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1. Where there’s a will there’s a way
2. Where There is a Will, There is a Way
5. A Truly Determined Person Will Find a Solution
7. To a Willing Heart, All Things Are Possible
9. Not Only Can Water Float A Boat, It Can Sink It Also
persevere and you will succeed
精神一到何事か成らざらん is a Japanese expression that means “Where there is a will, there is a way. There are other Japanese phrases with similar meanings but this one is the most commonly used (according to the 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.
A determined effort can move a mountain
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 (some versions of the story have God seeing how determined the man was, and sending two angels to whisk the mountains away).
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
酒后吐真言 / 酒後吐真言 is a nice Asian proverb if you know a vintner or wine seller - or wine lover - although the actual meaning might not be exactly what you think or hope.
The literal meaning is that someone drinking wine is more likely to let the truth slip out. It can also be translated as “People speak their true feelings after drinking alcohol.”
It's long believed in many parts of Asia that one can not consciously hold up a facade of lies when getting drunk, and therefore the truth will come out with a few drinks.
I've had the experience where a Korean man would not trust me until I got drunk with him (I was trying to gain access to the black market in North Korea which is tough to do as an untrusted outsider) - so I think this idea is still well-practiced in many Asian countries.
Please note that there are two common ways to write the second character of this phrase. The way it's written will be left up to the mood of the calligrapher, unless you let us know that you have a certain preference.
The belief that where there's a will, there's a way.
根性論 is a Japanese title that refers to the belief that where there's a will, there's a way.
Another way to translate this is “The Guts Theory” or “The Doctrine of Will-Power.” Maybe breaking down the meaning of the characters will help clarify this:
根性 = will-power; guts; temper; nature; spirit; nature and character; the nature of the powers of any sense.
論 = theory; doctrine; treatises on dogma, philosophy, discipline, etc.
Where there is a will, there is a way
有志者事竟成 is an old Chinese proverb that has been translated many different ways into English. As you read the translations below, keep in mind that in Chinese, heart=mind.
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
Nothing is difficult to a willing heart.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Nothing in the world is impossible if you set your mind to doing it.
A willful man will have his way.
If you wish it, you will do it.
A determined heart can accomplish anything.
All things are possible with a strong mind.
何も不可能じゃない is a Japanese phrase that means “nothing is impossible.”
This is just one of a few ways to express this idea. This one is probably the most common but other valid versions include these:
何も不可能でない
何事も不可能ではない
Some shorter versions that just mean “not impossible” include these:
不不可能
不可能はない
Another common phrase that roughly means “No such thing as impossible” looks like this: 不可能なことはない
Some others include these...
Impossible things are possessed not by me: 無理なことなんてない
Where there's a will, there's a way: 精神一到何事か成らざらん
If you want any of these other versions for your wall scroll, just contact me and I'll set it up for you.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
Many things have opposite properties. The water you drink can also drown you. Pork may nourish you and keep you alive but under-cook it and it could kill you. Potassium nitrate is often used as a fertilizer to grow the food that sustains us but it's also been used as an explosive to topple buildings and destroy us.
This concept is easily associated with “yin yang” where an element has two opposite properties that are as different as night and day.
This proverb's meaning can be summed up this way: “Anything that can lead you to success may also contain great risks.”
This phrase is known in literary circles by Korean people (scholars or literature). It is therefore also a valid proverb in Korean Hanja, though most Koreans would not be able to make sense of it.
Please note that there is an unwritten rule when the same character appears twice in the same phrase, the calligrapher will alter the appearance so that no two characters are exactly alike in the same piece. This calligraphy has two repeating characters that will be written differently than they appear here.
東方自尊 is the universal way to write “Asian Pride.”
We worked on this one for a long time. The effort involved both Chinese and Japanese translators and lengthy discussions. If you have been searching for this term, there is a reason that it's hard to find the way to write “Asian Pride” in Chinese and Japanese - it's because of the inherent difficulties in figuring out a universal combination of characters that can be read in all languages that use forms of Chinese characters.
This final solution that you see to the left creates a reasonable title in Chinese and an exotic (perhaps unusual) title in Japanese (This could be read as “Eastern Self-Respect” in Japanese”).
