Buy a Chuang Tzu calligraphy wall scroll here!
Personalize your custom “Chuang Tzu” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Chuang Tzu” title below...
Incredible 10,000-Mile Flight of the Peng
鵬程萬里 is an ancient Chinese proverb used in modern times to wish someone a long and successful career.
It's really about the 10,000 Flight of the Peng (Peng, also known as Roc is a mythical fish that can turn into a bird and take flight).
莊子
Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu
Breaking down each character:
1. Peng or Roc (a kind of bird).
2. Journey (in this case, a flight).
3. 10,000 (Ten Thousand).
4. Li is a unit of distance often referred to as a “Chinese Mile,” though the real distance is about half a kilometer.
Direct Translation: “Peng's Journey [of] 10,000 Li.”
Literal meaning: “The 10,000-Li Flying Range Of The Roc.”
Perceived meaning: “To have a bright future” or “To go far.”
This proverb/idiom comes from the book of Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu. It tells the tale of a huge fish that could turn into a gigantic bird. This bird was called a “peng” and was many miles long. This legendary size allowed the Peng to fly from the Northern Sea to the Southern Sea in a single bound.
Wishing someone “a Peng's Journey of 10,000 Li” will imply that they can travel far without stopping and will have great success, a long career, and a prosperous future.
沈魚落雁 is an old proverb that literally means “fish sink, goose alights.”
...But this takes some explaining. This is a proverb from Zhuangzi (莊子), who lived in the late 4th century BC.
This figuratively refers to female beauty that is so captivating that even the birds and beasts take notice.
Perhaps a better and more accurate way to describe this is to say that it speaks of the charms of a uniquely beautiful woman who is so beautiful that fish stay on the bottom of the water and flying wild geese fall from the sky in shame.
This proverb is so famous that it is also known and used in Japan (same characters, different pronunciation).
Note: This can also be written 沉魚落雁 instead of 沈魚落雁 (just the first character varies slightly).
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your chuang tzu search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
逆路伽耶陀 see styles |
nì lù qié yé tuó ni4 lu4 qie2 ye2 tuo2 ni lu ch`ieh yeh t`o ni lu chieh yeh to Gyakurokayada |
Vāma-lokāyata; the Lokāyata were materialistic and 'worldly' followers of the Cārvāka school; the Vāma-lokāyata were opposed to the conventions of the world. An earlier intp. of Lokāyata is, Ill response to questions, the sophistical method of Chuang Tzu being mentioned as comparison. Vāma-lokāyata is also described as Evil questioning, which is the above method reversed. |
莊子 庄子 see styles |
zhuāng zǐ zhuang1 zi3 chuang tzu Sōshi |
More info & calligraphy: Zhuangzi / Chuang TzuZhuangzi |
弔詭 吊诡 see styles |
diào guǐ diao4 gui3 tiao kuei |
bizarre; paradoxical; a paradox (from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) |
疑冰 see styles |
yí bīng yi2 bing1 i ping |
ignorant; doubt stemming from ignorance; (a summer insect has no word for ice, Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) |
老荘 see styles |
rousou / roso ろうそう |
Laozi and Zhuangzi |
老莊 老庄 see styles |
lǎo zhuāng lao3 zhuang1 lao chuang Rō-Sō |
Laozi and Zhuangzi (or Lao-tze and Chuang-tze), the founders of Daoism Laozi and Zhuangzi |
莊周 庄周 see styles |
zhuāng zhōu zhuang1 zhou1 chuang chou |
same as Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3] (369-286 BC), Daoist author |
莊老 庄老 see styles |
zhuāng lǎo zhuang1 lao3 chuang lao |
Zhuangzi and Laozi, the Daoist masters |
諸子 诸子 see styles |
zhū zǐ zhu1 zi3 chu tzu moroko; moroko もろこ; モロコ |
