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Quote from Confucius
This proverb, 志于道据于德依于仁游于艺, from the Analects of Confucius translates as:
Resolve yourself in the Dao/Tao/Way.
Rely on Virtue.
Reside in benevolence.
Revel in the arts.
According to Confucius, these are the tenets of good and proper conduct.
This was written over 2500 years ago. The composition is in ancient Chinese grammar and phrasing. A modern Chinese person would need a background in Chinese literature to understand this without the aid of a reference.
少林禪 translates as “Little Forest Meditation.”
少林禪 is part of a movement to provide spiritual and mental health by integrating the practices of martial arts and meditation.
More information at Shaolin Chan Foundation.
合気会 or “Aikikai” is the original school of Aikido.
Several organizations use this title. The first was established in Japan in 1940 (The Aikikai Foundation or 財団法人合気会).
The only difference between this title and Aikido is the last character, “kai” which means club, group, fraternity, organization, or assembly.
Note: 合気会 may be romanized with a dash like this: Aiki-Kai.
While hard to translate directly, 堅強生活 is the best way to write “Live Strong” in Chinese. If you are a cancer survivor or support Lance Armstrong's ideas, this is a nice selection for a wall scroll.
The first two characters mean strong or staunch. The last two mean living or life (daily existence). While the Chinese version is the reverse order of “Live Strong” it is the only way to write it in a natural form that is grammatically correct.
Note that we are in no way affiliated or connected to Lance or his foundation. This translation is offered because of multiple requests from customers whose philosophies or ideas match those of the Live Strong idea.
基督教 is the Chinese, Japanese and Korean word for “Christianity.”
Just as in English, this word is often used to mean “Protestant” but includes Catholics in the true definition.
It is the word used to refer to the whole “Christian religion” or “Christian Faith,” and therefore, it can be translated as “Christianity.” However, used as an adjective in regard to a person, it would translate as “Christian.” But more like saying, “His religion is Christianity,” rather than a noun form.
If you break it apart, the characters mean Base/Foundation Leading/Supervising Religion/Teaching. It makes more sense in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. The first two characters together are translated as “Christ.” So you can also say this means “Christ's Religion” or “Christ's Teachings” when directly translated, or in reverse, “The Religion of Christ” or “The Teaching of Christ.”
Notes: The last character has a slight difference in one stroke - however, in calligraphic form, this will not be apparent. This entry can easily be read by any Korean person who knows Hanja characters (Chinese characters used in Korean).
See Also: Jesus Christ | God of Abraham
基督 is how to write “Christ” in Chinese characters, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.
This is the word used in the Chinese Union Bible (the only readily-available translation of the Bible into Chinese that I know of - published about 100 years ago). For Chinese Christians, this is the most common way to refer to Jesus Christ.
This is also the way that “Christ” is written in Japanese. But since the Japanese language is very flexible about the sounds that can be assigned to various Kanji, these characters have been assigned a pronunciation that sounds a lot like “Christ” or actually closer to the original “Christos.” In Japanese (if you don't know how the Romaji shown above in the gray box works), it sounds like “key ree sue toe” using English words/sounds. Say those four words fast, and you'll get it.
It should be noted that only Japanese Christians will be familiar with this word.
This is best defined, read, and understood with the characters together, but if you take this word for Christ apart, the first character means “fundamentals” or “foundation.” The second character can mean “leader” or “boss.”
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your foundation search...
| Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
基 see styles |
jī ji1 chi motoji もとじ |
More info & calligraphy: Keebasis; foundation; origin; source; (personal name) Motoji foundation |
基金 see styles |
jī jīn ji1 jin1 chi chin kikin ききん |
More info & calligraphy: Keegin(noun - becomes adjective with の) fund; foundation |
合気会 see styles |
aikikai あいきかい |
More info & calligraphy: Aikikai |
幹 干 see styles |
gàn gan4 kan motoki もとき |
tree trunk; main part of something; to manage; to work; to do; capable; cadre; to kill (slang); to fuck (vulgar); (coll.) pissed off; annoyed (1) tree trunk; bole; (2) backbone; base; foundation; (given name) Motoki |
底 see styles |
dǐ di3 ti soko そこ |
bottom; base; background; foundation; copy (of a manuscript or receipt etc) kept as a record; (suffix) end of a year or month; (math.) radix; base (abbr. for 底數|底数[di3 shu4]) (1) {math} base (logarithmic, exponential, number system); radix; (2) {geom} base (triangle, cone, cylinder, etc.); (3) type; kind; extent; degree; (surname) Soko Bottom, basis; translit. t, d, dh. |
懸 悬 see styles |
xuán xuan2 hsüan kakeru かける |
to hang or suspend; to worry; public announcement; unresolved; baseless; without foundation (suf,adj-no) (1) -clad; (2) (kana only) in the midst of; (3) tenths (e.g. wholesale price, as tenths of retail price); (4) times (i.e. multiplied by); (5) able-to-seat (of a chair, etc.); (1) (abbreviation) credit; (2) money owed on an account; bill; (3) (abbreviation) (kana only) hot noodles in broth; (n,n-suf) (4) proportion (of wholesale price, as tenths of list price); (suffix) (5) in the midst of; (6) rest; rack; hanger; (personal name) Kakeru Suspend, hang. |
拠 see styles |
jù ju4 chü yoridokoro よりどころ |
Japanese variant of 據|据 (1) (kana only) grounds; foundation; authority; (2) (kana only) support; prop; something upon which to rely |
柢 see styles |
dǐ di3 ti |
foundation; root |
氐 see styles |
dǐ di3 ti tei / te てい |
foundation; on the whole (1) (hist) Di (ancient Chinese ethnic group); (2) {astron} (See 二十八宿,蒼竜・そうりょう・3) Chinese "root" constellation (one of the 28 mansions) |
礎 础 see styles |
chǔ chu3 ch`u chu motoe もとえ |
foundation; base foundation stone; cornerstone; (female given name) Motoe |
財 财 see styles |
cái cai2 ts`ai tsai takara たから |
money; wealth; riches; property; valuables (n,n-suf) (1) fortune; riches; (n,n-suf) (2) goods; (3) (abbreviation) (See 財団法人・ざいだんほうじん) incorporated foundation; (surname) Takara vasu; artha. Wealth, riches. |
一財 see styles |
ichizai いちざい |
(abbreviation) (See 一般財団法人・いっぱんざいだんほうじん) general incorporated foundation |
下地 see styles |
xià dì xia4 di4 hsia ti shimoji しもぢ |
to go down to the fields; to get up from bed; to leave one's sickbed; to be born (1) groundwork; foundation; (2) inclination; aptitude; elementary knowledge (of); grounding (in); (3) undercoat; first coat; (4) (See お下地) soy sauce; (surname) Shimoji The lower regions of the 九地 q. v.; also the lower half of the 十地 in the fifty-two grades of bodhisattva development. |
丕基 see styles |
hiki ひき |
(obsolete) foundation of imperial rule |
事業 事业 see styles |
shì yè shi4 ye4 shih yeh jigyou / jigyo じぎょう |
undertaking; project; activity; (charitable, political or revolutionary) cause; publicly funded institution, enterprise or foundation; career; occupation; CL:個|个[ge4] (1) business; enterprise; venture; (commercial) activity; (business) operation; industry; (2) (social) project; undertaking; enterprise; work; activity; program; service action |
低辺 see styles |
teihen / tehen ていへん |
(irregular kanji usage) (noun - becomes adjective with の) (1) low class; low in social standing; low level; of poor reputation; (2) base (e.g. of support); foundation; basis |
