Old Karate Tang Hand Way Tang Soo Do in Chinese / Japanese...

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.”

This Japanese proverb literally translates as: [After having achieved a fair degree of success,] one should still try to do better.

Others may translate this as “Always try to improve,” or “Always try to be better.”

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

See Also:  Never Give Up

手不釋卷 is a Chinese proverb that literally means “always with a book in hand.”

It's a proverb said of a hardworking scholar or student.

This may refer to a student or scholar who is diligent and hardworking. It's a great gift for a student or scholar who loves books.

不能咬人就别龇牙 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: [if you] can't bite people, don't bare [your] teeth.

Figuratively, this means: Don't show your anger if you can't do anything about the situation.

Some will also say this means “Don't start a fight that you cannot win.” Others will say it means that you must be willing to back up your words (perhaps with your fists).

武士道 is the title for “The Code of the Samurai.”

Sometimes called “The Seven Virtues of the Samurai,” “The Bushido Code,” or “The Samurai Code of Chivalry.”

This would be read in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja as “The Way of the Warrior,” “The Warrior's Way,” or “The Warrior's Code.”

It's a set of virtues that the Samurai of Japan and ancient warriors of China and Korea had to live and die by. However, while known throughout Asia, this title is mostly used in Japan and thought of as being of Japanese origin.

The seven commonly-accepted tenets or virtues of Bushido are Rectitude 義, Courage 勇, Benevolence 仁, Respect 礼(禮), Honour 名誉, Honesty 誠, and Loyalty 忠実. These tenets were part of oral history for generations, thus, you will see variations in the list of Bushido tenets depending on who you talk to.

See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also:  Samurai | Warrior

佛道 is “The way of Buddha, leading to Buddhahood” or the way to becoming a bodhi and enlightened.

Known in Japanese as Butsudō, in Mandarin Chinese as Fódào, and in Korean as Buldo or 불도.

靑濤館 is the Korean martial arts style, Chung Do Kwan, meaning “Blue Wave School.”

If you want this in modern Korean Hangul characters, click on the Hangul next to the Korean flag above instead of the button above.

Also Romanized as “Cheong Do Gwan” or “Ch'ŏng Do Kwan.”

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.

見義勇為 means the courage to do what is right in Chinese.

This could also be translated as “Never hesitate to do what is right.”

This comes from Confucian thought:
Your courage should head in an honorable direction. For example, you should take action when the goal is to attain a just result as, without honorable intent, a person’s gutsy fervor can easily lead them astray.

One who flaunts courage but disregards justice is bound to do wrong; someone who possesses courage and morality is destined to become a hero.

Some text above paraphrased from The World of Chinese - The Character of 勇

See Also:  Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Justice | Bravery

団結空手道 is the title for Danketsu Karate-Do, a dojo located in Stroudsburg, PA.

団結 (danketsu) means union, unity, or combination.

空手道 (karate-do) means “empty hand way.”

If you need you martial arts school/dojo/academy added to my database, just give me the info (actual Chinese/Japanese text if you have it).

不怕风浪大就怕桨不齐 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: Do not fear strong winds [and] high waves; what [one should] worry about whether or not you're rowing in unison.

Figuratively, this means: However difficult the task, the key to success lies in making collective efforts.

I like to translate this as “Don't sweat the details, just get together and get it done.”

飛龍空手道 is the title Flying Dragon Karate-Do.

義を見てせざるは勇なきなり is a Japanese proverb that means “Knowing what is right and not doing is a want of courage.”

I've also seen it translated as:
To see what is right, yet fail to do so, is a lack of courage.
To know righteousness, but take no action is cowardice.
You are a coward if you knew what was the right thing to do, but you did not take action.
Knowing what is right without practicing it betrays one's cowardice.

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

私の手を与える means “I give you my hand,” in Japanese.

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

剛柔流空手道 is the title of the Goju-Ryu Karate-Do school of martial arts.

護身道 is the title for the school of martial arts known as Goshin-Do.

The literal translation of these three characters is something like “self-protection way” or “protection of the body way.”

