This proverb creates an image of a warrior bravely advancing against an enemy regardless of the odds.

This proverb can also be translated as “indomitable spirit” or “march fearlessly onward.”

See Also:  Indomitable | Fortitude

烏 can mean raven or crow but is also used as an alternate way to write the color black.

Therefore, this is a symbol of the black raven (with emphasis on black). This can also mean rook or dark.

Notes: This can be the Japanese surname Karasu, or Chinese surname Wu.

This proverb means “Brave people [are] without fear,” or “The brave are without fear.”

勇者不懼 is a proverb credited to Confucius. It's one of three phrases in a set of things he said.

This phrase is originally Chinese but has penetrated Japanese culture as well (many Confucian phrases have) back when Japan borrowed Chinese characters into their language.

This phrase has also been converted into modern Japanese grammar when written as 勇者は懼れず. If you want this version just click on those characters.

See Also:  No Fear

勇士 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for a brave warrior, a brave person, a hero, or a brave man.

In Japanese, this can be a given name, Yuuji.

勇敢的心 is the title “Braveheart,” as in the movie starring Mel Gibson.

The character meanings break down this way:
勇敢 brave.
的 possessive particle.
心 heart/mind.

布雷文 is the name Braven in Chinese (Mandarin).

ブレイブン is the name Braven in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

勇敢 is about courage or bravery in the face of fear.

You do the right thing even when it is hard or scary. When you are courageous, you don't give up. You try new things. You admit mistakes. This kind of courage is the willingness to take action in the face of danger and peril.

勇敢 can also be translated as braveness, valor, heroic, fearless, boldness, prowess, gallantry, audacity, daring, dauntless, and/or courage in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. This version of bravery/courage can be an adjective or a noun. The first character means bravery and courage by itself. The second character means “daring” by itself. The second character emphasizes the meaning of the first but adds the idea that you are not afraid of taking a dare, and you are not afraid of danger.

勇敢 is more about brave behavior and not so much the mental state of being brave. You'd more likely use this to say, “He fought courageously in the battle,” rather than “He is very courageous.”

勇 can be translated as bravery, courage, valor, or fearless in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

勇 is the simplest form to express courage or bravery, as there is also a two-character form that starts with this same character.

勇 can also be translated as brave, daring, fearless, plucky, or heroic.

This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also:  Courage

破浪 can be translated from Chinese as “braving the waves” or “bravely setting sail.”

It literally means: “break/cleave/cut [the] waves.”

破浪 is a great title to encourage yourself or someone else not to be afraid of problems or troubles.

Because of the context, this is especially good for sailors or yachtsmen and surfers too.

Note: While this can be understood in Japanese, it's not commonly used in Japan. Therefore, please consider this to be primarily a Chinese proverb.

勇氣 is one of several ways to express bravery and courage in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

This version is the most spiritual. This is the essence of bravery from deep within your being. This is the mental state of being brave versus actual brave behavior. You'd more likely use this to say, “He is very courageous,” rather than “He fought courageously in the battle.”

The first character also means bravery or courage when it's seen alone. With the second character added, an element of energy or spirit is added. The second character is the same “chi” or “qi” energy that Kung Fu masters focus on when they strike. For this reason, you could say this means “spirit of courage” or “brave spirit.”

This is certainly a stronger word than just the first character alone.

Beyond bravery or courage, dictionaries also translate this word as valor/valour, nerve, audacity, daring, pluck, plucky, gallantry, guts, gutsy, and boldness.

This is also one of the 8 key concepts of tang soo do.

While the version shown to the left is commonly used in Chinese and Korean Hanja (and ancient Japanese Kanji), please note that the second character is written with slightly fewer strokes in modern Japanese. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the character to the right. Both styles would be understood by native Chinese, Japanese, and many (but not all) Korean people. You should make your selection based on the intended audience for your calligraphy artwork. Or pick the single-character form of bravery/courage which is universal.

克雷文 is the name Craven in Chinese (Mandarin).

クレイヴン is the name Craven in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

克雷文斯 is the name Cravens in Chinese (Mandarin).

クレイヴンズ is the name Cravens in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

克雷弗 is the name Craver in Chinese (Mandarin).

クレイバー is the name Craver in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

勇者は幸運に恵まれる is a Japanese proverb that suggests that in history, the brave or courageous tend to be the ones who win.

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

命運鐘情於勇士 means “Fortune favors the brave” in Chinese.

This is not the only way to express the idea of fortune favoring the bold or brave.

It's not originally a Chinese phrase, so it's been translated into Chinese in various ways.

格雷夫斯 is the name Graves in Chinese (Mandarin).

グレイブス is the name Graves in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

哈格雷夫 is the name Hargrave in Chinese (Mandarin).

ハーグレイヴ is the name Hargrave in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

哈格雷夫斯 is the name Hargraves in Chinese (Mandarin).

