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Korean Martial Art of re-directing force
Hapkido or 合氣道 is a mostly-defensive martial art in Korea.
Hapkido has some connection to the Aikido of Japan. They are written with the same characters in both languages. However, it should be noted that the Korean Hanja characters shown here are the traditional Chinese form - but in modern Japan, the middle character was slightly simplified.
Note: You can consider this to be the older Japanese written form of Aikido. Titles on older books and signs about Aikido use this form.
The connection between Japanese Aikido and Korean Hapkido is muddled in history. The issue is probably due to the difficult relationship between the two countries around WWII. Many Koreans became virtual slaves to the Japanese during that period. After WWII, many things in Korea were disassociated from having any Japanese origin. The relationship has greatly mellowed out now.
Looking at the characters, the first means “union” or “harmony.”
The second character means “universal energy” or “spirit.”
The third means “way” or “method.”
One way to translate this into English is the “Harmonizing Energy Method.” This makes sense, as Hapkido has more to do with redirecting energy than fighting strength against strength.
More Hapkido info
More notes:
1. Sometimes Hapkido is Romanized as “hap ki do,” “hapki-do” “hab gi do” or “hapgido.”
2. Korean Hanja characters are actually Chinese characters that usually hold the same meaning in both languages. There was a time when these characters were the standard and only written form of Korean. The development of modern Korean Hangul characters is a somewhat recent event in the greater scope of history. There was a time when Chinese characters were the written form of many languages in places known in modern times as North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, and a significant portion of Malaysia. Even today, more people in the world can read Chinese characters than English.
3. While these Korean Hanja characters can be pronounced in Chinese, this word is not well-known in China and is not considered part of the Chinese lexicon.
不屈 is the short form of a longer Chinese word and also a word used in Korean and Japanese to express the idea of being indomitable. It literally means “will not bend,” “will not crouch,” “will not yield,” “will not flinch,” or “will not submit.”
Note: Some will translate this as “indomitable spirit”; however, technically, there is no character to suggest the idea of “spirit” in this word.
不屈不撓 means “Indomitable” or “Unyielding.”
不屈不撓 is a long word by Chinese standards. At least, it is often translated as a single word into English. It's actually a proverb in Chinese.
If you want to break it down, you can see that the first and third characters are the same. Both mean “not” (they work as a suffix to make a negative or opposite meaning to whatever character follows).
The second character means “bendable.”
The last means “scratched” or “bothered.”
So this really means “Won't be bent, can't be bothered.” I have also seen it written as “Will not crouch, will not submit.” This comes from the fact that the second character can mean “to crouch” and the last can mean “to submit” (as in “to give in” such as “submitting to the rule of someone else”). This may explain better why these four characters mean “indomitable.”
Notes:
Some will translate this as “indomitable spirit”; however, technically, there is no character to suggest the idea of “spirit” in this word.
Other translations include indefatigability, indomitableness, or unremitting tenacity.
The first two characters can be stand-alone words in Chinese.
In Japanese, this is considered two words (with very similar meanings). It's more common to see the word order flipped to 不撓不屈 in Japanese.
The same characters are used in old Korean Hanja. Just like in Japanese, the words are swapped to 不撓不屈 creating a word pronounced “불요불굴” in Korean.
See 不撓不屈
精神力量 is a title that speaks of one's soul or spirit and the capacity or strength that soul possesses.
The first two characters mean mind, heart, spirit, and/or soul.
The last two characters mean strength, capacity, or ability.
Note: Separately, these are two words in Japanese and can be pronounced, but this does not make a natural title in Japanese (best if your audience is Chinese).
Year of the Dragon / Zodiac Sign
龍 is the character for dragon in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.
The dragon is a creature of myth and legend that dominates Chinese, Japanese, and even European folklore. In China, the dragon is the symbol of the Emperor, strength, and power, and the Chinese dragon is known as the god of water.
From the Chinese Zodiac, if you were born in the year of the Dragon, you . . .
Have a strong body and spirit.
Are full of energy.
Have vast goals.
Have a deep level of self-awareness.
Will do whatever you can to “save face.”
See also our Chinese Zodiac or Dragon Calligraphy pages.