Although not as natural, it does have the same meaning as Korean Hanja, and the older generation of Vietnamese people will be able to read it.
The first two characters literally mean “Oriental” and the second two mean “pride,” “self-esteem,” or “self-respect” (we chose the most non-arrogant way to say “pride”). If you have “Asian Pride” (sometimes spelled Asian Pryde) these are the characters for you.
Note: For those who wonder, there is nothing technically wrong with the word “Oriental.” It is a correct word, and any bad meanings were created by so-called “Asian Americans” and Caucasians in the United States. To say “Asian” would not completely correct the intended meaning since that would include people from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, India, and portions of Russia.
For further proof, if you were of East Asian ancestry and born in England, you would be known as a “British Oriental” (The “Oriental stigma” is basically an American creation and, therefore, applies mainly to the American English language - where they get a bit overzealous with political correctness).
Further, since the Chinese and Japanese word for Oriental is not English, they can not be construed as having ill meaning. On one trip to China or Japan, you will find many things titled with these two characters, such as malls, buildings, and business names. These places also use “Oriental” as their English title (much as we do since our Chinese business name starts with these same two characters).
In short, the first two characters have the meaning that Americans attach to “Asian” but is more technically correct.
It's Never Too Late Too Mend
Long ago in what is now China, there were many kingdoms throughout the land. This time period is known as “The Warring States Period” by historians because these kingdoms often did not get along with each other.
Sometime around 279 B.C. the Kingdom of Chu was a large but not particularly powerful kingdom. Part of the reason it lacked power was the fact that the King was surrounded by “yes men” who told him only what he wanted to hear. Many of the King's court officials were corrupt and incompetent which did not help the situation.
The King was not blameless himself, as he started spending much of his time being entertained by his many concubines.
One of the King's ministers, Zhuang Xin, saw problems on the horizon for the Kingdom, and warned the King, “Your Majesty, you are surrounded by people who tell you what you want to hear. They tell you things to make you happy and cause you to ignore important state affairs. If this is allowed to continue, the Kingdom of Chu will surely perish, and fall into ruins.”
This enraged the King who scolded Zhuang Xin for insulting the country and accused him of trying to create resentment among the people. Zhuang Xin explained, “I dare not curse the Kingdom of Chu but I feel that we face great danger in the future because of the current situation.” The King was simply not impressed with Zhuang Xin's words.
Seeing the King's displeasure with him and the King's fondness for his court of corrupt officials, Zhuang Xin asked permission from the King that he may take leave of the Kingdom of Chu, and travel to the State of Zhao to live. The King agreed, and Zhuang Xin left the Kingdom of Chu, perhaps forever.
Five months later, troops from the neighboring Kingdom of Qin invaded Chu, taking a huge tract of land. The King of Chu went into exile, and it appeared that soon, the Kingdom of Chu would no longer exist.
The King of Chu remembered the words of Zhuang Xin and sent some of his men to find him. Immediately, Zhuang Xin returned to meet the King. The first question asked by the King was “What can I do now?”
Zhuang Xin told the King this story:
A shepherd woke one morning to find a sheep missing. Looking at the pen saw a hole in the fence where a wolf had come through to steal one of his sheep. His friends told him that he had best fix the hole at once. But the Shepherd thought since the sheep is already gone, there is no use fixing the hole.
The next morning, another sheep was missing. And the Shepherd realized that he must mend the fence at once. Zhuang Xin then went on to make suggestions about what could be done to reclaim the land lost to the Kingdom of Qin, and reclaim the former glory and integrity of the Kingdom of Chu.
The Chinese idiom shown above came from this reply from Zhuang Xin to the King of Chu almost 2,300 years ago.
It translates roughly into English as...
“Even if you have lost some sheep, it's never too late to mend the fence.”
This proverb, 亡羊补牢犹未为晚, is often used in modern China when suggesting in a hopeful way that someone change their ways, or fix something in their life. It might be used to suggest fixing a marriage, quitting smoking, or getting back on track after taking an unfortunate path in life among other things one might fix in their life.
I suppose in the same way that we might say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” in our western cultures to suggest that you can always start anew.
Note: This does have Korean pronunciation but is not a well-known proverb in Korean (only Koreans familiar with ancient Chinese history would know it). Best if your audience is Chinese.
