Shen1 in Chinese / Japanese...

身 is how to write “body” as in your human body, in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.

Depending on the context and certain language issues, this character can also mean: main part, hull, oneself, somebody, person, I, me, sword, lifetime, one's station in life, etc.

While this written word is universal in three languages, it still makes a rather odd selection for a wall scroll. Also, they tend to use 体 (karada) in Japanese for the body (depending on context).

See Also:  Karada

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.

身心 means “body and mind” or “mental and physical” in Chinese and Japanese.

In the Buddhist context, body and mind encompass the five elements (skandha) of a sentient being.
The body is the physical material (rūpa) of life. The mind embraces the other four skandhas, which are consciousness, perception, action, and knowledge.

深刻 is a Chinese word that is the form of intense that describes a person who is deep, serious, and a true thinker.

If you find yourself contemplating the world and coming up with profound ideas, this might be the word for you. In some contexts (especially Korean), it can mean seriousness, gravity, or acuteness.

In Japanese, this can mean “serious problem” or can be a rare given name, Misa. You should not use this if your audience is Japanese.

獻身 is used to describe being so devoted to something that you will make sacrifices for that goal/thing/person.

You can also translate this word as any of the following:

This can be a dedication to or for someone but is often used as a dedication or making sacrifices for your country, public service, or a cause. For instance, an Olympic athlete makes great sacrifices to train in his/her sport for their country and compatriots.

While the form shown to the upper-left is considered an ancient Japanese version, in modern Japan, they use the simplified version of the first Kanji (shown to the right). Click on the Kanji at the right instead of the button above if you want this modern Japanese version.

If you are looking for a more religious meaning of devotion, see Faith.

See Also:  Confidence | Dedication

伸縮 can mean, to lengthen and shorten; flexible; adjustable; retractable; extensible; expansion and contraction; elasticity; flexibility; elastic; stretchy.

伸縮 is often romanized from Korean as “Shin Chook,” which is associated with one of the 8 key concepts of Tang Soo Do.

基申 is the name Kishen in Chinese (Mandarin).

申乃 is the name Shenai in Chinese (Mandarin).

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.

深紅色 is a Japanese and Chinese title for scarlet or crimson-red color.

深謀遠慮 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean proverb that means “deep plans and distant thoughts,” “to plan far ahead,” or “far sight and deep design.”

深情厚義 means to love and honor.

This is more or less the kind of thing you'd find in marriage vows.

The first two characters suggest deep love or deep emotions, passion, and feelings.
The last two characters mean generous justice or thick honor (the third character is an adjective that means generous or thick). It just means that you will honor your lover's wishes and treat them justly and righteously (fairly).

This is the longer four-character version, there is also a short and sweet two character version.

See Also:  Love and Honor

情定終身 is a pledge of eternal love in Chinese.

This can also be a colloquial way to refer to the act of exchanging marriage vows.

If you and your mate want to express how committed you are to your life-long love, this will be a great piece of calligraphy for your wall. Also, a nice phrase to celebrate an anniversary.

夜深人靜 literally means “Night Deep/Dark People Quiet/Tranquil.”

In more natural English, some translate this as “late night, all is quiet,” “tranquil midnight,” or “in the dead of night” (implying the dead quiet of midnight).

身體健康 is how to express “wellness” in Chinese. The meaning is not much different than the idea of “good health.” The first two characters alone are often translated as “health.” Some will also translate this title as “physical health.”

If you want to fill your room with a feeling of wellness, this is the wall scroll for you.

This is also the ancient way to express wellness in Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja. The modern Japanese form is 身体健康 (the only difference is the second Kanji). Let me know if you need your calligraphy written in modern Japanese.

See Also:  Health | Vitality

身心靈 is probably the best way to express the idea of “Body, Mind, and Spirit” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word “heart” here because, for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings, and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say “warm-hearted” or “I love you with all of my heart.” In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.

The very literal translation of these three characters is “body, heart & spirit,” which could also be interpreted as “body, mind & soul.”

We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply “feels” like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we must be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).

In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.

Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.

Tell somebody how to do something and they might get it.
Show them how to do it, and they will master it in no time.

身教勝於言教 can also be translated as “Behavior teaches more than words.”

See Also:  Wisdom

強壯的身體堅強的心態 is the Chinese phrase for “Strong Mind, Strong Body,” however, the character order is actually “Strong Body, Strong Mind,” as that's the more natural word order in Chinese.

我們若是靠聖靈得生就當靠聖靈行事 is the translation of Galatians 5:25 into Mandarin Chinese via the Chinese Union Bible.

KJV: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

NIV: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The annotation of this Chinese translation:
1.我们 wǒ men - we / us / ourselves
2.若是 ruò shì - if
3.靠 kào - depend upon / lean on / near / by / against / to support
4.圣灵 shèng líng - Holy Ghost
5.得 děi - to have to / must / ought to / degree or possibility
6.生就 shēng jiù - born one way or another (nervous, suspicious, etc.)
7.当 dàng - suitable / adequate / fitting / proper
8.靠 kào - depend upon / lean on / near / by / against / to support
9.圣灵 shèng líng - Holy Ghost
10.行事 xíng shì - how one does things / how one runs things (in this case, it suggests, “to walk in step with”)

視卒如嬰兒故可以與之赴深溪視卒如愛子故可與之俱死 is an entry from the 10th section within the Earth/Terrain chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

This is often translated as “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”

This text is the ninth chapter of the Daodejing / Tao Te Ching.

The text reads:
持而盈之、不如其已。揣而梲之、不可長保。 金玉滿堂、莫之能守。 富貴而驕、自遺其咎。 功遂身退、天之道。

This classical Chinese passage comes from the Mawangdui (馬王堆帛書) text.

This is the Mawangdui version of Daodejing chapter 54.