To put this in context, the term 護身 is often used for charms or amulets that are meant to protect the wearer from harm.

Note: This phrase is pronounceable in Chinese, but it not commonly known in China.

偕老 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that means to grow/growing old together.

This will be a nice wall scroll to hang in your home if your plan is to grow old with your mate.

不害 is a Buddhist term that comes from the Sanskrit “ahiṃsā” meaning harmlessness, not injuring or doing harm to no one.

執子之手, 與子偕老 is a sweet Chinese phrase that means “Hold hands with you, grow old with you.”

一心流空手道 is the full title for Isshin-Ryu Karate-Do.

The literal meaning is “one heart method empty hand way.”

There are other ways to translate this, but if you are looking for this title, you already know that.

This would make a great wall scroll for your dojo or private studio if you study this form of Japanese (technically from Okinawa) Karate.

Because this is a specifically-Japanese title, I strongly recommend that you select our Japanese Master Calligrapher to create this artwork.

日本空手協会 is the Kanji for Nihon Karate Kyōkai or Japanese Karate Association.

In Cantonese, 截拳道 is Jeet Kune Do. Often it is explained as the “Way of the Intercepting Fist.”

截拳道 is a martial art style founded by Bruce Lee.

The first character means to cut off or sever.
The second character is a fist.
The last character means way or method.

See Also:  Bruce Lee

This is the Korean martial arts title Jung Sim Do.

The official romanization should be Jeong Sim Do (thought in Korean, the J is almost a "Ch" sound) and other will romanize as Jung Shin Do.

The meaning is straight/right heart way. If you want this written in Hangul (정심도) in stead of Hanja (正心道), please click on the Hangul characters next to the Korean flag above.

盡管去做 is, “just do it,” as in the Nike slogan.

This version is the one commonly used in mainland China.

とにかくやれ means “Just Do It” (the Nike slogan) in Japanese.

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

做就對了 is, “just do it,” as in the Nike slogan.

This version is the one commonly used in Taiwan.

挌闘 is a Japanese word that means hand-to-hand fighting, grappling, or scuffling.

In the old days, this might refer to a street fight but now it can apply to martial arts and MMA techniques or bouts.

Sometimes written as 挌闘 instead of 格闘 (first Kanji varies slightly)

格闘空手 is Kakutō Karate and means Fighting Karate and/or Combat Karate.

空手 is the short and widely-used-in-English version of karate-do without the “do” or “dao” at the end.

Literal meaning: Empty Hand.

唐手道 is the alternate title for Karate-do.

This title uses a character, 唐, which represents the Tang Dynasty of China. Thus, this is often translated as the “Tang Hand Way” or incorrectly, “Tang Fist Way.”
I have also seen some call it “China Hand Way.”
Many in Korea refer to and romanize these characters as “Tang Soo Do” (당수도) where these characters refer to a kind of Korean style of Karate.

There is not a lot of information on this title but some believe that a simplified form of Kung Fu that started in China and ended up very popular in Japan used this title initially. It was later changed in Japan to a different Karate title which means “Empty Hand” (as in, without weapons).

Note: When used in Korean, this is pronounced 당수도. This title is often romanized as “Tang Soo Do,” “Tangsudo,” “Dang Su Do,” or “Dangsudo.” The last two romanizations on that list are the official Korean government romanization, though martial arts schools tend to use other non-standard versions.

The literal meaning of 空手道 is “empty hand method” or “empty hand way.”

Credit is given that karate started in China but migrated and became refined and vastly popular in Japan.

Karate is a martial art that uses no blades or weapons other than the “natural weapons” God gave to humans (fists and feet). The last character somehow became optional, but the meaning of that character is “method” or “the way” as in Taoism / Daoism.

Karate-Do reached Korea, where it is known as 공수도 which can be romanized as “Kong Soo Do” or “Gong Su Do.”

空手道心養会 is the Japanese Kanji for
Karate-Dō Shinyō-Kai.

空手に先手なし means there is no first attack in Karate, or there is no first strike in Karate.

