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5. Tathata / Ultimate Nature of All Things
6. Knowledge of Ultimate Truth
7. Ultimate Loyalty to Your Country
8. Paramartha
9. True Essence
10. Five Elements Tai Chi Fist
11. The True and Complete Enlightenment
12. Enlightenment
13. The Supreme Mahayana Truth
14. Takemusu
15. Kyokushin
16. Spiritual Peace / Enlightened Peace
17. Fighter
18. Empress
19. A Traditional Warm Welcome
Quote from Lao Tzu
真如 comes from the Sanskrit and Pali word often romanized as “tathata” or “tathatā.” Originally written, “तथता.”
It's a Buddhist term often translated as “thusness” or “suchness,” but this does not explain it.
A better explanation may be “the ultimate nature of all things” or “ultimate truth.” However, this gives it too strong of a feeling. This concept is sometimes described as being in awe of the simple nature of something - like a blade of grass blowing in the wind or ripples on water. It is what it is supposed to be, these things follow their nature. Amazing in their mundane simplicity.
Every sect of Buddhism will have a slightly different flavor or explanation, so don't get fixated on one definition.
Notes: Sometimes Buddhists use the word dharmatā, a synonym to tathatā.
In Japan, this can also be the female given name Mayuki, or the surname Majo.
眞智 can mean the wisdom or knowledge of ultimate truth.
眞智 is also the absolute knowledge of the non-thing or that which is immaterial. This makes more sense when you consider that true wisdom includes the knowledge of both the real and unreal, or what is material and immaterial.
In Japan, 眞智 (Masatoshi) can also be a given name.
The most famous tattoo in Chinese history
盡忠報國 is a proverb that is the tattoo worn on the back of Yue Fei, a famous Chinese warrior who lived until 1142 A.D.
The tattoo can be translated as “Serve the country with the utmost loyalty.” More literally, it means “[The] Ultimate Loyalty [is too] Duty [of] Country.”
Legend has it that this tattoo once saved his life when he was accused of treason.
The first two characters have come to create a word that means “serve the country faithfully” or “die for the country.” Note: It's more a willingness to die for one's country than the actual act of dying.
The last two characters have come to mean “Dedicate oneself to the service of one's country.”
Both of these words are probably only in the Chinese lexicon because of this famous tattoo.
If you break it down, character-by-character, here is what you get:
1. To the utmost, to the limit of something, the ultimate.
2. Loyalty or duty (a sense of duty to one's master, lord, country, or job).
3. Report, recompense, give back to (in this case, you are giving yourself to your country as payback).
4. Country, state, nation, kingdom.
波羅末陀 is the Chinese and Japanese way to write the ancient Sanskrit word Paramārtha or परमार्थ which now means the highest truth, ultimate truth, ultimate reality, or fundamental meaning.
Paramārtha is the name of a famous Buddhist monk born in 499 CE. Paramārtha traveled the world (including Cambodia and territories that are now part of China) to spread the teachings of Buddhism by translating scriptures into the local languages so the truth could be understood by the masses.
So, we should all want to be a Paramārtha who brings the ultimate truth, knowledge, and enlightenment to others.
五行太極拳 is a certain school or style of Tai Chi (Taiji).
The characters literally mean “Five Elements Tai Chi Fist.”
Notes:
In Taiwan, it would be Romanized as “Wu Hsing Tai Chi Chuan” - see the standard Mandarin method above in the gray box (used in mainland China and the official Romanization used by the Library of Congress).
The last three characters are sometimes translated as “Grand Ultimate Fist,” so the whole thing can be “Five Elements Grand Ultimate Fist” if you wish.
I have not confirmed the use of this title in Korean but if it is used, it's probably only by martial arts enthusiasts. The pronunciation is correct, as shown above for Korean.
大乘無上法 means the supreme Mahāyāna truth.
This refers to the ultimate reality in contrast with the temporary and apparent. Other translations include “the reliance on the power of the vow of the bodhisattva” or “the peerless great vehicle teaching.”
Note: This may suggest that Mahayana Buddhism, as practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other regions is superior (with subtle arrogance) to the original Theravada (or old school) Buddhism. Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists generally get along better than Catholics and Protestants, but there have been schisms.
極真 is the Japanese title Kyokushin.
The literal meaning is “great truth” or “ultimate truth.” However, 極真 is usually associated with the style of stand-up, full-contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達).
Practitioners of the Kyokushinkai Karate follow a philosophy of discipline and self-improvement.
These Japanese Kanji, 安心立命, can be translated as “religious enlightenment” or “spiritual peace gained through faith.”
Other dictionaries define as “spiritual peace and enlightenment” or “keeping an unperturbed mind through faith.”
My Buddhist dictionary defines it as “spiritual peace and realization of enlightenment.”
In the Zen school, this is about settling one's body and life; attaining complete peace, and establishing one's course of life in accord with the ultimate reality.