ハーグレイヴス is the name Hargraves in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

旅行 means journey or travels. It is sometimes used to refer to a vacation.

If you like a good adventure, maybe this is the word for you.

旅 is a single Chinese character, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja that means trip, travel, or journey.

In an older context, this could refer to an army brigade or a 500-man battalion from the Zhou-dynasty Chinese army.

This poem was written almost 1200 years ago during the Tang dynasty.

It depicts traveling up a place known as Cold Mountain, where some hearty people have built their homes. The traveler is overwhelmed by the beauty of the turning leaves of the maple forest that surrounds him just as night overtakes the day, and darkness prevails. His heart implores him to stop, and take in all of the beauty around him.

First, before you get to the full translation, I must tell you that Chinese poetry is a lot different than what we have in the west. Chinese words simply don't rhyme in the same way that English or other western languages do. Chinese poetry depends on rhythm and a certain beat of repeated numbers of characters.

I have done my best to translate this poem keeping a certain feel of the original poet. But some of the original beauty of the poem in its original Chinese will be lost in translation.

Far away on Cold Mountain, a stone path leads upwards.
Among white clouds, people's homes reside.
Stopping my carriage I must, as to admire the maple forest at nights fall.
In awe of autumn leaves showing more red than even flowers of early spring.

Hopefully, this poem will remind you to stop, and “take it all in” as you travel through life.
The poet's name is “Du Mu” in Chinese that is: .
The title of the poem, “Mountain Travels” is:
You can have the title, poet's name, and even “Tang Dynasty” written as an inscription on your custom wall scroll if you like.

More about the poet:

Dumu lived from 803-852 AD and was a leading Chinese poet during the later part of the Tang dynasty.
He was born in Chang'an, a city in central China and the former capital of the ancient Chinese empire in 221-206 BC. In present-day China, his birthplace is currently known as Xi'an, the home of the Terracotta Soldiers.

He was awarded his Jinshi degree (an exam administered by the emperor's court which leads to becoming an official of the court) at the age of 25 and went on to hold many official positions over the years. However, he never achieved a high rank, apparently because of some disputes between various factions, and his family's criticism of the government. His last post in the court was his appointment to the office of Secretariat Drafter.

During his life, he wrote scores of narrative poems, as well as a commentary on the Art of War and many letters of advice to high officials.

His poems were often very realistic and often depicted everyday life. He wrote poems about everything, from drinking beer in a tavern to weepy poems about lost love.

The thing that strikes you most is the fact even after 1200 years, not much has changed about the beauty of nature, toils, and troubles of love and beer drinking.

穆斯格雷夫 is the name Musgrave in Chinese (Mandarin).

マスグレイブ is the name Musgrave in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

普拉文 is the name Praveen in Chinese (Mandarin).

プラビーン is the name Praveen in Japanese (Katakana).

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

鴉 is raven or crow in Chinese characters, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji. 鴉 is also an abbreviation for the Corvus species.

If this is your favorite bird, hang this symbol on your wall.

Note: Can also be the surname Karasu in Japanese.

讀萬卷書行萬里路 is a lifelong suggestion for expanding your horizons by gaining knowledge, experience, and seeing the world.

Of course, this was written long ago when it was hard to travel 10,000 miles (at least 1000 years before the invention of the airplane).
With air travel and the business I'm in, I often achieve that lifetime goal on a monthly basis.
However, I am a little behind in the book count.

Note: An ancient Chinese mile (里 or lǐ) referred to in this proverb is about a third of a British/American mile. However, at that time, this was a great distance to travel.

砂 means sand or gravel in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The radicals in the character imply the grit from ground-down stone or rock.

This can also be the Japanese surname Sunahama.

西格雷夫斯 is the name Seagraves in Chinese (Mandarin).

シーグレーブス is the name Seagraves in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

剛健勇猛 can be translated as “Strong and brave.”

剛健 = Strong and healthy, or robust spirit/body.

勇猛 = Valor, fierce, and/or courage.

羈旅 is a Chinese and Japanese title for traveler/traveller, to live abroad, to be traveling, or just travel.

行万里路胜读万卷书 translates a few ways:
To travel ten thousand miles beats reading ten-thousand books.
Better to travel ten thousand li than to read ten thousand books. (a “li” is an ancient Chinese mile)
Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books.

No matter how you slice it, this Chinese proverb is claiming that experience is more profound and meaningful than what you can get from a book. Go do it! Don't just read about it.

旅人 is a Japanese title for traveller/traveler, wayfarer, nomad, a person who goes from place to place, pilgrim, etc.

行旅 is a Chinese and Japanese title meaning traveler/traveller, wanderer, vagabond, rolling stone, or traveling/travelling.

特拉弗 is the name Traver in Chinese (Mandarin).

トラバー is the name Traver in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

特拉弗斯 is the name Travers in Chinese (Mandarin).

トラバース is the name Travers in Japanese Katakana.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.