Virtuous in Chinese / Japanese...

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, excellent in character.

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

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

德 is the simple way to express the ideas of having virtue, morals, kindness, benevolence, goodness etc.

德 also happens to be the first character of the Chinese word for Germany.

There is a slight deviation in the Japanese Kanji form. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the special Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note that the traditional Chinese form is still readable and understood by Japanese people.

See Also:  Ethics | Chastity | Prudence | Benevolence | Morality

This Chinese proverb can be translated as, "Do not recall old grievances", or more simply as, "Forgive and forget".

The character breakdown:
不 (bù) not; no; don't.
念 (niàn) read aloud.
舊 (jiù) old; former.
惡 (è) wicked deeds; grievances; sins.

This proverb comes from the Analects of Confucius.

水に流す is a Japanese proverb which suggests that "water continues to flow".

It's similar to our English phrase, "Water under the bridge". The perceived meaning is, "Forgive and forget".

I have also seen this translated as, "Don't cry over spilled milk".

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

Used to refer to someone who puts forth maximum effort and achieves much.

We might call this kind of person a "go-getter" in English.

See Also:  Dedication | Tenacious | Devotion

Helpfulness is being of service to others, doing thoughtful things that make a difference in their lives.

Offer your help without waiting to be asked. Ask for help when you need it. When we help each other, we get more done. We make our lives easier.

See Also:  Caring | Charity | Benevolence

This Japanese title refers to one who changes themselves or improves themselves by reforming their lives.

Another way to translate it is, "A person who changes their attitude or something about themselves".

This 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 a mundane attitude that many people get with age.

You'll find this Japanese proverb translated a few different ways. Here are some of them:
Don't forget your first resolution.
Never forget your child-like 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.

This title suggests that you are actively trying to keep your life in balance. Think of this as being the action-verb of seeking or having a balanced life.

The first two characters mean balance, equilibrium or keeping things equal.

The last two characters mean "life". Literally "human life".

This proverb 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, 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

This proverb 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.

善 means goodness, virtue, good deed, charitable, benevolent, well-disposed, nice, pleasant, kind, or simply, "good".

善 is the kind of good that applies to someone's good character, or a good person in general.

Referring to someone with this word means that they have a well-aimed moral compass, are charitable, giving, wise, and honest. Basically, this is a blanket statement for every good trait a human can have, or all the things that make someone good.

In another context, it can mean to improve or perfect something or refer to someone who is good at something.

善良 means good and honest, kind-hearted, goodness, excellence, and/or virtue.

If you are into healthy living, this might be an excellent selection for a wall scroll to hang in your home.

The first two characters speak of health, vitality, vigor, and being of sound body. The second two characters mean living or life (daily existence).

See Also:  Strength | Vitality | Health

This Japanese proverb means, "live together and help each other", "existing together, thriving together", or "co-existence and co-prosperity".

愛情生活 is the Chinese proverb for "Loving Life". Some also translate this as "[your] Loving Life" or "Life full of Love".

愛情生活 is about being a loving person (to spouse and/or family) during your life. 愛情生活 is not the same as loving the state of being alive - not "love of living" but rather "being loving person during your life".

Note: Korean pronunciation is included above, though use of this proverb in Korean has not been verified.

This proverb can be understood in Japanese but it’s primarily a Chinese proverb (it will "feel" Chinese to a Japanese person).

愛と譽れ means to love and honor in Japanese.

The first Kanji is literally "love".
The second character just acts to connect the ideas like "and" or "with".
The last two Kanji mean "honor" or "honour". 愛と譽れ is the kind of honor that suggests you are praising or admiring someone.

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

See Also:  Love and Honor

相愛互敬 is a nice way to say "Love and Respect" in Chinese.

This proverb is about the mutual exchange of love and respect within a good relationship.

The first two characters create a word that means, "to love each other" or "mutual love".

The third character means mutual, interlocking, or in some contexts "to dovetail" (as in the way joints are made in fine furniture).

The last character means, "to respect", "to venerate", "to salute", "reverence", or simply "respect".

This Chinese proverb means "principles of life" or "The personal obligations and rules that you live by".

For instance, if you were a vegetarian, the act of not eating meat fits into this category.
This could also be translated as "Way of living".

寧靜而致遠 is five characters from a longer ten-character proverb composed by Zhuge Liang about 1800 years ago.

诸葛亮 Zhuge Liang

The proverb means, "Your inner peace / tranquility / serenity will help you see or reach far (into the world)".