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

Often associated with Kenjutsu, 剱道/劍道 means “The way of the sword” in Japanese (and Korean with an alternate form of the first character).
This is also the term used for swordsmanship and even fencing in Japanese and Korean, depending on context.

Note: These same characters are also used separately in Chinese, but this exact combination yields a common title in Japanese only (perhaps someone who is really into swords would use this in China).

Note: There is more than one way to write the “sword” character (shown above is the Japanese version - if you want the Korean version, please let me know when you place your order).

See Also:  Sword | Katana

This is the title Kenka Karate in Japanese.

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

空手拳法 is the Kanji title for Kempo Karate.

The first two characters mean “karate” - technically they express “empty hand.”

The last two express “fist law” which is Romanized from Japanese as “Kenpo” or “Kempo.”

That “empty hand” translation can be understood better when you grasp the idea that karate is a martial art without weapons (other than the weapons organic to your body, such as your foot, hand, fist, etc). When you practice karate, you do so with empty hands (no weapons).

Note: There is also an antiquated way to write karate. It has the same pronunciation but a different first character which means “Tang” as in the Tang Dynasty. Some dojos use that form - let us know if you need that alternate form, and we'll add it.

功夫散手 is a martial arts title.

Oddly, there are multiple ways two spell/romanize this in English, but in Chinese, it's written exactly the same.

Technically, the Mandarin romanizes as “gong fu san shou,” for which you'll sometimes see it written “kung fu san shou” (k'ung is an old romanization for a word that sounds like gong with a vowel sound like “oh”).

There is another martial arts style that spells this “Kung Fu San Soo.” I guess this was supposed to approximate Cantonese pronunciation for which the scholarly romanization is generally agreed to be “gung fu saan sau.”

擊氣道 is the title of the Kyuki-Do form of Korean martial arts.

In Korean Hangul, it's 격기도.

While “Kyuki-Do” is the most common romanized form of this title, the official Korean romanization is actually “Gyeog Gi Do” or “Gyeoggi-Do.”

The first character means to hit, strike, attack, rout, or break.
The second means “life energy” or “atmosphere.”
The last means “the way” or “method.”

FYI: The last two characters are the same as the last two in the titles Hapkido and Aikido.

I have included Mandarin Chinese pronunciation above; However, this term would only be known by Chinese people familiar with this style of martial arts. Consider this to be a Korean-only title.

The first two characters mean “fist law” which is Romanized from Japanese as “Kenpo” or “Kempo.”

The last two are a secondary way to express “karate.”

Notes:
The more common way to express “karate” is literally “empty hand” (meaning “without weapons in your hand”). This version would be translated literally as “Tang hand” (as in the Tang Dynasty) or “China hand” (sometimes “Tang” means “China” in Japanese). Even though the character for “Tang” is used instead of “empty,” it's still pronounced “kara-te” in Japanese.

拳法唐手 is not commonly used in China - so please consider it to be a Japanese-only title.

Many Japanese people will say the last two Kanji are the old and antiquated way of saying Karate. This fact does not stop this title from existing, as these four characters are often seen in Kenpo / Kempo Dojos around the western world.

終成眷屬 is a Chinese proverb that translates roughly as “Love will find a way to come together.”

有情人終成眷屬 is the long version of the Chinese proverb that translates as “Where there are lovers, love will find a way (to come together).”

鬆林流空手道 is the Japanese title for the Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate-Do school of martial arts.

If directly translated, it means “Pine Forest Style Empty Hand Way.”

Notes:
1. 松林流 can be pronounced Matsubayashi-Ryū or Shōrin-Ryū. This can be confusing as Shōrin can also represent 少林 which refers to the Shaolin (little forest) style.
2. 松 can also be written in the traditional form of 鬆.

In the most basic translation, 中道 means road through the middle or middle road.

The expanded meaning can be moderation or the golden mean.

But if you are looking for this title, you are probably seeking the Buddhist definition, which is more complex.

中道 is the middle way or middle path of Buddhism. This has various interpretations. In general, it denotes the mean between two extremes and has special reference to the mean between realism and nihilism, or eternal substantial existence and annihilation.

