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One Justice Can Overpower 100 Evils
yī zhèng yā bǎi xié 일정압백사
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.
Repel Evil / Expel the Devil
This is the way you would write a sign or symbol to repel the devil or drive away evil in Chinese.
This literally means, "no fear evil". Chinese grammar and word order is a little different than English. This is the best way to write something that means "fear no evil" in Chinese.
The first character means "not", "don't" or "no".
The second means "fear".
The last two mean "evil", but can also be translated as "sinister", "vicious", "wickedness".
This is the color black in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.
In some context this can mean "dark" or "evil".
 There is an alternate form of this character which is commonly-used in modern Japan (shown to the right). If you want this alternate/Japanese form, just click on the character to the right, instead of the button above.
This is a common way to say demon, fiend, evil spirit, devil, or Satan in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
This is a strange choice for a wall scroll, so consider this entry for reference only.
Devotion / Diligence
Vigorous / Energeticvīrya
This is a wide-ranging word that is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It can mean aggressive, enterprising, vigorous, energetic, devotion, diligence, concentration of mind, purification, pushing, or assiduity. Used in the context of Buddhism, it means making earnest efforts to cultivate virtue and get rid of evil.
Joshua 24:15 - This House Serves the LORD
zhì yú wǒ hé wǒ jiā wǒ men bì dìng shì fèng yē hé huá
Depending on which English translation you like, here are the full English language version of Joshua 24:15 Joshua 24:15 (KJV) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 (NIV) But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
The characters shown here just dwell on the last line of the verse, "...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
We used the only official Christian Chinese Bible that I know of so that the translation would be as accurate and standard as possible. Any Chinese Christian worth their salt will easily be able to identify this verse from the Chinese words on this scroll.
I think it is a bit like having a secret code on your wall that quietly expresses to whom your are faithful.
A great gift for your devout Christian or Jewish friend if they happen to be fond of Asian art.
Or perhaps a wonderful "conversation starter" for your own home.
Note: If you are curious, the last three characters represent they way "LORD" is used in most English Bibles. In Chinese, this is actually the phonetic name in Mandarin Chinese for "Jehovah".
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In Japanese, this word means innocent, or one with no knowledge of good and evil. It literally means "without mind".
This is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo), and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: "No mind, a mind without ego. A mind like a mirror which reflects and dos not judge." The original term was "mushin no shin", meaning, "mind of no mind." It is a state of mind without fear, anger, or anxiety. Mushin is often described by the phrase, "mizu no kokoro", which means, "mind like water". The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects it’s surroundings when calm, but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.
This has a good meaning in conjunction with Chan / Zen Buddhism in Japan. However, out of that context, it means mindlessness or absent-minded. To non-Buddhists in China, this is associated with doing something without thinking.
In Korean, this usually means indifference.
Use caution and know your audience before ordering this selection.
More info: Wikipedia: Mushin
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