various sages; refers to the classical schools of thought, e.g. Confucianism 儒[ru2] represented by Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] and Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3], Daoism 道[dao4] by Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3], Mohism 墨[mo4] by Mozi 墨子[Mo4 zi3], Legalism 法[fa3] by Sunzi 孫子|孙子[Sun1 zi3] and Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子[Han2 Fei1 zi3], and numerous others (1) (kana only) gudgeon (any fish of genus Gnathopogon or related genera); (2) (See 本諸子) willow gudgeon (Gnathopogon caerulescens); (3) (See 九絵) longtooth grouper (species of fish, Epinephelus bruneus); (surname, female given name) Moroko children |
道家 see styles |
dào jiā dao4 jia1 tao chia douka / doka どうか |
Daoist School of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), based on the teachings of Laozi or Lao-tze 老子[Lao3 zi3] (c. 500 BC-) and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3] (369-286 BC) Taoist; (surname) Michiya A Daoist |
鼓盆 see styles |
gǔ pén gu3 pen2 ku p`en ku pen |
lit. to drum on a bowl; refers to Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3] grieving for his lost wife; fig. grief for a lost wife |
吐故納新 吐故纳新 see styles |
tǔ gù nà xīn tu3 gu4 na4 xin1 t`u ku na hsin tu ku na hsin |
lit. to breathe out stale air and breathe in fresh (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); fig. to get rid of the old and bring in the new |
君子之交 see styles |
jun zǐ zhī jiāo jun1 zi3 zhi1 jiao1 chün tzu chih chiao |
friendship between gentlemen, insipid as water (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) |
得魚忘筌 得鱼忘筌 see styles |
dé yú wàng quán de2 yu2 wang4 quan2 te yü wang ch`üan te yü wang chüan uo wo ete sen wo wasuru |
lit. catch fish then forget the trap (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); fig. to take help for granted Having caught the fish, the trap may be forgotten, i.e. it is of secondary importance; also ingratitude. |
探驪得珠 探骊得珠 see styles |
tàn lí dé zhū tan4 li2 de2 zhu1 t`an li te chu tan li te chu |
to pluck a pearl from the black dragon (idiom, from Zhuangzi); fig. to pick out the salient points (from a tangled situation); to see through to the nub |
沉魚落雁 沉鱼落雁 see styles |
chén yú luò yàn chen2 yu2 luo4 yan4 ch`en yü lo yen chen yü lo yen |
lit. fish sink, goose alights (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); fig. female beauty captivating even the birds and beasts |
無用之樹 无用之树 see styles |
wú yòng zhī shù wu2 yong4 zhi1 shu4 wu yung chih shu |
useless person (originally from Zhuangzi's "A Happy Excursion" 逍遙遊|逍遥游) |
莊周夢蝶 庄周梦蝶 see styles |
zhuāng zhōu mèng dié zhuang1 zhou1 meng4 die2 chuang chou meng tieh |
Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3] dreams of a butterfly (or is it the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi?) |
螳螂捕蟬 螳螂捕蝉 see styles |
táng láng bǔ chán tang2 lang2 bu3 chan2 t`ang lang pu ch`an tang lang pu chan |
the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger |
諸子十家 诸子十家 see styles |
zhū zǐ shí jiā zhu1 zi3 shi2 jia1 chu tzu shih chia |
various sages and ten schools of thought; refers to the classical schools of thought, e.g. Confucianism 儒[ru2] represented by Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] and Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3], Daoism 道[dao4] by Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3], Mohism 墨[mo4] by Mozi 墨子[Mo4 zi3], Legalism 法[fa3] by Sunzi 孫子|孙子[Sun1 zi3] and Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子[Han2 Fei1 zi3], and numerous others |
進退中繩 进退中绳 see styles |
jìn tuì zhōng shéng jin4 tui4 zhong1 sheng2 chin t`ui chung sheng chin tui chung sheng |
