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不怕千招会只怕一招熟 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: Do not worry about making a thousand clever moves; what [one has to] fear is one bad move.
Figuratively, this means: Even if you have made many clever moves before, one wrong move will ruin the whole game.
I compare this to the English saying, “It takes only one Aw-shit to wipe out a thousand Attaboys.”
拳法 is a form of martial arts that can be translated in several ways.
Some will call it “fist principles,” “the way of the fist,” or even “law of the fist.” The first character literally means fist. The second can mean law, method, way, principle, or Buddhist teaching.
Kempo is really a potluck of martial arts. Often a combination of Chinese martial arts such as Shaolin Kung Fu with Japanese martial arts such as Karate, Jujutsu (Jujitsu), Aikido, and others. You may see the term “Kempo Karate,” which basically means Karate with other disciplines added. In this way, Kempo becomes an adjective rather than a title or school of martial arts.
These facts will long be argued by various masters and students of Kempo. Even the argument as to whether it should be spelled “kenpo” or “Kempo” ensues at dojos around the world (the correct Romaji should actually be “kenpou” if you precisely follow the rules).
The benefit of Kempo is that the techniques are easier to learn and master than pure Kung Fu (wu shu). Students are often taught basic Karate moves, kicks, and punches before augmenting the basic skills with complex Kung Fu techniques. This allows students of Kempo to achieve a level where they can defend themselves or fight in a relatively short amount of time (a few years rather than a decade or more).
Because the definition of this word is so fluid, I should make some notes here:
1. Purists in Okinawa will claim that “Okinawa Kenpo” or “Ryukyu Hon Kenpo” is the original and true version of this martial art from the old kingdom. It is actually little or no connection between Okinawa Kenpo and the way the word is used elsewhere.
2. In Chinese, where these characters are pronounced “quan fa” (sometimes Romanized as “chuan fa” because the Chinese-pinyin “q” actually sounds like an English “ch” sound), these characters do not hold the connotation of being a mixed martial art. It is simply defined as “the law of the fist.”
3. My Japanese dictionary oddly defines Kenpo as the “Chinese art of self-defense.” I personally don't feel this is the most common way that people perceive the word but just something you should know.
A determined effort can move a mountain
愚公移山 is the Chinese proverb (also somewhat known in Japan and Korea) for “the silly old man moves a mountain.”
Figuratively, this means “where there's a will, there's a way.”
Based on a fable of Lord Yu (愚公). He moved the soil of the mountain in front of his house. After years of effort, he finally moved the entire mountain (some versions of the story have God seeing how determined the man was, and sending two angels to whisk the mountains away).
The moral of the story: Anything can be accomplished if one works at it ceaselessly.
The Japanese version of this is 愚公山を移す (gu kou yama wo utsu su). But better to get the Chinese version, since this is originally a Chinese proverb.
See Also: Nothing is Impossible
太極拳 is the famous Taoist meditation and martial art exercise. The direct translation of these characters would be something like “grand ultimate fist,” but that does not quite hit the mark for what this title really means.
An early-morning walk through any city in China near a park or an open area will yield a view of Chinese people practicing this ancient technique.
A typical scene is an old man of no less than 80 years on this earth, with a wispy white beard and perhaps a sword in one hand. He makes slow moves that are impossibly smooth. He is steady-footed and always in balance. For him, time is meaningless and proper form, and technique is far more important than speed.
For the younger generation, faster moves may look impressive and seem smooth to the casual observer. But more discipline and mental strength are needed to create perfectly smooth moves in virtual slow motion.
Note: There are two ways to Romanize these Chinese characters, as seen in the title above. The pronunciation and actual characters are the same in Chinese. If you really used English sounds/words to pronounce this, it would be something like “tie jee chew-on” (make the “chew-on” one flowing syllable).
虚実 is a Japanese word that means “falsehood [and] truth” or “fiction [and] fact.”
This concept is used in warfare, gameplay, and martial arts strategies. 虚実 can be a strategy of real and/or deceptive moves. This gets to some Sun Tzu Art of War stuff where in warfare a strategic move is either a real and serious move or it is a deceptive blow.
Let's explore each character in more depth:
虚 was originally written 虛 (there is a very subtle difference in the strokes at the bottom of the character) and means unpreparedness, falsehood, emptiness, void, abstract theory, empty or unoccupied, diffident or timid, false, humble or modest, virtual, or in vain.
