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Personalize your custom “Soul Heart” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Soul Heart” title below...
1. Beautiful Heart / Beautiful Spirit
5. Devotion / Dedication / Attentive / Focused
10. Independent Spirit / Independent Heart
12. Inner Peace
13. Lingering Mind
14. Mind Body Spirit
15. Mind Like Water
16. Morality of Mind
17. No Mind / Mushin
18. One Heart / One Mind / Heart and Soul
19. Tao / Dao of the Heart / Soul
20. Whole Heart
Shoshin
初心 is often translated in Japanese as “beginner's mind” or “beginner's spirit.”
In Chinese, the dictionary definition is “one's original intention.”
The first character means first, initial, primary, junior, beginning, or basic.
The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence.
初心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The state of shoshin is that of a beginners mind. It is a state of awareness that always remains fully conscious, aware, and prepared to see things for the first time. The attitude of shoshin is essential to continued learning.
In Chinese, this can mean losing one's love; to breaking up (in a romantic relationship); to feel jilted.
In Japanese Kanji, this means disappointing love, broken heart, unrequited love, or being lovelorn.
失戀 is also valid in old Korean Hanja, which means unrequited love, unreturned love, a disappointment in love, or a broken heart.
Note: In modern Japan, they will tend to write the more simple 失恋 form instead of 失戀. If you order this from the Japanese master calligrapher, expect the more simple modern version to be written (unless you give us instructions to use the older or more traditional version).
決心 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that holds the dictionary definition of determination but literally means determined heart.
The first character means to determine or determined.
The second character means heart, mind, or soul, so you can imagine that this form of determination partially means putting your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).
See Also: Devotion | Tenacious | Passion | Dedication | Will-Power
專心 makes a word that means “paying attention with your heart.”
It's often translated as “dedication,” as in “be absorbed in” or “concentrate one's efforts.” It's also used to mean “with the single mind,” “whole-heartedly,” “paying attention,” “undivided attention,” “concentration (-ed),” “engrossed,” “devotionally (listening/watching),” and/or “attentive.”
The first character means “for a particular person, occasion, or purpose,” “focused on one single thing,” “concentrated,” and sometimes, “special.”
The second character means “heart” or “mind” by itself.
My favorite translation, which comes from the Oxford Advanced Chinese/English Dictionary, is, “wholehearted devotion.”
If it seems like the meaning of this word is quite open, you are correct. The context in which the word is used matters a lot. It can mean different things depending on how you use it. This makes it kind of nice as you can decide what this means to you (within some limits). This is always positive in meaning, so even if a Chinese person reads it differently than you, it will still have a good meaning.
In Japanese, they tend to use a variation of the second character which has one less stroke. If you want your calligraphy written this Japanese form, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note: Japanese and Chinese people will recognize either form.
熱心 literally means “warm-hearted” (can also mean warm-spirited or warm-souled).
This is one of a few ways to say Enthusiasm in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
熱心 is also used to express the ideas of earnestness or eagerness.
Can mean “zeal” in Japanese.
心魂 is “heart and soul” in Japanese Kanji.
The first character means heart (but can also mean mind or soul).
The last character means soul or spirit (spiritual essence).
心 would often be translated as “heart.”
However, because it was believed in Chinese culture for thousands of years that your consciousness and thoughts came from the big red organ in the middle of your chest, it also means “mind” or “spirit” and sometimes even “soul.”
In Korean, beyond heart, mind, and spirit, this character can mean moral, nature, mind, affections, intentions, core, and center. In fact, it is used in Chinese to mean “center” as well but only with another character in front of it. For instance, “medical center” or even “shopping center.” Separately and alone, it will not be read with that “center” meaning unless thought of as “the center of your soul.”
心の伴侶 is a Japanese-only title for soulmates.
心 means heart, soul, mind, core, or center. In ancient times, the heart was believed to be the mind or center of your soul and being.
の is a possessive article that connects everything here.
伴侶 means mates, companions, partners, and spouses.
This Japanese version of soulmates is about two partners, coupled or joined by their hearts.
獨立心 means independent spirit or independent heart in Japanese.
The first two characters mean independent or independence. The third character means spirit, heart, or mind.
獨立心 is a Japanese term, although Chinese people could guess the meaning (the characters make sense individually in Chinese but are not often used this way). Also, the first character would be written 獨 in Traditional Chinese versus 独 which is the Simplified Chinese and modern Japanese version.
內心平靜 is a Chinese and Japanese phrase that is a direct translation of the western idea of inner peace.
The first two characters contain the idea of “heart,” “innermost being,” or “deep in the/your inner mind.”
The last two characters mean “tranquil” and “serene.”
I have seen this phrase used as “inner peace” for art prints and even on the side of coffee cups. But I think the translation is too literal. It feels like a direct translation from English rather than a nicely composed Chinese or Japanese phrase. See my other entries for “inner peace.”
See Also: Serenity | Simplicity | Peace
Zanshin
First off, 殘心 should only be used in the context of Japanese martial arts. In Chinese, it's a rather sad title (like a broken heart). In Chinese, the first character alone means destroyed, spoiled, ruined, injured, cruel, oppressive, savage, incomplete, or disabled. However, in Japanese, it's remainder, leftover, balance, or lingering.
The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence in both languages.
殘心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The spirit of zanshin is the state of the remaining or lingering spirit. It is often described as a sustained and heightened state of awareness and mental follow-through. However, true zanshin is a state of focus or concentration before, during, and after the execution of a technique, where a link or connection between uke and nage is preserved. Zanshin is the state of mind that allows us to stay spiritually connected, not only to a single attacker but to multiple attackers and even an entire context; a space, a time, an event.