to advance or retreat, each has its rules (idiom from Zhuangzi); many translations are possible |
進退有常 进退有常 see styles |
jìn tuì yǒu cháng jin4 tui4 you3 chang2 chin t`ui yu ch`ang chin tui yu chang |
to advance or retreat, each has its rules (idiom from Zhuangzi); many translations are possible |
鼓盆之戚 see styles |
gǔ pén zhī qī gu3 pen2 zhi1 qi1 ku p`en chih ch`i ku pen chih chi |
drumming on a bowl in grief (idiom, refers to Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3] grieving for his lost wife); fig. grief for a lost wife |
哀莫大於心死 哀莫大于心死 see styles |
āi mò dà yú xīn sǐ ai1 mo4 da4 yu2 xin1 si3 ai mo ta yü hsin ssu |
nothing sadder than a withered heart (idiom attributed to Confucius by Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); no greater sorrow than a heart that never rejoices; the worst sorrow is not as bad as an uncaring heart; nothing is more wretched than apathy |
君子之交淡如水 see styles |
jun zǐ zhī jiāo dàn rú shuǐ jun1 zi3 zhi1 jiao1 dan4 ru2 shui3 chün tzu chih chiao tan ju shui |
a gentleman's friendship, insipid as water (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) |
只可意會,不可言傳 只可意会,不可言传 see styles |
zhǐ kě yì huì , bù kě yán chuán zhi3 ke3 yi4 hui4 , bu4 ke3 yan2 chuan2 chih k`o i hui , pu k`o yen ch`uan chih ko i hui , pu ko yen chuan |
can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); mysterious and subtle |
可以意會,不可言傳 可以意会,不可言传 see styles |
kě yǐ yì huì , bù kě yán chuán ke3 yi3 yi4 hui4 , bu4 ke3 yan2 chuan2 k`o i i hui , pu k`o yen ch`uan ko i i hui , pu ko yen chuan |
can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); mysterious and subtle |
竊國者侯,竊鉤者誅 窃国者侯,窃钩者诛 see styles |
qiè guó zhě hóu , qiè gōu zhě zhū qie4 guo2 zhe3 hou2 , qie4 gou1 zhe3 zhu1 ch`ieh kuo che hou , ch`ieh kou che chu chieh kuo che hou , chieh kou che chu |
steal the whole country and they make you a prince, steal a hook and they hang you (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) |
竊鉤者誅,竊國者侯 窃钩者诛,窃国者侯 see styles |
qiè gōu zhě zhū , qiè guó zhě hóu qie4 gou1 zhe3 zhu1 , qie4 guo2 zhe3 hou2 ch`ieh kou che chu , ch`ieh kuo che hou chieh kou che chu , chieh kuo che hou |
steal a hook and they hang you, steal the whole country and they make you a prince (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]) |
螳螂捕蟬,黃雀在後 螳螂捕蝉,黄雀在后 see styles |
táng láng bǔ chán , huáng què zài hòu tang2 lang2 bu3 chan2 , huang2 que4 zai4 hou4 t`ang lang pu ch`an , huang ch`üeh tsai hou tang lang pu chan , huang chüeh tsai hou |
the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
A Bright Future | 鵬程萬里 鹏程万里 | péng chéng wàn lǐ peng2 cheng2 wan4 li3 peng cheng wan li pengchengwanli | p`eng ch`eng wan li pengchengwanli peng cheng wan li |
|
Zhuangzi Chuang Tzu | 莊子 庄子 | Sōshi | zhuāng zǐ zhuang1 zi3 zhuang zi zhuangzi | chuang tzu chuangtzu |
Beautiful Woman Proverb | 沈魚落雁 沈鱼落雁 | chin gyo raku gan chingyorakugan | chén yú luò yàn chen2 yu2 luo4 yan4 chen yu luo yan chenyuluoyan | ch`en yü lo yen chenyüloyen chen yü lo yen |
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. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
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 Chuang Tzu Kanji, Chuang Tzu Characters, Chuang Tzu in Mandarin Chinese, Chuang Tzu Characters, Chuang Tzu in Chinese Writing, Chuang Tzu in Japanese Writing, Chuang Tzu in Asian Writing, Chuang Tzu Ideograms, Chinese Chuang Tzu symbols, Chuang Tzu Hieroglyphics, Chuang Tzu Glyphs, Chuang Tzu in Chinese Letters, Chuang Tzu Hanzi, Chuang Tzu in Japanese Kanji, Chuang Tzu Pictograms, Chuang Tzu in the Chinese Written-Language, or Chuang Tzu in the Japanese Written-Language.
30 people have searched for Chuang Tzu in Chinese or Japanese in the past year.
Chuang Tzu was last searched for by someone else on Feb 27th, 2024