In the Buddhist context, 虛 represents the Pali/Sanskrit word “śūnya,” meaning empty, vacant, unreal, unsubstantial, untrue, space, humble, or in vain.
In ancient Eastern/Chinese astronomy, 虛 represents the “Emptiness” constellation (one of the 28 mansions in the sky).
実 was originally 實 in Chinese (they currently write it as 实 in Simplified Chinese) with the meaning, truth, reality, sincerity, honesty, fidelity, and substance.
The Buddhist context is similar, adding real, true, honest, really, solid, definitely, sincere, solid, fixed, full, to fill, fruit, kernel, verily, in fact, the supreme fact, or ultimate reality to the definition.
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your moves search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
愚公移山 see styles |
yú gōng yí shān yu2 gong1 yi2 shan1 yü kung i shan |
More info & calligraphy: Where There is a Will, There is a Way |
着 see styles |
zhe zhe5 che chaku ちゃく |
(suffix noun) (1) (See 発・1) arrival; arriving at ...; (counter) (2) counter for items or suits of clothing; (counter) (3) nth place (in a race); (counter) (4) {go} counter for moves; (surname) Tsukizaki to wear |
南行 see styles |
nán xíng nan2 xing2 nan hsing nankou / nanko なんこう |
(n,vs,adj-no) going south; heading southward; (place-name) Nangyou dakṣiṇāyana. The course or declination of the sun to the south it moves from north to south; a period of six months. |
定石 see styles |
jouseki / joseki じょうせき |
(1) standard practice; playing by the book; established tactic; formula; (2) {go} joseki (jōseki); standard sequence of moves (esp. in a corner); (surname) Sadaishi |
寄せ see styles |
yose よせ |
(1) last moves (in go, shogi, or chess); endgame; (suffix noun) (2) gathering; collecting; coming together |
尬舞 see styles |
gà wǔ ga4 wu3 ka wu |
(slang) to battle each other in street dancing (derived from Taiwanese 較, which sounds similar to Mandarin 尬[ga4]); (slang) to perform weird dance moves |
布石 see styles |
fuseki ふせき |
(1) {go} strategic arrangement of go stones at the beginning of a game; opening moves; (noun, transitive verb) (2) preparations; preparatory steps; arrangements; (laying the) groundwork (for) |
復盤 复盘 see styles |
fù pán fu4 pan2 fu p`an fu pan |
(after completing a game of chess) to replay the game, analyzing the players' moves; (stock market) to resume trading |
手数 see styles |
tesuu(p); tekazu / tesu(p); tekazu てすう(P); てかず |
(1) trouble; bother; (2) (てかず only) number of moves (in go, shogi, etc.); (3) (てかず only) {boxing} number of punches |
撲跌 扑跌 see styles |
pū diē pu1 die1 p`u tieh pu tieh |
to fall flat on one's face; (martial arts) pouncing and falling (i.e. all kinds of moves) |
比劃 比划 see styles |
bǐ hua bi3 hua5 pi hua |
to gesture; to gesticulate; to practice the moves of a martial art by imitating the teacher; to fight; to come to blows |
移山經 移山经 see styles |
yí shān jīng yi2 shan1 jing1 i shan ching Isen kyō |
Sūtra on [the Hero Who] Moves Mountains |
転勤族 see styles |
tenkinzoku てんきんぞく |
person who moves a lot for their job; family who moves a lot for the primary breadwinner's job |
傍目八目 see styles |
okamehachimoku おかめはちもく |
(1) (yoji) bystander's vantage point; outsider's better grasp of the situation; (expression) (2) onlookers see more of the game than the players do; people watching a game of go see 8 moves further ahead |
出戻り娘 see styles |
demodorimusume でもどりむすめ |
(sensitive word) daughter who moves back to her parents after divorcing |
劍走偏鋒 剑走偏锋 see styles |
jiàn zǒu piān fēng jian4 zou3 pian1 feng1 chien tsou p`ien feng chien tsou pien feng |
the sword moves with side stroke (modern idiom); fig. unexpected winning move; unconventional gambit |
劍走蜻蛉 剑走蜻蛉 see styles |
