end of this colorful rant:

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin can openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on-hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life.

Death with Dignity

 son gen shi
Death with Dignity Scroll

尊厳死 is not a good choice for a wall scroll unless you have a very specific and personal reason.

This was added at the request of a customer.

尊厳死 means “death with dignity” or “natural death” (as opposed to extending one's life unnaturally with life support).

Die Without Regret

 sǐ ér wú huǐ
Die Without Regret Scroll

死而無悔 is how to say “die with no regrets” in Mandarin Chinese.

This proverb comes from the Analects of Confucius.


See Also:  No Regrets

 huáng hòu
 kou gou
Empress Scroll

皇后 is the title of empress/emperess, the female form of the emperor.

皇后 is used in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

While the emperor's reign was for life, if he died, his wife would hold his power. In this case, a woman was the ultimate ruler of the greater part of East Asia (now China) until her death and the succession of the emperor's firstborn son to lead the empire. Numerous times in various Chinese dynasties, an empress took power in this way.

The first character means emperor by itself.

The second character alone can mean “wife of an emperor or king” (the first character clarifies that we are talking about an empress and not a queen). It can also mean sovereign or last offspring, depending on context.

Note: In some books, this word is translated as queen. While only incorrect if you get technical (because an empress is theoretically a higher level than a queen), the meaning is very similar.

皇后 is sometimes used for the title of queen, but more technically, this is the wife of the emperor (a higher level than a queen).


See Also:  Emperor | King | Queen | Phoenix

 jin sei o tano shi mi ni shi te i ru
Enjoy Life Scroll

人生を楽しみにしている is one way to write “enjoy life” in Japanese.

The character breakdown:
人生 (jinsei) life (i.e. conception to death) human lifetime, living.
を (o) connecting particle.
楽しみ (tanoshimi) enjoyment; pleasure; anticipation; looking forward to.
に (ni) connecting particle.
し (shi) to do; to cause; to become; to make (into).
て (te) connecting particle.
いる (iru) indicates continuing action or resulting state.


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

Impermanence

 wú cháng
 mujou
Impermanence Scroll

無常 is the state of being “not permanent,” “not enduring,” transitory, or evolving.

It can also mean variable or changeable. In some contexts, it can refer to a ghost that is supposed to take a soul upon death. Following that, this term can also mean to pass away or die.

In the Buddhist context, this is a reminder that everything in this world is ever-changing, and all circumstances of your life are temporary.
If you take the Buddhist philosophy further, none of these circumstances are real, and your existence is an illusion. Thus, the idea of the eternal soul is perhaps just your attachment to your ego. Once you release your attachment to all impermanent things, you will be on your way to enlightenment and Buddhahood.

Language notes for this word when used outside the context of Buddhism:
In Korean Hanja, this means uncertainty, transiency, mutability, or evanescent.
In Japanese, the definition orbits closer to the state of being uncertain.

Jesus is My Life

 yē sū shì wǒ de shēng mìng
Jesus is My Life Scroll

耶穌是我的生命 means Jesus is my life in Chinese.

The first two characters are a transliteration of the name Jesus into Mandarin Chinese.
The third character means, is.

The fourth and fifth mean my or mine.

The last two characters mean life, as in lifespan, or from birth to death.

This is not a common phrase for Chinese Christians, but this is the best way to translate this idea from English to Mandarin Chinese.

Life is Short

 jinsei ha mijikai
Life is Short Scroll

人生は短い is “life is short” in Japanese.

The character breakdown:
人生 (jinsei) life (i.e., conception to death); human life, living, lifetime.
は (ha/wa) particle (means “is” in this case).
短い (mijikai) short.


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

Madly in Love

 ài de sǐ qù huó lái
Madly in Love Scroll

爱得死去活来 is a Chinese phrase that means “to be madly in love.”

It almost literally means “Love as if your life depended on it,” or “Love you to death, just to live.”

Musashi

The most famous Samurai

 mu sashi
Musashi Scroll

Miyamoto Musashi is probably the most famous Samurai in all of Japanese history.

武蔵 is the short title for a man long in legend. While coming from a lower class, his new sword and fighting techniques put him on par with the best that feudal Japan had to offer. His long career started with his first duel at age 13!

He is credited with using two swords at once and never losing a single battle in his career. After becoming a Buddhist, and getting older, like many old warriors, he took up a peaceful and solitary life until his death around 1645 A.D.

Note: Technically, Musashi is his given name, and Miyamoto is his surname. However, it's suggested that he assumed both of these names and had a few other names in childhood, as well as being given a Buddhist name. It's hard to know what to call him, as with most Kanji, there are multiple pronunciations. The characters for Musashi can also be pronounced Takezō. But everyone in modern times seems to know him by the name Musashi.

Sword of Death

 satsu jin ken
Sword of Death Scroll

殺人剣 is a Japanese title for “Death Sword,” “Life Taking Sword,” or “satsujinken.”

This is the opposite of katsujinken or the “life-saving sword.” This title is not as commonly used in Japanese but pairs well when hung with katsujinken.

The first two Kanji are a word that translates as homicide, murder or kill (a person). 殺人剣 is specifically to kill a person (as the second character means person or human) as opposed to an animal, etc.