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Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your spirit strength search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
心 see styles |
xīn xin1 hsin shin しん |
More info & calligraphy: Heart / Mind / Spirit(1) (See 心・こころ・1) heart; mind; spirit; vitality; inner strength; (2) bottom of one's heart; core (of one's character); nature; (3) (usu. written as 芯) (See 芯・2) centre; center; core; heart; (4) (See 心臓・1) heart (organ); (5) {astron} (See 二十八宿) Chinese "Heart" constellation (one of the 28 mansions); (6) (archaism) (child. language) friend; (given name) Haato hṛd, hṛdaya 汗栗太 (or 汗栗馱); 紀哩馱 the heart, mind, soul; citta 質多 the heart as the seat of thought or intelligence. In both senses the heart is likened to a lotus. There are various definitions, of which the following are six instances: (1) 肉團心 hṛd, the physical heart of sentient or nonsentient living beings, e. g. men, trees, etc. (2) 集起心 citta, the ālayavijñāna, or totality of mind, and the source of all mental activity. (3) 思量心 manas, the thinking and calculating mind; (4) 緣慮心; 了別心; 慮知心; citta; the discriminating mind; (5) 堅實心 the bhūtatathatā mind, or the permanent mind; (6) 積聚精要心 the mind essence of the sutras. |
精 see styles |
jīng jing1 ching sei / se せい |
essence; extract; vitality; energy; semen; sperm; mythical goblin spirit; highly perfected; elite; the pick of something; proficient (refined ability); extremely (fine); selected rice (archaic) (1) spirit; sprite; nymph; (2) energy; vigor (vigour); strength; (3) fine details; (4) (See 精液) semen; (given name) Makoto Cleaned rice, freed from the husk, pure; essential, essence, germinating principle, spirit; fine, best, finest. |
満身 see styles |
manshin まんしん |
(1) the whole body; (can be adjective with の) (2) all one's (strength, anger, spirit, etc.); (surname) Mitsumi |
漑ぐ see styles |
sosogu そそぐ |
(Godan verb with "gu" ending) (1) to pour (into); to fill; (2) to sprinkle on from above; to shed (e.g. tears); (3) to concentrate one's spirit (strength, attention) on; (v5g,vi) (4) to fall onto (of rain, snow) |
潅ぐ see styles |
sosogu そそぐ |
(Godan verb with "gu" ending) (1) to pour (into); to fill; (2) to sprinkle on from above; to shed (e.g. tears); (3) to concentrate one's spirit (strength, attention) on; (v5g,vi) (4) to fall onto (of rain, snow) |
濺ぐ see styles |
sosogu そそぐ |
(Godan verb with "gu" ending) (1) to pour (into); to fill; (2) to sprinkle on from above; to shed (e.g. tears); (3) to concentrate one's spirit (strength, attention) on; (v5g,vi) (4) to fall onto (of rain, snow) |
灌ぐ see styles |
sosogu そそぐ |
(Godan verb with "gu" ending) (1) to pour (into); to fill; (2) to sprinkle on from above; to shed (e.g. tears); (3) to concentrate one's spirit (strength, attention) on; (v5g,vi) (4) to fall onto (of rain, snow) |
力づく see styles |
chikarazuku ちからづく |
(Godan verb with "ku" ending) to recover one's strength; to recover one's spirit; to revive; to be refreshed; to be invigorated; to be encouraged |
力付く see styles |
chikarazuku ちからづく |
(Godan verb with "ku" ending) to recover one's strength; to recover one's spirit; to revive; to be refreshed; to be invigorated; to be encouraged |
精疲力盡 精疲力尽 see styles |
jīng pí lì jìn jing1 pi2 li4 jin4 ching p`i li chin ching pi li chin |
spirit weary, strength exhausted (idiom); spent; drained; washed out |
精疲力竭 see styles |
jīng pí lì jié jing1 pi2 li4 jie2 ching p`i li chieh ching pi li chieh |
spirit weary, strength exhausted (idiom); spent; drained; washed out |
養精蓄銳 养精蓄锐 see styles |
yǎng jīng xù ruì yang3 jing1 xu4 rui4 yang ching hsü jui |
to preserve and nurture one's spirit (idiom); honing one's strength for the big push |
意気に感じる see styles |
ikinikanjiru いきにかんじる |
(exp,v1) to be positively affected by someone's strength of spirit |