In modern Japan (and Simplified Chinese), they use a different version of the first character, as seen to the right. Click on this character to the right instead of the button above if you want this modern Japanese version of lingering mind / zanshin.
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.
Mizu No Kokoro
水の心 is the Japanese Buddhist and martial arts phrase, “Mizu no Kokoro,” which means “mind like water” or “heart of water.”
The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects its surroundings when calm but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.
The idea of 心德 or “morality of mind” goes along with 行德 or “wu de” (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).
Here, the first character is a representation of your heart or mind.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.
This can also be translated as “morality of heart,” “virtue of heart,” or “virtue of the mind.”
Since ancient times in Asia, the idea of your mind (where your soul resides and your thought originates) has been associated with the heart. Just as in western culture, where we say “it comes from the heart” or “heartfelt emotions,” there is a belief that your heart and mind are one and the same (medical science now begs to differ).
See Also: Morality of Deed | Martial Morality
In Japanese, 無心 means innocent or without knowledge of good and evil. It literally means “without mind.”
無心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: “No mind, a mind without ego. A mind like a mirror which reflects and dos not judge.” The original term was “mushin no shin,” meaning “mind of no mind.” It is a state of mind without fear, anger, or anxiety. Mushin is often described by the phrase “Mizu no Kokoro,” which means “mind like water.” The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects its surroundings when calm but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.
This has a good meaning in conjunction with Chan / Zen Buddhism in Japan. However, out of that context, it means mindlessness or absent-mindedness. To non-Buddhists in China, this is associated with doing something without thinking.
In Korean, this usually means indifference.
Use caution and know your audience before ordering this selection.
More info: Wikipedia: Mushin
一心 literally reads as “one heart” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
Colloquially or figuratively, it means: wholeheartedly; heart and soul; of one mind; wholeheartedness; one's whole heart; with the whole mind or heart; one mind in heart.
I'm not kidding, all of those came right from the dictionary for this one title.
In Buddhism, this can refer to the bhūtatathatā, or the whole of things; the universe as one mind, or a spiritual unity.
In Japanese, this can be the female given name, Hitomi.
心道 means “The Way of the Heart” or “The Way of the Soul.” The first character means “heart” but can also mean soul, spirit, mind, or your essence. In this case, it is most accurately translated with the heart or soul meaning.
The second character is Dao as in Daoism. Please note, this is the same thing as Tao as in Taoism (just Romanized differently - it's always been the same in Chinese for about 2300 years.
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The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Beautiful Heart Beautiful Spirit | 美麗的心靈 美丽的心灵 | měi lì de xīn líng mei3 li4 de xin1 ling2 mei li de xin ling meilidexinling | mei li te hsin ling meilitehsinling |
|
Mind of the Beginner | 初心 | sho shin / shoshin | chū xīn / chu1 xin1 / chu xin / chuxin | ch`u hsin / chuhsin / chu hsin |
Broken Hearted | 失戀 失恋 | shitsuren | shī liàn / shi1 lian4 / shi lian / shilian | shih lien / shihlien |
Determination | 決心 决心 | kesshin / keshin | jué xīn / jue2 xin1 / jue xin / juexin | chüeh hsin / chüehhsin |
Devotion Dedication Attentive Focused | 專心 / 専心 / 耑心 专心 | sen shin / senshin | zhuān xīn zhuan1 xin1 zhuan xin zhuanxin | chuan hsin chuanhsin |
Enthusiasm Warm-Hearted | 熱心 热心 | nesshin / neshin | rè xīn / re4 xin1 / re xin / rexin | je hsin / jehsin |
Heart and Soul | 心與靈 心与灵 | xīn yǔ líng xin1 yu3 ling2 xin yu ling xinyuling | hsin yü ling hsinyüling |
|
Heart and Soul | 心魂 | shin kon / shinkon | ||
Heart Mind Spirit | 心 | kokoro | xīn / xin1 / xin | hsin |
Soul Mates at Heart | 心の伴侶 | kokoro no han ryo kokoronohanryo | ||
Independent Spirit Independent Heart | 獨立心 独立心 | dokuritsushin | ||
Inner Heart Inner Soul | 心扉 | xīn fēi / xin1 fei1 / xin fei / xinfei | hsin fei / hsinfei | |
Inner Peace | 內心平靜 内心平静 | naishin heizyou naishinheizyou naishin heizyo | nèi xīn píng jìng nei4 xin1 ping2 jing4 nei xin ping jing neixinpingjing | nei hsin p`ing ching neihsinpingching nei hsin ping ching |
Lingering Mind | 殘心 残心 | zan shin / zanshin | cán xīn / can2 xin1 / can xin / canxin | ts`an hsin / tsanhsin / tsan hsin |
Mind Body Spirit | 身心靈 / 身心霊 身心灵 | mi shin rei mishinrei | shēn xīn líng shen1 xin1 ling2 shen xin ling shenxinling | shen hsin ling shenhsinling |
Mind Like Water | 水の心 | mizu no kokoro mizunokokoro | ||
Morality of Mind | 心德 | xīn dé / xin1 de2 / xin de / xinde | hsin te / hsinte | |
No Mind Mushin | 無心 无心 | mu shin / mushin | wú xīn / wu2 xin1 / wu xin / wuxin | wu hsin / wuhsin |
One Heart One Mind Heart and Soul | 一心 | isshin / ishin | yī shì dài yi1 shi4 dai4 yi shi dai yishidai | i shih tai ishihtai |
Tao Dao of the Heart Soul | 心道 | xīn dào / xin1 dao4 / xin dao / xindao | hsin tao / hsintao | |
Whole Heart | 全心 | zenshin | quán xīn / quan2 xin1 / quan xin / quanxin | ch`üan hsin / chüanhsin / chüan hsin |
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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The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
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We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
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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