jiàn zǒu qīng líng jian4 zou3 qing1 ling2 chien tsou ch`ing ling chien tsou ching ling |
the sword moves like a dragon-fly (modern idiom); fig. unexpected winning move; unconventional gambit |
如臂使指 see styles |
rú bì shǐ zhǐ ru2 bi4 shi3 zhi3 ju pi shih chih |
as the arm moves the finger (idiom); freely and effortlessly; to have perfect command of |
孟母三遷 see styles |
moubosansen / mobosansen もうぼさんせん |
(expression) (yoji) (See 孟母三遷の教え・もうぼさんせんのおしえ) the importance of creating an environment conducive to a child's learning; Mencius' mother, three moves |
岡目八目 see styles |
okamehachimoku おかめはちもく |
(1) (yoji) bystander's vantage point; outsider's better grasp of the situation; (expression) (2) onlookers see more of the game than the players do; people watching a game of go see 8 moves further ahead |
珠流璧轉 珠流璧转 see styles |
zhū liú bì zhuǎn zhu1 liu2 bi4 zhuan3 chu liu pi chuan |
lit. pearl flows, jade moves on (idiom); fig. the passage of time; water under the bridge |
策を練る see styles |
sakuoneru さくをねる |
(exp,v5r) to plan one's next moves; to work out a plan |
力士移山經 力士移山经 see styles |
lì shì yí shān jīng li4 shi4 yi2 shan1 jing1 li shih i shan ching Rikishi isen kyō |
Sūtra on the Hero Who Moves Mountains |
ドッグイヤー see styles |
dogguiyaa / dogguiya ドッグイヤー |
(1) rapid pace at which the information technology field moves (eng: dog year); (2) dog's ear |
Variations: |
ochiuo おちうお |
(1) fish going downstream (to spawn); (2) dead fish; (3) fish that moves into deeper waters (to avoid the cold) |
ドッグ・イヤー see styles |
doggu iyaa / doggu iya ドッグ・イヤー |
(1) rapid pace at which the information technology field moves (eng: dog year); (2) dog's ear |
マイルドヤンキー see styles |
mairudoyankii / mairudoyanki マイルドヤンキー |
young person who stays in their (non-metropolitan) hometown after graduation, drives a car, etc. (unlike the majority who moves to a larger city and commutes by train) |
マイルド・ヤンキー see styles |
mairudo yankii / mairudo yanki マイルド・ヤンキー |
young person who stays in their (non-metropolitan) hometown after graduation, drives a car, etc. (unlike the majority who moves to a larger city and commutes by train) |
Variations: |
okamehachimoku おかめはちもく |
(1) (yoji) bystander's vantage point; outsider's better grasp of the situation; (2) (yoji) onlookers see more of the game than the players do; people watching a game of go see eight moves further ahead |
Variations: |
dogguiyaa; doggu iyaa / dogguiya; doggu iya ドッグイヤー; ドッグ・イヤー |
(1) rapid pace at which the information technology field moves (eng: dog year); (2) (See ドッグイヤ・2) dog's ear |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
1000 good moves ruined by 1 bad | 不怕千招會隻怕一招熟 不怕千招会只怕一招熟 | bú pà qiān zhāo huì zhǐ pà yī zhāo shú bu2 pa4 qian1 zhao1 hui4 zhi3 pa4 yi1 zhao1 shu2 bu pa qian zhao hui zhi pa yi zhao shu | pu p`a ch`ien chao hui chih p`a i chao shu pu pa chien chao hui chih pa i chao shu |
|
Kenpo Kempo Quan Fa Chuan Fa | 拳法 | kenpou / kenpo | quán fǎ / quan2 fa3 / quan fa / quanfa | ch`üan fa / chüanfa / chüan fa |
Where There is a Will, There is a Way | 愚公移山 | yū gōng yí shān yu1 gong1 yi2 shan1 yu gong yi shan yugongyishan | yü kung i shan yükungishan |
|
Tai Chi Chuan Tai Ji Quan | 太極拳 太极拳 | tai kyoku ken taikyokuken | tài jí quán tai4 ji2 quan2 tai ji quan taijiquan | t`ai chi ch`üan taichichüan tai chi chüan |
Kyojitsu: Falsehood and Truth | 虚実 | kyo jitsu / kyojitsu | ||
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. |
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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.
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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.
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