The Buddha teaches that one should not take things to extremes. Don't be extremely evil and engage in debauchery and murder. But do not spend every waking out trying to be a perfect saint. Instead, take the middle path, try to help others, show loving kindness wherever you can, and try not to do harm. If you inadvertently harm another being, make amends if you can, and move on. Realize you are not perfect, but in time, a path of moderation lead toward proper living and enlightenment.

銀河 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja name for the Milky Way (our galaxy).

This can also be the Japanese female given name Ginga.

銀河系 is the long form of the Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean name for the Milky Way Galaxy (our galactic system).

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

乗り換える is the Japanese way to say “move on.” This can also be translated as “to change one's mind,” “to change methods,” or “to change one's way of thinking.” For instance, if you changed your love interest or political ideology, you might describe the act of that change with this title.

Colloquially in Japan, this is also used to describe the act of transferring trains or changing from one bus or train to another.

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

今日事今日畢 is a Chinese proverb that means “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

天無絕人之路 is a proverb that means “Heaven never bars one's way,” “Don't despair and you will find a way through,” and “Never give up hope,” and is the Chinese way to say “Never say die.”

日本空手道玄武會 is the title for Nippon Karate-Do Genbu-Kai.
A Japanese karate association of the Genbu school.

Note that while this title does make perfect sense in Chinese, it is really a Japanese title. In fact, the first word is “Japanese/Japan.”

If you’d like your martial arts school, dojo or club added to our calligraphy database for easy ordering of a custom calligraphy wall scroll, just contact me.

不怕人窮隻怕志短 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: It is not poverty that is to be feared; It is low ambition.

Figuratively, this means: It is not poverty but a lack of lofty aspiration that is to be regretted.

不怕慢就怕站 is a Chinese proverb that translates as: Don't worry about being slow; only worry about standing still.

Figuratively, this means: A slow progress holds some promise but to stand still promises failure.

沖縄剛柔流空手道 is the title of the Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-Do school of martial arts.

沖縄空手 is the title for Okinawa Karate.

古道 is the Japanese word meaning “The Old Way.” The first character means old or ancient. The second character means “the way” and is the same character as used in Taoism / Daoism (Taoism literally means “the way”).

This second character can also be translated as “method,” as in a way of doing things.

古道 is sometimes Romanized as “Kodo,” though officially, the Romaji should be “Kodou.”

My Japanese-English dictionary further translates this word as the old road, ancient methods, ancient moral teachings, and the way of learning.

Note that this would be understood differently in Chinese. Most Chinese people would just read this as “The old road” without the other meanings derived in Japanese.

老當益壯 is a Chinese proverb that means “old but vigorous” or “hale and hearty despite the years.”

Said of someone who is more spirited when he/she grows older.

The story behind this Chinese proverb:

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ma Yuan. He had been planning to herd animals on the frontier since he was young. When he grew up, Ma became a minor official of a county.

Once, he was sending some prisoners to another location. He felt pity for them, so he set them free, and then he fled to another county in the north. He herded animals there, and thus his dream came true. He always said: “If you want to be a great man, the poorer you are, the firmer in spirit you have to be; the older you are, the more spirited you should be.”

Later, when he was even older, Ma Yuan became a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty and contributed to many battles.

溫故知新 is a proverb from Confucius that is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures.

It can be translated in several ways:
Coming up with new ideas based on things learned in the past.
Examine things of the past, and obtain new knowledge.
Developing new ideas based on the study of the past.
Gain new insights through restudying old issues.
Understand the present by reviewing the past.
Learning from the past.
Review the old and know the new.
Taking a lesson from the past.
Taking a lesson from the wisdom of the ancients.
Follow the old ways.

The direct translation would be, “By asking old things, know new things.”
The Character meanings breakdown this way:
溫故 = ask old
知新 = know new

Explained: To learn new things that are outside of your experience, you can learn from old things of the past. You can find wisdom in history.

VS.