Warrior / Soldier
戰士 is how to write “fighter” in Chinese, ancient Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
The first character means war, warfare, or battle.
The second character means soldier, officer, man, or pawn.
戰士 can also mean soldier or warrior. Usually this will be read as “fighter” or “one who fights.” 戰士 is an odd selection for a wall scroll unless you are a boxer, ultimate fighter, or otherwise participate in combat sports.
Other translations include combatant or champion.
Note that after WWII, the first Kanji was reformed/simplified. This modern Japanese version is shown to the right. If you want this version, click on the Kanji to the right, instead of the button above.
皇后 is the title of empress/emperess, the female form of the emperor.
皇后 is used in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
While the emperor's reign was for life, if he died, his wife would hold his power. In this case, a woman was the ultimate ruler of the greater part of East Asia (now China) until her death and the succession of the emperor's firstborn son to lead the empire. Numerous times in various Chinese dynasties, an empress took power in this way.
The first character means emperor by itself.
The second character alone can mean “wife of an emperor or king” (the first character clarifies that we are talking about an empress and not a queen). It can also mean sovereign or last offspring, depending on context.
Note: In some books, this word is translated as queen. While only incorrect if you get technical (because an empress is theoretically a higher level than a queen), the meaning is very similar.
皇后 is sometimes used for the title of queen, but more technically, this is the wife of the emperor (a higher level than a queen).
歡迎光臨 would be the ultimate Chinese “welcome mat.” Except it will be on your wall, and people will not step on it.
In a somewhat literal translation, you could say it means “I feel happy as I welcome you, as you have brought a shining light to this place with your arrival,” or more simply, “I am happy you've come as your presents brightens up the place.”
It has become common for this greeting to be announced by the staff upon the arrival of any customer into a fancy store in China. You will also see these characters on the “welcome mats” in front of 4 and 5-star hotels in China.
Having this on a wall scroll is an extra nice touch. I have seen a few horizontal scrolls with this phrase on the wall behind the reception desk of better hotels or near the front door of fine shops. At the fanciest department stores and restaurants in China, several greeters (almost always young women) will stand by the front door, all wearing sashes with this phrase embroidered. As you walk in, they will bow and say “huan ying guang lin” to welcome you to the establishment.
Note: The first two and last two characters do make words in Korean Hanja but are seldom used as a sentence like this in Korean.
太極拳 is the famous Taoist meditation and martial art exercise. The direct translation of these characters would be something like “grand ultimate fist,” but that does not quite hit the mark for what this title really means.
An early-morning walk through any city in China near a park or an open area will yield a view of Chinese people practicing this ancient technique.
A typical scene is an old man of no less than 80 years on this earth, with a wispy white beard and perhaps a sword in one hand. He makes slow moves that are impossibly smooth. He is steady-footed and always in balance. For him, time is meaningless and proper form, and technique is far more important than speed.
For the younger generation, faster moves may look impressive and seem smooth to the casual observer. But more discipline and mental strength are needed to create perfectly smooth moves in virtual slow motion.
Note: There are two ways to Romanize these Chinese characters, as seen in the title above. The pronunciation and actual characters are the same in Chinese. If you really used English sounds/words to pronounce this, it would be something like “tie jee chew-on” (make the “chew-on” one flowing syllable).
虚実 is a Japanese word that means “falsehood [and] truth” or “fiction [and] fact.”
This concept is used in warfare, gameplay, and martial arts strategies. 虚実 can be a strategy of real and/or deceptive moves. This gets to some Sun Tzu Art of War stuff where in warfare a strategic move is either a real and serious move or it is a deceptive blow.
Let's explore each character in more depth:
虚 was originally written 虛 (there is a very subtle difference in the strokes at the bottom of the character) and means unpreparedness, falsehood, emptiness, void, abstract theory, empty or unoccupied, diffident or timid, false, humble or modest, virtual, or in vain.
In the Buddhist context, 虛 represents the Pali/Sanskrit word “śūnya,” meaning empty, vacant, unreal, unsubstantial, untrue, space, humble, or in vain.
In ancient Eastern/Chinese astronomy, 虛 represents the “Emptiness” constellation (one of the 28 mansions in the sky).
実 was originally 實 in Chinese (they currently write it as 实 in Simplified Chinese) with the meaning, truth, reality, sincerity, honesty, fidelity, and substance.
The Buddhist context is similar, adding real, true, honest, really, solid, definitely, sincere, solid, fixed, full, to fill, fruit, kernel, verily, in fact, the supreme fact, or ultimate reality to the definition.
