セージ is the name Sage in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

哲 is a Japanese name that is often romanized as Tetsu.

The meaning of the character can be: philosophy; wise; sage; wise man; philosopher; disciple; sagacity; wisdom; intelligence.

哲 can also be romanized as: Yutaka; Masaru; Hiroshi; Tooru; Tetsuji; Choru; Satoru; Satoshi; Akira; Aki.

老師 directly translates as “old teacher,” “old master,” or “old sage.”

Together, they are understood as “teacher.” When you think about that, also realize that with age comes respect in Asian cultures. So calling someone old is a term of respect (not like the way we mean it in English). You could replace “old” with “respected” and be closer to how this is meant in Chinese.

Teachers, in general, are more respected by their students and the population in China. When I was a teacher in China, I certainly felt that.

This term is also used for masters of certain fields. For instance, a master calligrapher would respectfully be addressed as a “teacher.” In this case, “master” and “teacher” are synonymous.

Other artists (especially those who are famous or accomplished) should be addressed with this term. Also, some martial arts schools use this term of respect for their masters/teachers/instructors.

This title is recognized in Japanese as "roushi" with the same meaning but it’s rarely used in Japan.

聖人 can mean saint, sage, or holy man.

Note: There is more than one way to express this idea. This one really matches “Holy man” because the second character means “human” or “person” (therefore, this could equally mean “Holy woman”).

聖 is the simple, single-character religious form of “saint” in Chinese (also holds the same meaning in Japanese and Korean, though rarely used alone like this).

This can also mean holy, sage, master, or priest.
Note: 聖 is often used in compound words (words of more than one character) to create further meanings. In compounds, it can mean holy, sacred, or divine.

聖 is also used as the first word for Spanish and English place names such as “San Diego” and “St. Louis” in Chinese (not Japanese).

In the Buddhist context, this can represent ārya or sādhu. And mean a sage; wise and good; upright, or correct in all his character; sacred, holy, or saintly.

孔子 is how to write the name of the great sage, known in the West as Confucius.

His real name is Kongzi (The name Confucius is a westernized version of his name - his family name is Kong, and “zi” was added as a title of distinction).

He lived some 2500 years ago in Qufu, a town in modern-day Shandong Province of Northern China (about 6 hours south of Beijing by bus). He was a consort to Emperors, and after his death, the impact of his philosophies still served to advise emperors, officials, and common people for generations.

Also during these thousands of years, the Kong family remained powerful in China, and the Kong estate was much like the Vatican in Rome. The Kong estate existed as if on sovereign ground with its own small garrison of guards and the privileges of a kingdom within an empire.

This was true up until the time the Kong family had to flee to Taiwan in 1949 when the Red Army took victory over the Nationalists during the Revolution. The home of Confucius was later razed and all statues were defaced or stolen during the Cultural Revolution. Finally, after years of smearing his name and image, it is once again okay to celebrate the teachings of Confucius in mainland China.

Known as Khổng Tử in Vietnamese.

聖者 is the religious way to express the idea of “Saint” in Chinese, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

Some may translate this as “Holy man” or “Holy person.”

聖書 is how to write Bible in Japanese.

The first character means Holy, sacred, saint, or sage.
The second character means book (can also mean scroll or letter).

See Also:  Christian | Disciple

仙女 is a Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja way to write fairy or nymph.

This can also be translated as a female elf or female sage.

In Japanese, this can be the female given name, Sennyo.

賢 is used to refer to being a wise, trustworthy, and virtuous person. But it also contains the ideas of intelligence, genius, scholarship, virtue, sage, saint, good, and excellent in character.

賢 is used in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja. Also used in a Buddhist context with the same meaning.

Note: Can also be the male given name, Masaru, in Japanese.

諸葛亮 is the name Zhuge Liang, written in Chinese.

Zhuge Liang lived from 181 to 234 A.D.
He was a military leader and prime minister of Shu Han (蜀漢) during the Three Kingdoms period.
He was the main hero of the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms.
He is considered a famous sage, philosopher, and military genius.

劍聖 is about the closest you can get to juggernaut in Chinese.

This more literally means “Sage of the Sword,” “Master Swordsman,” or “Sword Saint.” In Chinese terms, such a person with a divine mastery of the sword is unstoppable. Thus, the meaning of juggernaut can be derived from this term.

There is a very similar Japanese word (a slight variation on the first character) that means “Sword Saint” or “Kensei.”

聖靈 is the title for the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost as used by Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant (and other Christian) Chinese people.

And yes, Chinese Jews do exist, but there are not many of them.

The first character means Holy, Sacred, Saint, or Sage. The second means ghost, spirit, efficacious, or intelligence.

This is valid in Chinese characters and old Korean Hanja. This will be recognized in Japan but see the note below...