Note: Japanese use a variant of the first Kanji in modern times.
Therefore if you order this from a Japanese calligrapher, expect the first Kanji to look like 温 instead of 溫.

In addition to 温故知新 as mentioned above, this is sometimes written as 温古知新 in Japan.

不到火候不揭锅 translates as: Don't take the lid off the pot until the food is done.

Figuratively, this means: Don't take action until the time is right.

You can take this as a call to be patient or pick just the right time to do something (not too early, not too late).

白天不做亏心事夜半敲门不吃惊 literally translates as: [If one does] not do bad things in the daytime, one need not be alarmed at knocks on the door in the middle of the night.

The meaning is something like, “A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.” Basically, the message is, “don't commit crimes and you won't be jumpy every time the doorbell rings (so don't do anything wrong and your life will have fewer worries and you can sleep at night).”

The meaning of 復古 can vary depending on the context. It used to mean a return to the old ways.

It can also mean “to turn back the clock,” “retro” (fashion style based on nostalgia, esp. for the 1960s), “revival,” or “restoration.”

The return to “the old ways” was also an aspiration of Confucius about 2500 years ago. This proves that “going retro” or “old school” has been cool since at least 500 B.C.

散手 is a martial arts title sometimes spelled in English as “San Soo” or “San Shou.”

The Mandarin version romanizes as “San Shou.” Mandarin Chinese is the most common dialect in China (literally 99% of Chinese people speak standard Mandarin along with their local dialect).

There is another martial arts style that spells this “San Soo.” I guess this was supposed to approximate Cantonese pronunciation for which the scholarly romanization is generally agreed to be “Saan Sau.”

散手功夫 is San Soo Kung Fu.

Sometimes you will see this in the order 功夫散手 (Kung Fu San Soo). Either version is OK.

It's like “Kung Fu of San Soo” vs. “San Soo Kung Fu” if you put it in English terms. San Soo is the adjective either way in Chinese.

指圧道 is the title for Shiastu-Do, the Japanese way of finger pressure.

Shitsu-Do is about applying special finger pressure to points on the body thought to be connected to pathways called “meridians.” Shiatsu is a healthful way to get your 気 or 氣 (ki energy) flowing properly.

Note: This title can also be written in the older 指壓道 form (just the middle character has an ancient/traditional form used before WWII).
You might even see 指压道 which uses the Simplified Chinese form of the second character.

士道館 is the Japanese title for Shidōkan, a style of full-contact karate.

士道館 is a newer karate style founded in 1980 by Yoshiji Soeno.

士道館空手道 is the full Japanese title for Shidōkan Karate-Do, a style of full-contact karate.

This is a newer karate style, founded in 1980 by Yoshiji Soeno.

This is Shinshin-Tōitsu-Dō which is a Japanese version of Yoga.

心身統一道 means “Mind [and] Body Unification Way.”

糸東流氣目館空手道 is the title for Shito-Ryu Ki-Me-Kan Karate-Do.
A school of Karate.

Note that while this title can be pronounced in Chinese, it only makes complete sense in Japanese.

糸東流空手道 is the title for Shito-Ryu Karate-Do.

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.

鬆濤館空手道 art the Japanese Kanji that make up the title for Shotokan Karate.

This should be considered a Japanese-only title. It does make sense and is pronounceable in Chinese and Korean but only as a title for a building (perhaps a martial arts hall) surrounded by pine trees - followed by the characters for “The empty hand method” (kong shou dao / Karate-do). Also, the first two characters were simplified in both Japanese and Chinese. The third character was simplified in Chinese but not Japanese.

Upon request, we can offer the fully traditional Chinese version but be sure you know what you are asking for.

Note: This would be understood in Chinese and Korean Hanja by a person from those cultures familiar with martial arts and various schools of Japanese karate.

雪豹空手道 is the Japanese (and Chinese) title for Snow Leopard Karate-Do.

唐手 is a very seldom-used title for Karate.

This title uses a character that represents the Tang Dynasty of China. Thus, this is often translated as the “Tang Hand” or, incorrectly, “Tang Fist.”

I have also seen some call it “China Hand.”