The last word means "far" but the deeper meaning is that you will surpass what you can currently see or understand. Perhaps even the idea of opening up vast knowledge and understanding of complex ideas.

This Japanese phrase means "Life with Love".

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

自他共榮 can be translated a few different ways. Here are some possibilities:
Benefit mutually and prosper together.
Mutual welfare and benefit.
A learning concept of mutual benefit and welfare (that applies to all fields of society).
Mutual prosperity.

The first two characters are easy to explain. They are "self" and "others". Together, these two characters create a word which means "mutual" (literally "me and them").

The third character can have different meanings depending on context. Here, it means "in common" or "to share".

The fourth character suggests the idea of "prosperity", "flourishing" or becoming "glorious".

It should be noted that these Kanji are used almost exclusively in the context of Judo martial arts. 自他共榮 is not a common or recognized Japanese proverb outside of Judo.

In modern Japanese Kanji, the last character looks like instead of . If you want this slightly-simplified version, please let us know when you place your order.

This Japanese proverb means "life full of love" or "life filled with love".

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

This Japanese phrase means "a loving life" or "life filled with love".

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

This proverb literally translates as: [Even a] one-hundred foot [tall] bamboo [can] progress even one [more] step.

Figuratively, this means: After having achieved a fair degree of success, one should try to do still better.

This Chinese proverb means, "Without anger or worry, you will have a long life, until after all your hair is white".

It more literally reads, "Don't get angry or worried [and you will] live [long] till [all your] hair [becomes] white".

This literally translates as: Without having experienced the cold of winter, one cannot appreciate the warmth of spring.

Figuratively, this means: One cannot truly appreciate happiness without having gone through hardship.

There are many contrasts in life. One simply cannot fully know what joy is without having experienced misery, difficulty, and pain. How could you explain "light" if you did not have "darkness" to compare it to?

Embrace hardship, as it makes the good times seem even better.

一視同仁 is how to write "universal benevolence". 一視同仁 is also how to express the idea that you see all people the same.

If you are kind and charitable to all people, this is the best way to state that virtue. It is the essence of being impartial to all mankind, regardless of social standing, background, race, sex, etc. You do not judge others but rather you see them eye to eye on the same level with you.

See Also:  Benevolence | Compassion | Equality | Justice | Right Decision | Selflessness | Work Unselfishly for the Common

This title suggests that you have, or want to get your life in balance.

The first two characters regard the idea of balance, harmony, and peace.

The second two characters mean "life". More specifically this refers to your livelihood, career, and the daily activities that comprise your life or living. Some would translate those two characters as "one's daily existence".

Note: We have a couple of titles for this idea. This version is more of a noun, thus "The Balanced Life" verses a verb form like "Balancing [Your] Life."

This Japanese title suggests that you have, or want to get your life in balance.

The first two Kanji mean harmonious or in harmony.

The second two Kanji mean "life". More specifically this refers to your livelihood, career, and the daily activities that comprise your life or living.

深情厚義 means to love and honor. 深情厚義 is more or less the kind of thing you'd find in marriage vows.

The first two characters suggest deep love or deep emotions, passion, and feelings.
The last two characters mean generous justice or thick honor (the third character is an adjective that means generous or thick). It just means that you will honor your lover's wishes, and treat them justly and righteously (fairly).

This is the longer four-character version, there is also a short and sweet two character version.

See Also:  Love and Honor

相敬相愛 is an old Chinese proverb that suggests love and respect go together and are to be exchanged between people (especially couples).

The first two characters mean, "exchanging respect" or "mutual respect".

The last two characters create a word that means, "to love each other" or "mutual love".

You'll notice that the first and third characters are the same. So you can read this literally as something like "Exchange respect, exchange love" or "Mutual respect, mutual love". In English, we'd probably just say, "Mutual love and respect". Grammar differs in every language - So while the literal translation might sound a bit awkward in English, this phrase is very natural in Chinese.

This title speaks of one's soul or spirit, and the capacity or strength that soul possesses.

The first two characters mean mind, heart, spirit, and/or soul.

The last two characters mean strength, capacity, or ability.

Note: Separately, these are two words in Japanese, and can be pronounced but this does not make a natural title in Japanese (best if your audience is Chinese).

Some may think of this as a "Christian trait" but actually it transcends many religions.

This Chinese teaching dates back to about 2,500 years ago in China. Confucius had always taught the belief in being benevolent (ren) but this idea was hard to grasp for some of his students, as benevolence could be kind-heartedness, or an essence of humanity itself.

