Strength Lies Within in Chinese / Japanese...

nèi lì

nai ryoku

내력

內力 is the shorter version of inner-strength (can also be translated as "internal force"). The first character holds the meaning of "inner" or "internal." The second character means "power," "force" or "strength."

內力 is kind of a Kung Fu way of talking about an inner power or strength from within. 內力 is sort of a way to express "inner-chi." 內力 is clearly something that you might hear in a real Chinese Kung Fu movie.

While understood in both Chinese and Japanese, this can have a secondary meaning of "inner stress" in Japanese.

nèi zài lì liàng

내재력량

內在力量 is the slightly-verbose way to say inner-strength.

The first two characters mean "intrinsic" or "inner." The second two characters mean "power," "force" or "strength" (especially physical strength). 內在力量 is more a short phrase rather than just a word in Chinese and Korean. This can sort of be understood in Japanese but it's not normal/proper Japanese.

zì qiáng

자강

自強 is the kind of inner-strength that applies to a person who has will-power and can inspire themselves to do great things.

自強 can also be the creed of a person that always pursues self-improvement.

Other translations: self-strengthening, striving for improvement, self-improvement, strive to become stronger, and self-renewal.

biǎo zhuàng bù rú lǐ zhuàng

表壯不如里壯 literally translates as: [Better to be] strong inside than [to be] strong outside.

The ancient original meaning was:
[An] able [husband] outside [working to support a family is] not as good as [an] able [wife] inside [working and saving to take care of the family].

The current meaning is:
Inner strength is more important than outward appearance.

naimen no tsuyosa ha gaiken no yosa ni masaru

This Japanese proverb literally translates as "inner/internal strength/power [versus] outward-appearance [the] merit/virtue/good quality [does] excel/surpass/exceed/outweigh."

More naturally in English, this would be "Inner Strength Outweighs Outward Appearance."

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

zì qiáng bú xī

This proverb or idiom suggests that the pursuit self-improvement is eternal. It can also be a suggestion to strive unremittingly in life.

The first two characters mean inner-strength with the idea of self-improvement. The last two characters mean "never rest" or "striving without giving up."

Some will translate these four characters as, "Exert and strive hard without any let up."

nèi jiàn

內健 is an old Chinese word meaning inner strength, or inner health.

It's the idea of health and well-being starting or residing from inside yourself. Also defined as fortitude within the context of good health.