依據 依据 see styles |
yī jù yi1 ju4 i chü ekyo |
according to; basis; foundation dependence |
先秦 see styles |
xiān qín xian1 qin2 hsien ch`in hsien chin senshin せんしん |
pre-Qin, Chinese history up to the foundation of the Qin imperial dynasty in 221 BC (hist) (See 秦) pre-Qin period (of China) |
創刊 创刊 see styles |
chuàng kān chuang4 kan1 ch`uang k`an chuang kan soukan / sokan そうかん |
to start publishing; to found a journal (noun, transitive verb) foundation (of a newspaper, magazine, etc.); starting; launching; first publication |
創建 创建 see styles |
chuàng jiàn chuang4 jian4 ch`uang chien chuang chien souken / soken そうけん |
to found; to establish (noun, transitive verb) establishment; foundation; (personal name) Souken |
創成 see styles |
sousei / sose そうせい |
(n,vs,vt,vi) creation; formation; foundation; establishment; (place-name) Sousei |
原基 see styles |
genki げんき |
(1) {biol;embryo} primordium; anlage; rudiment; (2) (rare) root; foundation; basis |
原種 see styles |
genshu げんしゅ |
(1) seed stock; seed grain; foundation seed; (2) pure breed; original strain; ancestor |
営団 see styles |
eidan / edan えいだん |
corporation; foundation; (place-name) Eidan |
国本 see styles |
konimoto こにもと |
foundation of the nation; (surname) Konimoto |
土台 see styles |
dodai どだい |
(1) foundation; base; basis; (adverb) (2) (often in negative contexts) (See 元々・1) from the beginning; from the outset; by nature |
地盤 地盘 see styles |
dì pán di4 pan2 ti p`an ti pan jiban(p); chiban じばん(P); ちばん |
domain; territory under one's control; foundation of a building; base of operations; crust of earth (1) ground; crust (earth); bed (gravel, river, etc.); (2) foundation (building, etc.); base; (3) constituency; power base; support (electoral); footing; foothold |
地腳 地脚 see styles |
dì jiǎo di4 jiao3 ti chiao |
(page) footer; (dialect) foundation (of a building); base |
基址 see styles |
jī zhǐ ji1 zhi3 chi chih |
foundation; footing; base; ruins (of a historical building) |
基坑 see styles |
jī kēng ji1 keng1 chi k`eng chi keng |
foundation groove; trench for building foundation |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
| Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
| The Foundation of Good Conduct | 誌于道據于德依于仁遊于藝 志于道据于德依于仁游于艺 | zhì yú dào jù yú dé yī yú rén yóu yú yì zhi4 yu2 dao4 ju4 yu2 de2 yi1 yu2 ren2 you2 yu2 yi4 zhi yu dao ju yu de yi yu ren you yu yi | chih yü tao chü yü te i yü jen yu yü i | |
| Shaolin Chan | 少林禪 少林禅 | sho rin zen shorinzen | shǎo lín chán shao3 lin2 chan2 shao lin chan shaolinchan | shao lin ch`an shaolinchan shao lin chan |
| Aikikai | 合気会 / 合氣會 合気会 | ai ki kai / aikikai | ||
| Live Strong | 堅強生活 坚强生活 | jiān qiáng shēng huó jian1 qiang2 sheng1 huo2 jian qiang sheng huo jianqiangshenghuo | chien ch`iang sheng huo chienchiangshenghuo chien chiang sheng huo |
|
| Christianity Christian | 基督教 | kirisutokyou kirisutokyo | jī dū jiào ji1 du1 jiao4 ji du jiao jidujiao | chi tu chiao chituchiao |
| Christ | 基督 | kirisuto | jī dū / ji1 du1 / ji du / jidu | chi tu / chitu |
| 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 Foundation Kanji, Foundation Characters, Foundation in Mandarin Chinese, Foundation Characters, Foundation in Chinese Writing, Foundation in Japanese Writing, Foundation in Asian Writing, Foundation Ideograms, Chinese Foundation symbols, Foundation Hieroglyphics, Foundation Glyphs, Foundation in Chinese Letters, Foundation Hanzi, Foundation in Japanese Kanji, Foundation Pictograms, Foundation in the Chinese Written-Language, or Foundation in the Japanese Written-Language.
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