Fall Down Seven Times Get Up Eight in Chinese / Japanese...

黑八馬 means “eight black horses” in Chinese.

This is an unusual title for calligraphy, but several people have searched for it, so we added it.
Eight horses are a sign of success in business in Chinese culture.

秋 is the word/character used to describe the Autumn or Fall season in Chinese and Japanese.

See Also:  Winter | Spring | Summer | Four Seasons

In 632 BC, Duke Wen of the Kingdom of Jin was about to lead an army against the forces of the Kingdom of Chu.
The Duke asked one of his advisers, Jiu Fan, how they could win the impending battle, as they were drastically outnumbered.
Jiu Fan said, “All is fair in war,” and suggested a plan of dishonorable tactics (cheating).
The Duke was unsure of this advice, so he asked another adviser, Yong Ji, who replied, “If you catch fish by draining the pond, you can certainly get all the fish. But there will be no fish the following year. You can cheat this one time in battle, but such tactics can only be used once, as the enemy will be wise in future encounters.”

The Duke heard the words of his wiser adviser but cheated to gain victory in the battle. However, he rewarded Yong Ji more than Jiu Fan at the victory celebration, stating that while Jiu Fan's advice gained one victory, the wise words of Yong Ji would last forever.

This Chinese idiom/proverb is still used, over 2600 years later to remind people not to burn bridges, cheat, or dishonor themselves in exchange for a short-term gain while sacrificing the future.

竭澤而漁 is very similar to the meaning of the English phrase, “Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

八 is the number eight in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

八 is a strange selection for a wall scroll, so it's here mostly for reference. I guess it's OK if the number eight is important to you.

Because this character is rather simple (just two strokes), 捌 instead of 八 is an anti-fraud way to write eight on bank documents.

八仙 is the Chinese title for the Eight Immortals of Daoist / Taoist mythology.

In Japanese, this can be the given name Hassen.

猿も木から落ちる is the Japanese proverb, “Even monkeys fall from trees.”

It suggests that even the most skilled, can make a mistake in something they should be a master of. Or, to put it simply, “Anyone can make a mistake.”

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

七転八起 is a Japanese proverb that relays the vicissitudes of life, with the meaning “seven times down eight times up.”

Some would more naturally translate it into English as “Always rising after a fall or repeated failures” or compare it to the English, “If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again.”

The first Kanji is literally “7.” The second means “fall down” (sometimes this Kanji means “turn around,” “revolve” or “turn over” but in this case, it holds the meaning of “fall”). The third is “8.” And the last is “get up,” “rouse,” or “rise.”

Basically, if you fail 7 times, you should recover from those events and be prepared to rise an 8th time. This also applies if it is the world or circumstances that knock you down seven times...
...just remember that you have the ability to bounce back from any kind of adversity.

Note: This can be pronounced in two ways. One is “shichi ten hakki” or “shichitenhakki.” The other is “nana korobi ya oki” also written, “nanakorobi-yaoki.”

Special Note: The second character is a Kanji that is not used in China. Therefore, please select a Japanese calligrapher for this title.

This Japanese proverb can be translated as “flourish and wither, prosper and perish,” “life is full of fortune and misfortune,” or simply “vicissitudes of life.”

栄枯盛衰 / 榮枯盛衰 is about the rise and fall of human affairs or the ups and downs of life. Prosperity comes and goes, everything is fleeting and temporary, but like waves, another swell of prosperity may come.

Here's how the Kanji break down in this proverb:

栄 = prosper; thrive; flourish; boom.
枯 = wither; die.
盛 = prosperous; flourishing; thriving; successful; energetic; vigorous; enthusiastic.
衰 = become weaker; decline; get weak; die down; subside; abate; fail.

Notes: The original version of the first character looks like the image to the right. In modern Japan, they simplified that Kanji a bit into the version shown above. If you have a preference for which style is used for your calligraphy, please let me know when you place your order.

Apparently, with that original version of the first character, this is also used in Korean Hanja. However, I have not confirmed that it’s used in the same way or is widely-known in Korean.

花開花落 is a complete proverb that lightly speaks of the cycle of life, or how things come and go in life.

This is used as a metaphor to suggest that youth is a temporary state that in time will pass.