These search terms might be related to Ultimate:
Best
Best / Number One
Best Friends
Best Friends / Buddies
Best Friends / Closest Friend
Best Love / Most Sincere Love
Brevity: Fewer Words Are Best
Doing Good is the Greatest Source of Happiness
Extreme / Intense
Extreme Faithfulness
Fundamental Principles of Tai Chi Chuan
Greatest Infinite Love
Greatest Love
Most Sincere Friend / Honest Friend / Real Friend / Best Friend
Simply the Best
The Supreme Mahayana Truth
Vital
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
| Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
| Enlightened Truth | 勝義諦 胜义谛 | shou gi tai shougitai sho gi tai | shèng yì dì sheng4 yi4 di4 sheng yi di shengyidi | sheng i ti shengiti |
| Ultimate Reality | 精眞 | shou shin / shoushin / sho shin | jīng zhēn jing1 zhen1 jing zhen jingzhen | ching chen chingchen |
| Ultimate Truth | 勝義 胜义 | shougi / shogi | shèng yì / sheng4 yi4 / sheng yi / shengyi | sheng i / shengi |
| Ultimate Goodness of Water | 上善若水 | shàng shàn ruò shuǐ shang4 shan4 ruo4 shui3 shang shan ruo shui shangshanruoshui | shang shan jo shui shangshanjoshui |
|
| Tathata Ultimate Nature of All Things | 真如 | shinnyo | zhēn rú / zhen1 ru2 / zhen ru / zhenru | chen ju / chenju |
| Knowledge of Ultimate Truth | 眞智 | masatoshi | zhēn zhì / zhen1 zhi4 / zhen zhi / zhenzhi | chen chih / chenchih |
| Ultimate Loyalty to Your Country | 盡忠報國 尽忠报国 | jìn zhōng bào guó jin4 zhong1 bao4 guo2 jin zhong bao guo jinzhongbaoguo | chin chung pao kuo chinchungpaokuo |
|
| Paramartha | 波羅末陀 波罗末陀 | ha ra ma da haramada | bō luó mò tuó bo1 luo2 mo4 tuo2 bo luo mo tuo boluomotuo | po lo mo t`o polomoto po lo mo to |
| True Essence | 真諦 真谛 | shintai / shintei | zhēn dì / zhen1 di4 / zhen di / zhendi | chen ti / chenti |
| Five Elements Tai Chi Fist | 五行太極拳 五行太极拳 | go gyou tai kyoku ken gogyoutaikyokuken go gyo tai kyoku ken | wǔ xíng tài jí quán wu3 xing2 tai4 ji2 quan2 wu xing tai ji quan wuxingtaijiquan | wu hsing t`ai chi ch`üan wuhsingtaichichüan wu hsing tai chi chüan |
| The True and Complete Enlightenment | 眞覺 眞觉 | shinkaku | zhēn jué / zhen1 jue2 / zhen jue / zhenjue | chen chüeh / chenchüeh |
| Enlightenment | 至眞覺 至眞觉 | shi shin kaku shishinkaku | zhì zhēn jué zhi4 zhen1 jue2 zhi zhen jue zhizhenjue | chih chen chüeh chihchenchüeh |
| The Supreme Mahayana Truth | 大乘無上法 大乘无上法 | dai jou mu jou hou daijoumujouhou dai jo mu jo ho | dà shèng wú shàng fǎ da4 sheng4 wu2 shang4 fa3 da sheng wu shang fa dashengwushangfa | ta sheng wu shang fa tashengwushangfa |
| Takemusu | 武産 | take musu / takemusu | ||
| Kyokushin | 極真 | kyoku shin / kyokushin | ||
| Spiritual Peace Enlightened Peace | 安心立命 | an jin ritsu myou anjinritsumyou an jin ritsu myo | ||
| Fighter | 戰士 战士 / 戦士 | sen shi / senshi | zhàn shì / zhan4 shi4 / zhan shi / zhanshi | chan shih / chanshih |
| Empress | 皇后 | kou gou / kougou / ko go | huáng hòu huang2 hou4 huang hou huanghou | |
| A Traditional Warm Welcome | 歡迎光臨 欢迎光临 | huān yíng guāng lín huan1 ying2 guang1 lin2 huan ying guang lin huanyingguanglin | huan ying kuang lin huanyingkuanglin |
|
| Tai Chi Chuan Tai Ji Quan | 太極拳 太极拳 | tai kyoku ken taikyokuken | tài jí quán tai4 ji2 quan2 tai ji quan taijiquan | t`ai chi ch`üan taichichüan tai chi chüan |
| Kyojitsu: Falsehood and Truth | 虚実 | kyo jitsu / kyojitsu | ||
| 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. | ||||
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
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 Ultimate Kanji, Ultimate Characters, Ultimate in Mandarin Chinese, Ultimate Characters, Ultimate in Chinese Writing, Ultimate in Japanese Writing, Ultimate in Asian Writing, Ultimate Ideograms, Chinese Ultimate symbols, Ultimate Hieroglyphics, Ultimate Glyphs, Ultimate in Chinese Letters, Ultimate Hanzi, Ultimate in Japanese Kanji, Ultimate Pictograms, Ultimate in the Chinese Written-Language, or Ultimate in the Japanese Written-Language.