Alone With Only Your Shadow for Company in Chinese / Japanese...

樂天 is about being optimistic and also making the best of whatever life throws at you.

This is hard to define. One dictionary defines this as “acceptance of fate and happy about it.” There is one English word equivalent, which is sanguinity or sanguinary.

You can also say that this means “Be happy with whatever Heaven provides,” or “Find happiness in whatever fate Heaven bestows upon you.” 樂天 suggests being an optimist in life.

Note: This is sometimes a given name in China.

Please note that Japanese tend to write the first character in a slightly-different form (as seen to the right). Let us know if you have a preference when you place your order.

獨自一人 means “alone” in the context of a person by himself/herself.

See Also:  I Miss You

獨自 is a Japanese word that means “alone” in the context of a person by himself/herself.

This can be translated as individual, solo, on one's own, or by oneself.

See Also:  I Miss You

煢煢孑立形影相吊 is a Chinese proverb about the state of being as alone as you possibly can be.

It can be translated as “Alone with only your shadow for comfort/company.”

See Also:  I Miss You

獨居 is a Chinese word that can be translated as to live alone, to live a solitary existence, solitude, solitary life, dwelling alone.

You might use a word like this regarding a hermit.

In modern Japan, and Simplified Chinese, they use the version of the first character shown to the right. If you want this version please click on the character to the right instead of the button above.

Any woman with affection for Asian art will love a gift of this Chinese proverb calligraphy on a wall scroll.

She will melt in your arms as you tell her the meaning of these characters.

Contained in this phrase is a reference to the most beautiful woman in Chinese history. Her name was Xi Shi, and she was known to have good looks that need not have fine robes or makeup. Her charms were so powerful that she brought down an entire kingdom (in a successful effort to bring honor and pride back to her people).

情人眼里出西施 is a great way to express that the woman in your life is your one love.

不能咬人就别龇牙 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: [if you] can't bite people, don't bare [your] teeth.

Figuratively, this means: Don't show your anger if you can't do anything about the situation.

Some will also say this means “Don't start a fight that you cannot win.” Others will say it means that you must be willing to back up your words (perhaps with your fists).

選擇自己的命運 means “Choose your destiny” or “pick your own fate” in Chinese.

Let's break down the words in this phrase here...
選擇 means to choose, pick, or select.
自己 means oneself or one's own.
的 is a possessive modifier.
命運 means fate or destiny.

從事/従事 is often used to describe the devotion someone has to their profession - However, it can just mean career, depending on context.

We don't highly recommend this selection for a wall scroll.

In more simple terms, this word also means undertake / to deal with / to handle / to do. It does not have to refer to a career issue, as it could be used to encourage someone that is beginning their university studies etc.

This kind of makes sense in Japanese, however, there is a slight deviation in the way they write the first Kanji in Japanese.

Please note that Japanese use an alternate version of the first character. Click on the character to the right if you want the Japanese version of this two-character Devotion-to-your-Profession calligraphy.

機不可失, 時不再來 is often translated as Opportunity Knocks Only Once in Chinese.

The more literal meaning is, “This chance is not to be lost, it won't come again.”

大志を抱く is a Japanese proverb that suggests you should embrace, pursue, and realize your ambitions.

The first part means ambitions or aspirations.

The last part means to embrace or to hold in your arms.

Here's the character breakdown:
大志 (taishi) ambition; aspiration.
を (o) particle
抱く (idaku) to embrace; to hold in the arms (e.g. a baby); to hug; to harbor/harbour; to bear (e.g., a grudge); to entertain (e.g., suspicion); to sleep with; to sit on eggs.

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

腳踏實地 is a four-character proverb that suggests that you should be practical, realistic, and grounded.

Some translate this as a suggestion to be down-to-earth.

The first character means “feet.”
The second means “step on” or “stand.”
The third means “solid,” “real,” or “true.”
The last character means “ground,” “earth,” or “terra.”

Literally, this means “[keep your] Feet Standing [on] Solid Ground.”

業影 is a Buddhist title that literally means “Karma Shadow.”

It figuratively means karma dogging one's steps like a shadow.

It's similar to the western idea of “karma is a bitch.”

宿業 is the Buddhist concept of Past Karma. Simply put, it's the sum of all the good and bad from all previous lives (perhaps earlier in your current life). This term is not commonly used outside of the Buddhist faith (you'll have a tough time finding a non-Buddhist Asian person that knows this word).

Other ways to translate this are “The karma of previous existence,” “The karma remaining from prior existences,” or simply “Former karma.”

See Also:  Buddhism

知彼知己百戰不殆 is from Sun Tzu's (Sunzi's) Art of War. It means that if you know and understand the enemy, you also know yourself, and thus with this complete understanding, you cannot lose.

This proverb is often somewhat directly translated as “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.”

It can also be translated as “If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can come out of hundreds of battles without danger,” or “Know your enemy, know yourself, and your victory will not be threatened.”

敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからず is the longer/full Japanese version of this proverb. This means “Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will not fear a hundred battles.”

Others will translate this as “Know thy enemy, know thyself, yields victory in one hundred battles.”

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

心を燃やせ is “Kokoro o Moyase” or “Set your heart ablaze” in Japanese.

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

前車之覆后車之鑒 is a Chinese proverb that suggests looking at the circumstances and toils of those you proceeded before you and learning from their experience.

This more literally means “the cart in front overturns, a warning to the following cart.”

This is figuratively translated as “draw a lesson from the failure of one's predecessor,” “learn from past mistakes,” or compared to the English idiom, “once bitten twice shy.”

Other more-direct translations:
Make the overturning of the chariot in front a warning for the chariot behind.
Learn caution through an unpleasant experience.
The wrecked coach in front should be a warning.
The overturned cart in front serves as a warning to the carts behind.

隨心而行 is the closest way to express this idea in Chinese. Literally translated, this phrase means “Allow your heart to dictate your behavior” or “Let your heart guide your conduct” in Chinese. You could also translate this as “follow your heart.” Or, with a bit of imagination, it could mean: “let your spirit be your guide.”

Note that in some cases, “heart” can mean “mind,” “soul” or even “spirit” in Chinese. In ancient China, it was thought that the big pumping organ in your chest was where your thoughts came from, or where your soul resides.
Ancient western thought followed a similar belief. Thus phrases like “I love you with all my heart” and “I give you my whole heart.”

気持ちに従う is a Japanese phrase that means follow your heart.

The first part of this Japanese proverb means feeling, sensation, or mood.

The second part suggests the following, abiding by, or listening to this inner feeling.

In this context, you could say it means your heart, as the whole proverb suggests that you follow the feelings that you have inside.

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

實現你的夢想 means “realize your dreams” or “live your dreams” in Chinese.

實現 means to achieve, to implement, to realize, or to bring about.

The characters 你的 effectively mean “your.”

夢想 means to dream, imagine, or have a vision.

爱在心里狠在面皮 literally translates as “Love [your] children in [your] heart, [but] be stern [with them] in [your] manner.”

This is a little like saying “Love your child but don't spare the switch.”

不干己事不张口一问摇头三不知 literally translates as [About] matters [that] don't concern [you], do not open [your] mouth, [and] when questioned, always shake [your] head “No.”

Figuratively, this means: It is best to remain reticent about other people's affairs and to refuse to make any comment on matters that don't concern you.

余計なお世話 suggests that you do not give unwanted help or advice to someone.

The Japanese characters break down this way:
余計 (yokei) too much, unnecessary, extraneous, abundance, surplus, excess, superfluity.
な (na) connecting article. お世話 (osewa) help, aid, assistance.

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

初心忘るべからず is an old Japanese proverb that suggests you try to never forget the enthusiasm you had as a child when you try new things (or even face the day-to-day). Basically, avoid having the mundane attitude that many people get with age.

You'll find this Japanese proverb translated in a few different ways. Here are some of them:
Don't forget your first resolution.
Never forget your childlike enthusiasm.
Forget not the beginner's mind.
Try never to lose your initial enthusiasm (freshness of attitude).

Note: This is sometimes written as 初心忘る可からず. The one shown above is used about 10x more often. There’s only one character difference between the two versions.

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

不怕路遠隻怕志短 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as “Fear not long roads; fear only short ambition,” or “Don't fear that the road is long, only fear that your will/ambition/aspiration is short.”

Figuratively, this means: However difficult the goal is, one can achieve it as long as one is determined to do so.

Others may translate the meaning as “Don't let a lack of willpower stop you from pressing onward in your journey.”

只有上帝能评判我 means “Only God can judge me” in Chinese.

神のみぞ知る means “Only God can judge me” in Japanese.

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

There are several ways to translate this ancient proverb. Translated literally and directly, it says, “Open roll has/yields benefit.”

To understand that, you must know a few things...

First, Chinese characters and language have deeper meanings that often are not spoken but are understood - especially with ancient texts like this. Example: It's understood that the “benefit” referred to in this proverb is to the reader's mind. Just the last character expresses that whole idea.

Second, Chinese proverbs are supposed to make you think and leave a bit of mystery to figure out.

Third, for this proverb, it should be noted that roll = book. When this proverb came about (about two thousand years ago), books were rolls of bamboo slips strung together. The first bound books like the ones we use today did not come about until about a thousand years after this proverb when they invented paper in China.

開卷有益 is a great gift for a bookworm who loves to read and increase their knowledge. Or for any friend that is or wants to be well-read.

Some other translations of this phrase:
Opening a book is profitable
The benefits of education.

This literally means “Chance, only once knocks [on the] door.”

愛別離苦 is a Buddhist term that refers to “the pain of separation from loved ones,” or “the suffering of being separated from those whom one loves.”