This can also be used to suggest that fortunes can come and go (everything is temporary).

Note: There are two very similar versions of this proverb. The other uses a word that means wither instead of fall.

花は咲き花は散る is a Japanese proverb about the cycle of life, or how things come and go in life.

This can be used to suggest that youth, fortune, and life can come and go (everything is temporary).

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

花落 means flower fall (closes and loses its petals).

It suggests nearing the end of something. A time that some might call “The sunset of life.” 花落 often follows 花開 or “flower open” to talk of the cycle of life.

We offer this as a possible companion to a “flower open” scroll (to be placed side by side or at either side of a doorway to say “things come and go” - a cool metaphor for a doorway). If placed in a doorway, it could be used to suggest to your guests that things bloom when they arrive through your door but wither when they leave (a great compliment).

See Also:  Flowers Bloom

容赦 is the kind of forgiveness that a king might give to his subjects for crimes or wrong-doings.

容赦 is a rather high-level forgiveness. Meaning that it goes from a higher level to a lower (not the reverse).

Alone, the first character can mean “to bear,” “to allow,” and/or “to tolerate,” and the second can mean “to forgive,” “to pardon,” and/or “to excuse.”

When you put both characters together, you get forgiveness, pardon, mercy, leniency, or going easy (on someone).

See Also:  Benevolence

百聞不如一見 is a Chinese proverb that means “Seeing once is better than hearing one hundred times” which is similar to the idea of “Seeing is believing.”

You can also get the idea, “Seeing for oneself is better than hearing from many others.”

If you break it down directly, you get “100 hears/listens (is) not as-good (as) one sight.”

This literally means an arrogant army is bound to lose.

The meaning is similar to “pride goes before a fall.”

Others may translate this as “defeat is inevitable for an overconfident army,” “being arrogant and overconfident inevitably leads to defeat,” or “pride comes before a fall.”

七 is the number 7 in Chinese, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji. I have no idea why you would want this as a calligraphy wall scroll but hundreds of visitors search for this number.

In Japanese, this character can be pronounced several different ways depending on context. It can be shichi / nana-, and a few others when combined with other characters.

There's just one way to pronounce this in Chinese. Korean also has just one pronunciation.

信仰希望慈善堅忍正義慎重節制 is a list in Chinese and Japanese Kanji of an interpretation of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

1. Faith is belief in God, and the right virtues.
2. Hope is taking a positive future view that good will prevail.
3. Charity is a concern for, and active helping of, others.
4. Fortitude is never giving up.
5. Justice is being fair and equitable with others.
6. Prudence is care of and moderation with money.
7. Temperance is moderation of needed things and abstinence from things that are not needed.

The full list is here. 信仰希望慈善堅忍正義慎重節制 is a word list, not a common phrase. While all Chinese and Japanese people will recognize the words in the list, they may not understand what the list is about (unless they are familiar with the Seven Heavenly Virtues).

don’t get this as a tattoo or anything like that without first consulting a native translator in the target language. These are fine for a wall scroll but a long discussion is needed before you commit to this for a lifetime inking commitment.

幸福の七カ条 is the title for the 7 rules of happiness in Japanese.

The rules themselves take up a lot of space:

1. 成功や栄誉や勝ち負けを目的に、ことを行ってはいけない。
2. しないではいられないことをし続けなさい。
3. 他人との比較ではない、あくまで自分の楽しさを追及すべし。
4. 好きの力を信じる。
5. 才能と収入は別、努力は人を裏切ると心得よ。
6. 怠け者になりなさい。
7. 目に見えない世界を信じる。

...so this title is probably all you need.

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

吃一塹長一智 is a Chinese proverb that means “Fall into a moat, and you will gain wisdom from the experience.”

It really suggests that the failures, troubles, frustrations, and setbacks that you encounter in your life are actually helping you to find wisdom. Some would also translate this proverb as “Learn from your mistakes” or “Learn from your experience.”

If you are studying Chinese, you will recognize the first character as “eat,” but in this case, it means to “experience” (as used in this proverb, it is suggesting that you have fallen into a moat and/or had a hard time crossing it).
Translated character by character, this whole proverb is, “Experience one moat, gain one wisdom/knowledge.”

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used phrase.