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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 | |
Where there’s a will there’s a way | 有志竟成 | yǒu zhì jìng chéng you3 zhi4 jing4 cheng2 you zhi jing cheng youzhijingcheng | yu chih ching ch`eng yuchihchingcheng yu chih ching cheng |
|
Where There is a Will, There is a Way | 精神一到何事か成らざらん | seishin ittou nanigoto ka nara zaran seishin itto nanigoto ka nara zaran | ||
Where There is a Will, There is a Way | 愚公移山 | yū gōng yí shān yu1 gong1 yi2 shan1 yu gong yi shan yugongyishan | yü kung i shan yükungishan |
|
In Wine there is Truth | 酒后吐真言 / 酒後吐真言 酒后吐真言 | jiǔ hòu tǔ zhēn yán jiu3 hou4 tu3 zhen1 yan2 jiu hou tu zhen yan jiuhoutuzhenyan | chiu hou t`u chen yen chiuhoutuchenyen chiu hou tu chen yen |
|
Love Will Find A Way | 有情人終成眷屬 有情人终成眷属 | yǒu qíng rén zhōng chéng juàn shǔ you3 qing2 ren2 zhong1 cheng2 juan4 shu3 you qing ren zhong cheng juan shu | yu ch`ing jen chung ch`eng chüan shu yu ching jen chung cheng chüan shu |
|
A Truly Determined Person Will Find a Solution | 有志者事竟成 | yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng you3 zhi4 zhe3 shi4 jing4 cheng2 you zhi zhe shi jing cheng youzhizheshijingcheng | yu chih che shih ching ch`eng yuchihcheshihchingcheng yu chih che shih ching cheng |
|
The Guts Theory | 根性論 | kon jou ron konjouron kon jo ron | ||
To a Willing Heart, All Things Are Possible | 有志者事竟成 / 有誌者事竟成 有志者事竟成 | yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng you3 zhi4 zhe3 shi4 jing4 cheng2 you zhi zhe shi jing cheng youzhizheshijingcheng | yu chih che shih ching ch`eng yuchihcheshihchingcheng yu chih che shih ching cheng |
|
Nothing is Impossible | 何も不可能じゃない | nan mo fukanou janai nanmofukanoujanai nan mo fukano janai | ||
Not Only Can Water Float A Boat, It Can Sink It Also | 水能載舟亦能覆舟 水能载舟亦能覆舟 | shuǐ néng zài zhōu yì néng fù zhōu shui3 neng2 zai4 zhou1 yi4 neng2 fu4 zhou1 shui neng zai zhou yi neng fu zhou | shui neng tsai chou i neng fu chou | |
Asian Pride Oriental Pride AZN Pryde | 東方自尊 东方自尊 | tou hou zi son touhouzison to ho zi son | dōng fāng zì zūn dong1 fang1 zi4 zun1 dong fang zi zun dongfangzizun | tung fang tzu tsun tungfangtzutsun |
Better Late Than Never | 亡羊補牢猶未為晚 亡羊补牢犹未为晚 | wáng yáng bǔ láo yóu wèi wéi wǎn wang2 yang2 bu3 lao2 you2 wei4 wei2 wan3 wang yang bu lao you wei wei wan | wang yang pu lao yu wei wei wan wangyangpulaoyuweiweiwan |
|
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 Where There is a Will There is a Way Kanji, Where There is a Will There is a Way Characters, Where There is a Will There is a Way in Mandarin Chinese, Where There is a Will There is a Way Characters, Where There is a Will There is a Way in Chinese Writing, Where There is a Will There is a Way in Japanese Writing, Where There is a Will There is a Way in Asian Writing, Where There is a Will There is a Way Ideograms, Chinese Where There is a Will There is a Way symbols, Where There is a Will There is a Way Hieroglyphics, Where There is a Will There is a Way Glyphs, Where There is a Will There is a Way in Chinese Letters, Where There is a Will There is a Way Hanzi, Where There is a Will There is a Way in Japanese Kanji, Where There is a Will There is a Way Pictograms, Where There is a Will There is a Way in the Chinese Written-Language, or Where There is a Will There is a Way in the Japanese Written-Language.