When answering Zhong Gong's question as to what "ren" actually meant, Confucius said:

"When you go out, you should behave as if you were in the presence of a distinguished guest, when people do favors for you, act as if a great sacrifice was made for you. Whatever you wouldn't like done to you, do not do that thing to others. Don't complain at work or at home".

Hearing this, Zhong Gong said humbly, "Although I am not clever, I will do what you say".

From this encounter, the Chinese version of the "Golden Rule" or "Ethic of Reciprocity" came to be.
The characters you see above express, "Do not do to others whatever you do not want done to yourself".

See Also:  Confucius Teachings | Benevolence

This can be interpreted a few different ways:
God blesses those who work hard.
It is the way of Heaven to smile on the diligent.
God will reward those that are worthy.
Heaven blesses those who are diligent.

Whichever translation you like, a scroll like this on your wall may serve as a reminder to work hard because your diligence will pay off both in this life and the next.


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

This Chinese and Japanese phrase is a direct translation for the western idea of inner peace.

The first two characters contain the idea of "heart", "innermost being", or "deep in the/your inner mind".

The last two characters mean "tranquil" and "serene".

I have seen this phrase used as "inner peace" for art prints and even on the side of coffee cups. But I think the translation is too literal. It feels like a direct translation from English rather than a nicely composed Chinese or Japanese phrase. See my other entries for "inner peace".

See Also:  Serenity | Simplicity | Peace

This proverb is often translated as, "True victory is victory over oneself".

However, literally, Kanji by Kanji, it means, "True victory [is] my/self victory".

My Japanese friends rate this very highly for a wall scroll.

See Also:  Know Thy Enemy Know Thyself

This Chinese proverb comes from an old story from some time before 476 BC. About a man named Qi Huangyang, who was commissioned by the king to select the best person for a certain job in the Imperial Court.

Qi Huangyang selected his enemy for the job. The king was very confused by the selection but Qi Huangyang explained that he was asked to find the best person for the job, not necessarily someone that he personally liked or had a friendship with.

Later, Confucius commented on how unselfish and impartial Qi Huangyang was by saying "Da Gong Wu Si" which if you look it up in a Chinese dictionary, is generally translated as "Unselfish" or "Just and Fair".

If you translate each character, you'd have something like,

"Big/Deep Justice Without Self".

Direct translations like this leave out a lot of what the Chinese characters really say. Use your imagination, and suddenly you realize that "without self" means "without thinking about yourself in the decision" - together, these two words mean "unselfish". The first two characters serve to really drive the point home that we are talking about a concept that is similar to "blind justice".

One of my Chinese-English dictionaries translates this simply as "just and fair". So that is the short and simple version.

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

See Also:  Selflessness | Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Altruism

This proverb suggests that one should always be grateful to those who helped you succeed.

And remember your ancestors and those that came before you whose sacrifices made your present life better.

Some Chinese will separate the intended meaning from this proverb and translate this as "Don't forget the people who once helped you". In Modern China, this idiom is virtually never used to refer to an actual well.

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

This is a kind of complex ten-character proverb composed by Zhuge Liang about 1800 years ago.

This Chinese proverb means "Leading a simple life will yield a clear mind, and having inner peace will help you see far (into the world)".

What I have translated as "simple life" means NOT being materialistic and NOT competing in the rat race.

The last word means "far" but the deeper meaning is that you will surpass what you can currently see or understand. Perhaps even the idea of opening up vast knowledge and understanding of complex ideas.

The whole phrase has a theme that suggests if you are NOT an aggressive cut-throat person who fights his way to the top no matter how many people he crushes on the way, and instead seek inner peace, you will have a happier existence and be more likely to understand the meaning of life.

See Also:  Serenity

人間性を再生するのは寛容な心親切な言葉奉仕と思いやりの精神 is the Triple Truth of Buddhism in Japanese.

The Buddha ordered that all should know this triple truth...
A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

人間性を再生するのは寛容な心親切な言葉奉仕と思いやりの精神 is the English translation most commonly used for this Japanese Buddhist phrase. You might have seen this on a coffee cup or tee-shirt.

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

安貧樂道 means "It's better to be happy than rich" in Chinese.

Even if you are poor, you should still feel satisfied in your life...

...Satisfaction, happiness, and the meaning of your life come from within yourself and not from money or riches of the world.

In Chinese, there are a lot of four-character proverbs which express some very old philosophies.
Though there are only four characters on this scroll, in Chinese the meanings often surpass the dictionary definition of each character.

In this case, you should not set your expectations too high for the amount to money or riches you wish to have. One who sets their expectations too high is almost always disappointed. Instead, you should cherish what you have, and seek to improve yourself from within, and not measure your personal worth by the size of your bank account.