Variations: |
chikarazuku ちからづく |
(v5k,vi) to regain one's strength; to recover one's spirit; to be invigorated; to be encouraged |
Variations: |
chikarazuku ちからづく |
(Godan verb with "ku" ending) to recover one's strength; to recover one's spirit; to revive; to be refreshed; to be invigorated; to be encouraged |
心有餘,力不足 心有余,力不足 see styles |
xīn yǒu yú , lì bù zú xin1 you3 yu2 , li4 bu4 zu2 hsin yu yü , li pu tsu |
The will is there, but not the strength (idiom, from Confucian Analects).; I really want to do it, but don't have the resources.; The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. |
心有餘而力不足 心有余而力不足 see styles |
xīn yǒu yú ér lì bù zú xin1 you3 yu2 er2 li4 bu4 zu2 hsin yu yü erh li pu tsu |
the will is there, but not the strength (idiom); the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak |
Variations: |
hairu はいる |
(v5r,vi) (1) (ant: 出る・1) to enter; to come in; to go in; to get in; to arrive; (v5r,vi) (2) to join (a club, company, etc.); to enter (a university, the army, etc.); to enroll (in); to go into (e.g. politics); to get into; (v5r,vi) (3) to be contained (in); to be included (in); to be inside (e.g. a box); to come under (a heading); to belong (in a category); (v5r,vi) (4) to (be able to) fit (in a container, building, etc.); to be (able to be) held; to be (able to be) accommodated; (v5r,vi) (5) to be introduced; to be brought in; to be installed; (v5r,vi) (6) to be received; to be obtained; (v5r,vi) (7) to be scored (of points); to be won (of votes); (v5r,vi) (8) to turn on; to start functioning; to start working; (v5r,vi) (9) to enter (a month, season, etc.); to reach (e.g. a climax); to get to (e.g. the main topic); to enter into (e.g. negotiations); to start (doing); to begin; (v5r,vi) (10) to form (of a crack, fissure, etc.); to develop; (v5r,vi) (11) to be put in (of effort, spirit, feeling, etc.); to be applied (e.g. of strength); (v5r,vi) (12) to be ready (of tea, coffee, etc.); to be made; (v5r,vi) (13) to enter the body (of alcohol); to become drunk |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Hapkido | 合氣道 合气道 | ai ki do / aikido | hé qì dào he2 qi4 dao4 he qi dao heqidao | ho ch`i tao hochitao ho chi tao |
Indomitable Persistence Fortitude | 不屈 | fukutsu | bù qū / bu4 qu1 / bu qu / buqu | pu ch`ü / puchü / pu chü |
Indomitable Unyielding | 不屈不撓 不屈不挠 | fu kutsu fu tou fukutsufutou fu kutsu fu to | bù qū bù náo bu4 qu1 bu4 nao2 bu qu bu nao buqubunao | pu ch`ü pu nao puchüpunao pu chü pu nao |
Spiritual Strength Strength of Spirit | 精神力量 | seishin rikiryou seishinrikiryou seishin rikiryo | jīng shén lì liàng jing1 shen2 li4 liang4 jing shen li liang jingshenliliang | ching shen li liang chingshenliliang |
Dragon | 龍 龙 | ryuu / tatsu ryu / tatsu | lóng / long2 / long | lung |
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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All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
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.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
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.
Some people may refer to this entry as Spirit Strength Kanji, Spirit Strength Characters, Spirit Strength in Mandarin Chinese, Spirit Strength Characters, Spirit Strength in Chinese Writing, Spirit Strength in Japanese Writing, Spirit Strength in Asian Writing, Spirit Strength Ideograms, Chinese Spirit Strength symbols, Spirit Strength Hieroglyphics, Spirit Strength Glyphs, Spirit Strength in Chinese Letters, Spirit Strength Hanzi, Spirit Strength in Japanese Kanji, Spirit Strength Pictograms, Spirit Strength in the Chinese Written-Language, or Spirit Strength in the Japanese Written-Language.
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