There is not a lot of information on this title but some believe that a simplified form of Kung Fu that started in China, and ended up very popular in Japan used this title initially. It was later changed in Japan to a different Karate title which means "Empty Hand" (as in, without weapons).

I am sure that some will suggest a different history or argue a different origin. I think that nobody can be sure.

Note: Just like the more conventional Karate title, this one can have the "way" or "method" character added to the end, as in Karate-Do.

廉耻精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈 are the tenets of Tang Soo Do.

After some research, it appears this list was compiled in English based on Taekwondo tenets. We filled in a few of the words that did not have a corresponding Hanja or Hangul. If someone else has a better list with characters included, please contact me.

老師 directly translates as “old teacher,” “old master,” or “old sage.”

Together, they are understood as “teacher.” When you think about that, also realize that with age comes respect in Asian cultures. So calling someone old is a term of respect (not like the way we mean it in English). You could replace “old” with “respected” and be closer to how this is meant in Chinese.

Teachers, in general, are more respected by their students and the population in China. When I was a teacher in China, I certainly felt that.

This term is also used for masters of certain fields. For instance, a master calligrapher would respectfully be addressed as a “teacher.” In this case, “master” and “teacher” are synonymous.

Other artists (especially those who are famous or accomplished) should be addressed with this term. Also, some martial arts schools use this term of respect for their masters/teachers/instructors.

This title is recognized in Japanese as "roushi" with the same meaning but it’s rarely used in Japan.

跆拳道精神禮義廉耻忍耐克己百折不屈 is General Choi's writing that is often called “The Tenets of Taekwon-do.”

The actual title would be translated as “Taekwondo Spirit” or “The Spirit of Taekwondo.” It was originally written in Korean Hanja (Chinese characters used in Korea for about 1600 years).

白頭偕老 is a Chinese proverb that means (to live together until the) white hairs of old age.

This is the Chinese way of saying “to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss” or “until death do us part.”

上地流空手道 is the title of the Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do school of Okinawan martial arts.

Uechi means “higher stages of practice” in a Buddhist context.

和道流空手 is the Japanese martial arts title, “Wado-Ryu Karate.”

See Also:  Wado-Kai

吾道一以貫之 is a phrase from the Analects of Confucius that translates as “My Way has one thread that runs through it.”

Other translations include:
My Way is penetrated by a single thread.
There is one single thread binding my Way together.
My Way is run through with a unifying thread.
My Way is Consistent.
And sometimes poetic license is taken, and it is translated as:
My Way is the only one; I'll treasure it and stick to it with humility until the end.

After this was said, some 2500+ years ago, another disciple of Confucius clarified the meaning by stating, “Our master's Way is to be loyal and have a sense of reciprocity.”

In Japanese, this is purported to be romanized as “Waga michi ichi wo motte kore wo tsuranuku,” though some will argue the true pronunciation.

Note: Sometimes written 吾道以一貫之 instead of 吾道一以貫之 with no difference in meaning.

In Taoist and Buddhist contexts, 行道 means to “Walk in the Way.” In Buddhism, that further means to follow the Buddha truth. In some Buddhist sects, this can mean making a procession around a statue of the Buddha (always with the right shoulder towards the Buddha).

Outside of that context, this can mean route (when going somewhere), the way to get somewhere, etc.

In Japanese, this can be the surname or given name Yukimichi.

行百里者半九十 is an old Chinese proverb that speaks to the act of giving up. This phrase suggests that no matter how close you are to finishing your task or journey, giving up just before you finish is just as bad as giving up halfway.

50% finished or 90% finished, the result is the same: “You are not finished.”

You can take what you want from this proverb, but I think it suggests that you should finish what you start, and especially finish that last 10% of your journey or project so that you can honestly say “it's finished.”

Some notes: The character, 里, that I am translating as “mile” is an ancient “Chinese mile” which is actually about half a kilometer - it just doesn't sound right to say “When walking 100 half-kilometers...”

This Chinese and Japanese Kanji title means “Way of the Five Pecks of Rice.”