See Also:  A Sly Rabbit Will Have Three Openings to Its Den

This four-character proverb 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".

The first character means "eternal" or "forever", the second means "not" (together they mean "never"). The last two characters mean "give up" or "abandon". Altogether, you can translate this proverb as "never give up" or "never abandon".

Depending on how you want to read this, it is also a statement that you will never abandon your hopes, dreams, family or friends.

See Also:  Undaunted | No Fear | Hope

表壯不如里壯 literally translates as: [Better to be] strong inside than [to be] strong outside.

The ancient original meaning was:
[An] able [husband] outside [working to support a family is] not as good as [an] able [wife] inside [working and saving to take care of the family].

The current meaning is:
Inner strength is more important than outward appearance.

This Chinese idiom/proverb speaks of being above bribes, and not losing face or honor for a short-term gain.

Some may also translate the perceived meaning as, "high-hearted", or "integrity beyond reproach".

The more literal meaning is "Do not bow down for the sake of five pecks of rice".

This means, "A life of happiness and prosperity" or "A life of happiness and success".

It's a great and very positive and inspirational wall scroll selection.

See Also:  Prosperity

人生謳歌 means, "live for what you love" in Japanese.

The first two characters mean "human life" or simply "living". The last two characters mean, "merit", "prosperity", or "what you enjoy". This phrase can suggest working or staying busy for your own goals (in your career).

See Also:  Prosperity

This ancient Chinese proverb can be translated as, "Patience brings peace of mind", "One who has patience, finds peace", and a few other ways.

This Japanese proverb literally translates as "inner/internal strength/power [versus] outward-appearance [the] merit/virtue/good quality [does] excel/surpass/exceed/outweigh".

More naturally in English, this would be "Inner Strength Outweighs Outward Appearance".

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

現世 is a very short way to write "live in the moment" or "live in the now" in Japanese.

This short word is open to interpretation. It's used in Japanese Buddhism to mean "the current epoch" or "the current age" (the current age is but a brief moment in the greater scope of existence). When used in that context, this is pronounced "utsushiyo" or "ustusiyo" in Japanese. Otherwise, it's pronounced "gensei" in Japanese.

Other translation possibilities include:

Note: This is also a word in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. While the meaning is more or less the same, this is not recommended for a wall scroll if your audience is Chinese or Korean. This selection is best if your audience is Japanese.

活在今天 is not really an eastern concept, so it does not translate into a phrase that seems natural on a wall scroll.

However, if this is your philosophy, the characters shown here do capture your idea of living for today or living in the moment. 活在今天 literally say "Live in today" and they are grammatically correct in Chinese.

Note: This kind of makes sense in Korean Hanja but the grammar is Chinese, so it’s not that natural in Korean.

This can also mean: "Place Strict Standards on Oneself in Public Service".
This Chinese proverb is often used to express how one should act as a government official. Most of us wish our public officials would hold themselves to higher standards. I wish I could send this scroll, along with the meaning to every member of Congress, and the President (or if I was from the UK, all the members of Parliament, and the PM)

The story behind this ancient Chinese idiom:
A man named Cai Zun was born in China a little over 2000 years ago. In 24 AD, he joined an uprising led by Liu Xiu who later became the emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Later, the new emperor put Cai Zun in charge of the military court. Cai Zun exercised his power in strict accordance with military law, regardless of the offender's rank or background. He even ordered the execution of one of the emperor's close servants after the servant committed a serious crime.

Cai Zun led a simple life but put great demands on himself to do all things in an honorable way. The emperor rewarded him for his honest character and honorable nature by promoting him to the rank of General and granting him the title of Marquis.

Whenever Cai Zun would receive an award, he would give credit to his men and share the reward with them.
Cai Zun was always praised by historians who found many examples of his selfless acts that served the public interest.
Sometime, long ago in history, people began to refer to Cai Zun as "ke ji feng gong".

See Also:  Unselfish | Selflessness | Altruism

This ancient "One Justice Can Overpower a Hundred Evils" idiom and proverb is famous in China. But it has been around so long that its origins have long been forgotten.

It could be something that Confucius or one of his disciples said but no one can say for sure.

This proverb or idiom suggests that the pursuit self-improvement is eternal. It can also be a suggestion to strive unremittingly in life.

The first two characters mean inner-strength with the idea of self-improvement. The last two characters mean "never rest" or "striving without giving up".

Some will translate these four characters as, "Exert and strive hard without any let up".