In modern Japan, they now use a variant/simplified Kanji of the second character of Holy Spirit. If you want this Japanese version, click on the Kanji to the right instead of the button above.

釋迦牟尼 is a transliteration of “Shakyamuni” or “Sakyamuni” in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

The perceived meaning of the name is roughly translated as “Sage of the Sakyas.”
This same Buddha is also known as “Siddhartha Gautama,” “Gotama Buddha,” “Tathagata,” or simply, “The Supreme Buddha.”

Shakyamuni is the legendary man and prince who eventually established the Buddhist religion.

Note: Occasionally Romanized as “Siddhattha Gotama.”

This combination of characters is sometimes seen and used in South Korea and Japan as well (with the same meaning).

Note: 釋迦牟尼 came from the Sanskrit शाक्यमुनि and can also be romanized with diuretics as Śākyamuni.

孟子 is the name Mencius in Chinese.

Mencius had the name “Mèng Kē” (孟軻) at birth. This later changed to Mèng Zǐ (孟子). He lived between 372 and 289 BCE.

Mencius was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been referred to as the “Second Sage” following Confucius himself.

For disambiguation, one of the classic books of Confucianism is also titled 孟子.

Romanization of Mencius from Chinese includes Meng Tsu, Mengzi, and his original name Mengke or Meng Ko. In Japanese, he is Mōshi or Moushi.

聖心会 is the Japanese martial arts title “Seishinkai” or “Seishin-Kai.”

It literally means “Sacred Heart Association” or “Pure-Heart Club.”

聖 can mean holy, sacred, saint, sage, virtuous, expert, wise and good, upright, or correct.
心 can mean heart, mind, center, core, spirit, soul, or vitality.

聖心 creates a word meaning sacred heart, or the holy mind (that of Buddha).
会 in Japanese means association, club, meeting, assembly, party, gathering, conference, athletic meet, or society.

Chapter 27 of the Daodejing reveals a profound truth about mastery: the highest skill leaves no trace, requires no force, and appears almost invisible.

善行無轍跡， 善言無瑕謫， 善數不用籌策， 善閉無關鍵而不可開， 善結無繩約而不可解。 是以聖人常善救人， 故無棄人； 常善救物， 故無棄物。 是謂襲明。 故善人者，不善人之師； 不善人者，善人之資。 不貴其師，不愛其資， 雖智大迷， 是謂要妙。

The sage moves through life with such natural harmony that nothing seems imposed; doors need no locks, knots require no rope, and actions leave no mark behind.

This is the essence of wúwéi (effortless action), where true ability arises from deep alignment with the Tao rather than deliberate effort.

At its heart, this chapter teaches compassion without exception. The sage “abandons no one and nothing,” recognizing value in all people and all things. Even those who seem flawed or unrefined are not rejected, but understood as part of a greater whole with each person both a student and a teacher in the unfolding of life.

Laozi reminds us that wisdom is not about perfection or control, but about subtle awareness. The truly skilled individual does not rely on tools, rules, or rigid structures; instead, they embody an intuitive understanding that makes their actions naturally complete.

In this way, excellence becomes quiet, effortless, and beyond imitation.

This teaching also reflects a deeper philosophical insight: Opposites are interdependent. The “good” person learns from the “not good,” and the “not good” provides the material for growth. To reject either is to misunderstand the balance of existence itself.

As calligraphy, Daodejing Chapter 27 serves as a reminder to cultivate inner mastery rather than outward display. It is a meditation on refinement, humility, and the quiet power of skill perfected through harmony with the natural order.

Note: The Chinese text used here is based on the early Mawangdui silk manuscript tradition (2nd century BCE). The Guodian manuscripts do NOT preserve Chapter 27 in full form.

聖經 is how to write Bible in Chinese.

The first character means Holy, sacred, saint, or sage.
The second character means sacred book or scripture.

Each Sunday morning, if you are near a Catholic or Protestant Church, you will see plenty of Chinese people carrying their Bibles. Virtually every large or medium city in China has at least one Christian church. Beijing has about 14 Christian churches of Catholic and various Protestant denominations. That number doubles if you count all the church services that are for foreigners only and doubles again if you count all of the underground Christian Churches. Many Embassies (Canadian, Italian, French, etc.) offer Protestant and Catholic services. However, the U.S. Embassy is the most unfriendly in all of China, offering no such religious services, regularly denying entry, and kicking out Americans and others, whether or not they have official business.

See Also:  Christian | Disciple

信言不美美言不信知者不博博者不知善者不多多者不善聖人無積既以為人己癒有既以予人矣已癒多故天之道利而不害聖人之道為而不爭 is the Mawangdui version of Daodejing chapter 81.