The Way in Chinese / Japanese...

dào

michi / -do

도

道 is the character "dao" which is sometimes written as "tao" but pronounced like "dow" in Mandarin.

道 is the base of what is known as "Taoism." If you translate this literally, it can mean "the way" or "the path."

Dao is believed to be that which flows through all things, and keeps them in balance. It incorporates the ideas of yin and yang (e.g. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)

The beginning of Taoism can be traced to a mystical man named
Lao Zi (604-531 BC), who followed, and added to the teachings of Confucius.

More about Taoism / Daoism here.

Note that this is pronounced "dou" and sometimes "michi" when written alone in Japanese but pronounced "do" in word compounds such as Karate-do and Bushido. It's also "do" in Korean.

Alternate translations and meanings: road, way, path; truth, principle province.

Important Japanese note: In Japanese, this will generally be read with the road, way, or path meaning. Taoism is not as popular or well-known in Japan, so that Daoist/Taoist philosophy is not the first thing a Japanese person will think of then they read this character.

See our Taoism Page

dào jiào

doukyou

도교

道教 is the title often used in both Chinese and Japanese to describe the beliefs or religion of Taoism / Daoism. The first character is simply "dao" and the second character can be translated as "teachings," "faith" or "doctrine."

chá dào

cha dou

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 preparing 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 Buddhist context with the same meaning of the Way of Tea.

wǔ shì dào

bu shi do

무사도

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

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

See Also:  Samurai | Warrior

jiàn dào

kendou

검도

Often associated with Kenjutsu, this word means "The way of the sword" in Japanese (and Korean with alternate form of the first character).
剱道 / 劍道 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

xíng dào

yukimichi

In Taoist and Buddhist context, this means to "Walk in the Way." In Buddhism, that further means to follow the Buddha truth. In some Buddhist sects, this can mean to make 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.

wǔ dǒu mǐ dào

gotobeidou

This Chinese and Japanese Kanji title means, "Way of the Five Pecks of Rice."

五斗米道 is a Taoist/Daoist movement which later became known as, "The Way of the Celestial Masters."

làng zhī dào

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, just sometimes romanized differently.

měng lóng guò jiāng

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

This actually 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.

lóng zhī dào

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.

táng shǒu dào

kara te do

당수도

唐手道 is the alternate title for Karate-do. This title uses a character 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."

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).

In Korean, this title represents a certain style of martial arts. From Korean, this 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.

zhōng chéng juàn shǔ

終成眷屬 is a Chinese proverb that translated roughly as, "Love will find a way to come together."

yǒu qíng rén zhōng chéng juàn shǔ

This is the long version of the Chinese proverb that translates as, "Where there are lovers, love will find a way (to come together)".

zhōng dào

chuu dou

중도

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

The expanded meaning can be moderation, 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. 中道 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, try not to do harm. If you do 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.

yín hé

ginga

은하

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.

yín hé xì

gingakei

은하계

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

yú gōng yí shān

우공이산

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.

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

norikaeru

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," "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 to change 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.

kodou

古道 is the Japanese word meaning "The Old Way." The first character literally 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 old road, ancient methods, ancient moral teachings, 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.

xíng bǎi lǐ zhě bàn jiǔ shí

This old Chinese proverb 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 really an ancient "Chinese mile" which is actually about half a kilometer - it just doesn't sound right to say "When walking 100 half-kilometers..."

shēng huó fǎ

seikatsuhou

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

This can also be translated 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.

yǒu zhì jìng chéng

This Chinese proverb means, "persevere and you will succeed."

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

seishin ittou nanigoto ka nara zaran

This Japanese expression means, "Where there is a will, there is a way. There are other Japanese phrases with similar meaning but this one is the most commonly used (according to 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.

chán dào

zen dou

선도

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

From 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.