仁義禮智信 are the core of Confucius philosophy.

Simply stated:
仁 = Benevolence / Charity
義 = Justice / Rectitude
禮 = Courtesy / Politeness / Tact
智 = Wisdom / Knowledge
信 = Fidelity / Trust / Sincerity

Many of these concepts can be found in various religious teachings. Though it should be clearly understood that Confucianism is not a religion but should instead be considered a moral code for a proper and civilized society.

This title is also labeled, "5 Confucian virtues".

If you order this from the Japanese calligrapher, expect the middle Kanji to be written in a more simple form (as seen to the right). This can also be romanized as "jin gi rei satoshi shin" in Japanese. Not all Japanese will recognize this as Confucian tenets but they will know all the meanings of the characters.

See Also:  Confucius Teachings | Ethics

This Japanese proverb means, "A life of happiness and prosperity" or "A life of happiness and success".

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

See Also:  Prosperity

生而無悔 is how to say "live without regrets" in Mandarin Chinese.

Note: There is some debate about whether this makes sense in Japanese. It would be read, "nama ji mu ke," and be understood in Japanese. But, a Japanese person will probably think it’s Chinese (not Japanese).

See Also:  Live for Today

This is how to say "live without regrets" in Japanese.

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

See Also:  Live for Today

把握今日 is the closest and most natural way to express this proverb in Chinese.

The first two characters mean "to seize" but can also be translated as "take control of".

The last two characters mean "today".

今を生きる is a Japanese phrase that can be translated as "live for the day", "live for the moment", "seize the day", or "make the most of the present".

You can think of this as the Japanese version of "Carpe Diem".

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

This Chinese proverb means, "to overlook past faults", or "forgive and forget".

It's more literally, "Abridge or make small the scars from your past emotions". Basically, you should let it go.

The character breakdown:
略 (lüè) abbreviation; omission; abridge.
跡 (jī) ruins; scar; traces.
原 (yuán) former.
情 (qíng) feeling; emotion.

烈婦 is a Japanese title for a strong-minded woman, virtuous woman, or heroine.

In some context, it can refer to a pure or chaste woman.

This literally reads, "Good Heart" but is used to refer to the ideas of kindness, benevolence, philanthropy, virtuous intentions, moral sense, and conscience.

Some will also translate this as morality of mind (as the character for heart is often used to mean mind).

In Japanese, this can be the given name Yoshinaka.

This Chinese word means ardent; intense; fierce; stern; upright; to give one's life for a noble cause.

In another context, this character can refer to one's exploits or achievements.

In Buddhist context, this is burning, fierce, virtuous and/or heroic.

While technically, it had the same meaning in Japanese, it's usually a female given name, Retsu in Japanese these days.

白龍 is a sophisticated or scholarly way to say, "White Dragon". 白龍 is the title you'd expect in ancient Chinese literature.

The first character means white, pure, or bright.

The second character means dragon.

The White Dragon represents a king who is virtuous and pure.

貞烈 is the Japanese Kanji for, "Extreme Faithfulness".

The first Kanji means "firm adherence to one's principles", chastity (of a woman), chaste, etc.

The second Kanji means ardent, intense, fierce, stern, upright, to give one's life for a noble cause, exploits, achievements, virtuous, and in some contexts, heroic.

Now you get the idea why this refers to someone who is extremely faithful (to a cause, themselves, their religious beliefs, or their philosophy.

善意 is a word that means good intentions, good will, or to things done in good faith in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

It's sort of the reason you do good deeds, or the desire you have inside yourself to do the right thing.

This can also be translated as benevolence, kindness, virtuous mind, positive mindset, or favorable sense.

善意 is also used in legal context for things that are done in good faith (regardless of outcome).

In Japanese, this can be the personal name Yoshi or Yoshii.

This single-character means diligence or "sense of duty" in Chinese and Korean (also understood in Japanese but not commonly-seen as a stand-alone Kanji).

As a single character on a wall scroll, this will only be seen with this meaning. However, it can also mean industrious, hardworking, frequent, regular, constant, energy, zeal, fortitude, or virility.

In Buddhism this can represent vīrya (viriya), the idea of energy, diligence, enthusiasm, or effort. It can be defined as an attitude of gladly engaging in wholesome activities, and it functions to cause one to accomplish wholesome or virtuous actions. Some Buddhists may even define this as "manliness" (a definition from a hundred years ago, before equality).

If you, or someone you know is a hard-worker (or needs a reminder to be diligent), then this is the wall scroll to have in your/their office.

See Also:  Tenacity | Undaunted