If you translate each character separately, you get, “love(s) separated [and] departed [yields] pain.”

The pain character can also be defined as anguish; suffering; distress; anxiety; worry; trouble; difficulty; hardship; bitterness; to suffer; anguish; distress; anxiety; worry; trouble; difficulty; bitterness; unhappiness; or misery.

誰言寸草心報得三春暉 is the last line of a famous poem. It is perceived as a tribute or ode to your parents or mother from a child or children that have left home.

The poem was written by Meng Jiao during the Tang Dynasty (about 1200 years ago). The Chinese title is “You Zi Yin” which means “The Traveler's Recite.”

The last line as shown here speaks of the generous and warm spring sunlight which gives the grass far beyond what the little grass can could ever give back (except perhaps by showing its lovely green leaves and flourishing). The metaphor is that the sun is your mother or parents, and you are the grass. Your parents raise you and give you all the love and care you need to prepare you for the world. A debt that you can never repay, nor is repayment expected.

The first part of the poem (not written in the characters to the left) suggests that the thread in a loving mother's hands is the shirt of her traveling offspring. Vigorously sewing while wishing them to come back sooner than they left.
...This part is really hard to translate into English that makes any sense but maybe you get the idea. We are talking about a poem that is so old that many Chinese people would have trouble reading it (as if it was the King James Version of Chinese).

捨生取義 is a Chinese proverb that comes from the philosopher Mencius.

It can be translated in a few different ways:
To give up life for righteousness.
To choose honor over life
Better to sacrifice one's life than one's principles.

大展宏圖 is a four-character proverb used in Chinese to mean “realize your ambitions” or “exhibit your ambition and success.”

It's used to talk about someone with great career ambitions. Almost literally, it expresses the idea of someone unfolding a great career like a map or a set of blueprint plans.

Very literally translated, these four characters mean “Great unfolding of a huge map” or “Great exhibition of a colossal plan.”

追尋夢想 means “pursue your dreams,” “follow your dreams,” or “chase your dreams” in Chinese.

The first two characters mean “to pursue,” “to track down,” or “to search for.”

The last two mean dreams. This version of dreams refers to those with an element of reality (not the dreams you have when you sleep but rather your aspirations or goals in life).

This title will tell everyone that you want to make your dreams come true.

See Also:  Pursuit of Happiness

夢を追い続ける is the Japanese way to express “pursue your dreams,” “follow your dreams,” or “chase your dreams.”

If you have dreams that you want to pursue and make true, this is the phrase for you.

The first character is “dream” or “dreams.” The rest of the characters establish the idea of chasing or pursuing.

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

See Also:  Pursuit of Happiness

可愛い子には旅をさせよ is a Japanese proverb that means “If you love your children, send them out on a journey into the world.”

This is kind of similar to the western phrase, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

More literally, this reads, “Cute child, a journey granted.”
That “granted” could also be understood as “should be initiated.”

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

影 means shadow in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Depending on the context, this can also mean silhouette, reflection, image, or presence.

影武者 is the title for Shadow Warrior in Chinese and Japanese.

This may refer to a few video games that share this English title, or a Japanese movie called Kagemusha.

If you are looking for the Japanese TV show, that was originally 影の軍団 (Kage no Gundan), which more literally means “Army of Shadows,” but was re-titled Shadow Warrior when released outside Japan in English.

In Japan, this title can also refer to a body double or decoy of an army general or leader used to avoid assassination. It can also be somebody who does all the work (or fighting) behind the scenes (not getting much, if any, credit).

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.

不眠之夜长久交知人心 literally translates as: [Only one who does] not sleep, learns how long the night is; [Only by] long acquaintance [does one] learn a person ['s true] character.

Basically, this proverb suggests that we really need to experience something intimately and for a long time to really know everything about it.

This can also be translated as “Spending years with someone is the only way to know them.”

Note: Sometimes this proverb is split into just the first or second idea alone (first 5 or last 5 characters only).

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.

視卒如嬰兒故可以與之赴深溪視卒如愛子故可與之俱死 is an entry from the 10th section within the Earth/Terrain chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

This is often translated as “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”

This means “Trust Your Heart” in Chinese.

人生で一番大事な日は二日ある。生まれた日と、なぜ生まれたかを分かった日 is Mark Twain's quote, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why” in Japanese.

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

生命隻有一次 is the translation to Chinese of the popular English phrase, “You only live once.”

This is a more modern idea for Chinese people. The reason is, most Chinese people were taught quite the opposite idea from Buddhism.

一度だけ生きる is the simplest Japanese phrase that means “[you] only live once” or “only one [life] to live.”

The first four characters create a word that means “only once.”
The last three characters create a word that means “to live” or “to exist.”

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

不怕人老只怕心老 literally translates as: Do not be concerned about being old; be concerned about a mind which is old.

Figuratively, this means: You are not as old as you look, you are only as old as you think you are.

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.

More about the famous warrior and army general, Yue Fei