The last Kanji is the Japanese variant of the originally-Chinese character for a sword.


See Also:  Katsujinken

Reincarnation / Life in Flux

 rinne tenshou
Reincarnation / Life in Flux Scroll

輪廻転生 is a Japanese Zen quote or proverb that expresses the idea of all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth or the circle of transmigration.

Birth Old-Age Sickness Death

Born to Suffer

 shēng lǎo bìng sǐ
 shou rou byou shi
Birth Old-Age Sickness Death Scroll

生老病死 means “to be born, to grow old, to get sick and to die” or “birth, aging, sickness, and death.”

This is an old somewhat-morbid Chinese proverb that is also used in Korean and Japanese. It figuratively means the fate of humankind (i.e. mortality) or suggests that we are all born to suffer.

In the Buddhist context, there are the “four inevitables in human life” or “four afflictions that are the lot of every human” known as “四苦” (literally “four afflictions”). Sometimes this proverb is written with that affliction character, 苦, at the end like 生老病死苦.

Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence

 mu jou no kaze
Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence Scroll

無常の風 is an old Japanese proverb that means the wind of impermanence or the wind of change in Japanese.

This can refer to the force that ends life, like the wind scattering a flower's petals. Life is yet another impermanent existence that is fragile, blown out like a candle.

The first two characters mean uncertainty, transiency, impermanence, mutability, variable, and/or changeable.

In some Buddhist contexts, 無常 can be analogous to a spirit departing at death (with a suggestion of the impermanence of life).

The last two characters mean “of wind” or a possessive like “wind of...” but Japanese grammar will have the wind come last in the phrase.




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

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Five Codes of Tang Soo Do國家忠誠父母孝道朋友有信殺生有擇臨戰無退
国家忠诚父母孝道朋友有信杀生有择临战无退
guó jiā zhōng chéng fù mǔ xiào dào péng yǒu yǒu xìn shā shēng yǒu zé lín zhàn wú tuì
guo2 jia1 zhong1 cheng2 fu4 mu3 xiao4 dao4 peng2 you3 you3 xin4 sha1 sheng1 you3 ze2 lin2 zhan4 wu2 tui4
guo jia zhong cheng fu mu xiao dao peng you you xin sha sheng you ze lin zhan wu tui
kuo chia chung ch`eng fu mu hsiao tao p`eng yu yu hsin sha sheng yu tse lin chan wu t`ui
kuo chia chung cheng fu mu hsiao tao peng yu yu hsin sha sheng yu tse lin chan wu tui
Choose Life選擇生活
选择生活
xuǎn zé shēng huó
xuan3 ze2 sheng1 huo2
xuan ze sheng huo
xuanzeshenghuo
hsüan tse sheng huo
hsüantseshenghuo
Death with Dignity尊厳死son gen shi
songenshi
Die Without Regret死而無悔
死而无悔
sǐ ér wú huǐ
si3 er2 wu2 hui3
si er wu hui
sierwuhui
ssu erh wu hui
ssuerhwuhui
Empress皇后kou gou / kougou / ko gohuáng hòu
huang2 hou4
huang hou
huanghou
Enjoy Life人生を楽しみにしているjin sei o tano shi mi ni shi te i ru
Impermanence無常
无常
mujou / mujowú cháng / wu2 chang2 / wu chang / wuchangwu ch`ang / wuchang / wu chang
Jesus is My Life耶穌是我的生命
耶稣是我的生命
yē sū shì wǒ de shēng mìng
ye1 su1 shi4 wo3 de sheng1 ming4
ye su shi wo de sheng ming
yesushiwodeshengming
yeh su shih wo te sheng ming
yehsushihwoteshengming
Life is Short人生は短いjinsei ha mijikai
jinseihamijikai
Madly in Love愛得死去活來
爱得死去活来
ài de sǐ qù huó lái
ai4 de5 si3 qu4 huo2 lai2
ai de si qu huo lai
aidesiquhuolai
ai te ssu ch`ü huo lai
aitessuchühuolai
ai te ssu chü huo lai
Musashi武蔵mu sashi / musashi
Sword of Death殺人剣
杀人剣
satsu jin ken
satsujinken
Reincarnation
Life in Flux
輪廻転生rinne tenshou
rinnetenshou
rinne tensho
Birth Old-Age Sickness Death生老病死shou rou byou shi
shouroubyoushi
sho ro byo shi
shēng lǎo bìng sǐ
sheng1 lao3 bing4 si3
sheng lao bing si
shenglaobingsi
sheng lao ping ssu
shenglaopingssu
Mujo no Kaze
Wind of Impermanence
無常の風mu jou no kaze
mujounokaze
mu jo no kaze
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 Life Death in my Japanese & Chinese Dictionary


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Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

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A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
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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 Life Death Kanji, Life Death Characters, Life Death in Mandarin Chinese, Life Death Characters, Life Death in Chinese Writing, Life Death in Japanese Writing, Life Death in Asian Writing, Life Death Ideograms, Chinese Life Death symbols, Life Death Hieroglyphics, Life Death Glyphs, Life Death in Chinese Letters, Life Death Hanzi, Life Death in Japanese Kanji, Life Death Pictograms, Life Death in the Chinese Written-Language, or Life Death in the Japanese Written-Language.

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