五斗米道 is a Taoist/Daoist movement that later became known as “The Way of the Celestial Masters.”

浪之道 is a great title for a surfer whose lifestyle is entwined with the surf and waves.

This can be translated a few different ways:
The Way of the Wave
The Dao of the Wave
The Tao of the Waves
Note: Dao and Tao are the same character (道), just sometimes romanized differently.

生活法 is a Japanese and Chinese title meaning “art of living” or “way of life.”

This can also be translated in a few other ways, such as “rule of life” and “the act of living.”

The “art” title kind of comes from the fact that the last character is the same as the book, “The Art of War.” So when you write your book, this is the title for “The Art of Life,” in Chinese and Japanese.

茶道 means The Way of Tea (literally, “tea way”) in Chinese and Japanese.

This may refer to a tea ceremony or a general lifestyle of tea preparation and drinking.

In Japanese, this can be pronounced sadō or chadō (seems that sadō refers more often to a tea ceremony, and chadō when it's the Way of Tea).

茶道 is also used in the Buddhist context with the same meaning as the Way of Tea.

龍之道 is how the way of the dragon is written in Chinese.

龍之道 is not the same as the Chinese movie that was titled in English as “The Way of the Dragon.” 龍之道 is, rather, the literal meaning of the dragon's way. The first character is dragon, the second is a possessive article, and the third character means way or path.

猛龍過江 is the title of the 1972 movie, “The Way of the Dragon.”

This means “Fierce dragons crossing the river.”
If you want a title that means “way of the dragon,” please see the more accurate 龍之道 3-character title.

波の道 is the simple way to write “The Way of the Wave” in Japanese.

I added this at the request of several customers. 波の道 is not a very common Japanese phrase.

波 = Wave
の = Of
道 = Way
The word order is the opposite of English. Most Japanese phrases that end in “の道” are translated to English as “The Way of...”

Technically, you could write “波道” as a shorter version of “The Way of the Wave.” However, without context, 波道 can mean channel or suggest a path to redirect ocean flow.

有志竟成 is a Chinese proverb that means “persevere and you will succeed.”

It's very much like the English idiom, “where there's a will, there's a way.”

精神一到何事か成らざらん is a Japanese expression that means “Where there is a will, there is a way. There are other Japanese phrases with similar meanings but this one is the most commonly used (according to the number of results on Japanese Google).

This can also be romanized as “seshinittonanigotokanarazaran.”

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

This is the title for White Crane Karate in Japanese Kanji.

不怕人老只怕心老 literally translates as: Do not be concerned about being old; be concerned about a mind which is old.

Figuratively, this means: You are not as old as you look, you are only as old as you think you are.

This is the martial arts title Zendokai.

The first two characters refer to Zen ascetic practices or Zen teachings. Noting that Zen or 禅 means meditation and Dou/Do or 道 means way.

Kai or 会 (originally written 會) in this context means society, association, or club.

Zendokai Karate beyond the normal fighting skills invites the practitioner to notice and observe their own body with mindfulness and self-awareness and can re-acquire and hone their genuine self.

禪道 is a title used in certain contexts but is not widely known by the general population of China or Japan.

In Japanese, you will see this title romanized as “zendo,” which is the brand name of a board game, and also a title used by some martial arts studios and karate dojos. Oddly, many translate this as “zen fist,” although there is no “fist” in the title. If you literally translated this title, it would be “meditation way” or “meditation method.”

In Chinese, this would be “chan dao” with the same literal meaning as the Japanese title. It's used in China by just a handful of martial arts styles/studios.

You should only order this title if you really understand the meaning, and it has some personal connection to you (such as practicing a martial art style that uses this title, or if you love the board game Zendo). Many who see your wall scroll will not be familiar with this title, and you'll have some explaining to do.

The first character can also be written in a more complex traditional way as shown to the right. Let us know in the special instructions for your calligraphy project if you want this style.

If you order this from the Japanese master calligrapher, the first character will automatically be written with an extra dot on top. This is the variant form of the original Chinese character which is commonly used in modern Japan Kanji. See sample to the right.