Emotions in Chinese / Japanese...

灰 is the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word for ash or ashes.

This can also refer to dust, lime, or gray. When speaking of emotions in Chinese, it can refer to being discouraged or dejected.

In Japanese, this can be the surname, Hai.

人情 is a title that can apply to a lot of meanings, including humanity, empathy, kindness, sympathy, human nature, human emotions, or human interaction.

略跡原情 is a Chinese proverb that means “to overlook past faults,” or “forgive and forget.”

It's more literally, “Abridge or make small the scars from your past emotions.” You should let it go.

The character breakdown:
略 (lüè) abbreviation; omission; abridge.
跡 (jī) ruins; scar; traces.
原 (yuán) former.
情 (qíng) feeling; emotion.

鐵心 can be translated as “iron heart,” “steel core,” or “iron mind” in Chinese and Japanese Kanji.

This is not a common term, but I added it here since so many were looking for “iron heart.” This is almost like saying you are without emotions or feelings - a very stoic person. This is not a Buddhist trait.

情義 means to love and honor in Chinese. 情義 is more or less the kind of thing you'd find in marriage vows.

The first character suggests emotions, passion, heart, humanity, sympathy, and feelings.

In this context, the second character means to honor your lover's wishes and treat them justly and righteously (fairly). That second character can also be translated as “obligation,” as in the obligation a husband and wife have to love each other even through difficult times.

In the context outside of a couple's relationship, this word can mean “comradeship.”

Japanese may see this more as “humanity and justice” than “love and honor.” It's probably best if your target is Chinese.

This is the short and sweet form, there is also a longer poetic form (you can find it here: Love and Honor if it’s not on the page you are currently viewing).

See Also:  Love and Honor

深情厚義 means to love and honor.

This is more or less the kind of thing you'd find in marriage vows.

The first two characters suggest deep love or deep emotions, passion, and feelings.
The last two characters mean generous justice or thick honor (the third character is an adjective that means generous or thick). It just means that you will honor your lover's wishes and treat them justly and righteously (fairly).

This is the longer four-character version, there is also a short and sweet two character version.

See Also:  Love and Honor

情欲 can be defined as lust, sexual desire, sensual desire, carnal desire, carnal passions, sexual desire, and passion.

The first character means feeling, emotions, passionate, sympathy, affection, love, compassion, tender feelings, and sometimes circumstances or facts.

The second character means desire, longing, appetite, wish, covetousness, greed, passion, desire, and craving.

This word is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.

身心靈 is probably the best way to express the idea of “Body, Mind, and Spirit” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word “heart” here because, for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings, and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say “warm-hearted” or “I love you with all of my heart.” In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.

The very literal translation of these three characters is “body, heart & spirit,” which could also be interpreted as “body, mind & soul.”

We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply “feels” like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we must be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).

In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.

Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.

This translates as “the pathos of things,” “an empathy toward things,” or “a sensitivity to ephemera.”

物の哀れ is a Japanese proverb for the awareness of impermanence, or transience of things.

Both things and the emotions about those things do not last forever.

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

The idea of 心德 or “morality of mind” goes along with 行德 or “wu de” (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).

Here, the first character is a representation of your heart or mind.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.

This can also be translated as “morality of heart,” “virtue of heart,” or “virtue of the mind.”

Since ancient times in Asia, the idea of your mind (where your soul resides and your thought originates) has been associated with the heart. Just as in western culture, where we say “it comes from the heart” or “heartfelt emotions,” there is a belief that your heart and mind are one and the same (medical science now begs to differ).

See Also:  Morality of Deed | Martial Morality

情 means feelings, emotions, passions, and sometimes refers to the situation you are in (with your emotions).

At least, this is the definition in Chinese and Japanese. This word is a bit stronger in Korean Hanja, where it means affection, love, compassion, sympathy, tender feelings, and emotions. Just as in Chinese and Japanese, this can also refer to your circumstances or your facts of life in Korean.
情 is also the original Korean Hanja for the surname Jeong (정).

In Japanese, this can be the surname Sei.

思い切り can be translated as “with all one's strength,” “with all one's heart,” “to the limits of your heart,” or “to the end of your heart/emotions.”

The character breakdown:
思い (omoi) thought; mind; heart; feelings; emotion; sentiment; love; affection; desire; wish; hope; expectation; imagination; experience
切り (kiri) bounds; limits.

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

幽靜的午夜 is a way to express the emotions that you might feel at midnight.

Beyond peaceful, quiet, or tranquil, there is an idea of being remote or lonesome, buried in the meaning of the first two characters.

四無量心 is the cattāri brahmavihārā or catvāri apramāṇāni.

The four immeasurables, or infinite Buddha-states of mind. These four dhyānas include:
1. 慈無量心 boundless kindness, maitrī, or bestowing of joy or happiness.
2. 悲無量心 boundless pity, karuṇā, to save from suffering.
3. 喜無量心 boundless joy, muditā, on seeing others rescued from suffering.
4. 捨無量心 limitless indifference, upekṣā, i.e., rising above these emotions or giving up all things.

不動解脫 is a Buddhist term that refers to liberation from being disturbed by the illusions of life.

In short, this can be called “immovable liberation.”

This allows one to remain unaffected by the impermanent things such as emotions, attachments, desires, and greed of the world.