Buy a Mind Chinese/Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

美しい心 means, "beautiful heart" or "beautiful mind," in Japanese.

The word for "heart" also means "mind" and sometimes "soul" in ancient Asia.

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

美麗心靈 means, "Beautiful Mind" in Chinese.

美麗心靈 is also the Chinese title of the 2001 movie of the same name.

初心 is often translated in Japanese as "beginner's mind" or "beginner's spirit."

In Chinese, the dictionary definition is "one's original intention."

The first character means first, initial, primary, junior, beginning, or basic.

The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence.

初心 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: The state of shoshin is that of a beginners mind. It is a state of awareness the remains always fully conscious, aware, and prepared to see things for the first time. The attitude of shoshin is essential to continued learning.

冒地質多 is a Chinese and Japanese way to write Bodhicitta.

冒地質多 is often translated as "the enlightened mind" or "enlightened heart."

This title is strictly Buddhist, and won't make sense to Chinese or Japanese people who do not have an expansive background in Buddhist terms, concepts, and scripture.

心 would often be translated as "heart".

However, because it was believed in Chinese culture thousands of years that your consciousness and thoughts came from the big red organ in the middle of your chest, it also means "mind" or "spirit" and sometimes even "soul."

In Korean, beyond heart, mind, and spirit, this character can mean moral, nature, mind, affections, intentions, core, and center. In fact, it is used in Chinese to mean "center" as well but only with another character in front of it. For instance, "medical center" or even "shopping center." Separately and alone, it will not be read with that "center" meaning unless thought of as "the center of your soul."

平常心 is the title Heijoshin, as associated with Kendo and Aikido schools of Japanese martial arts.

平常心 is also a word in Japanese which can be translated as "one's self-possession" or "presence of mind."

In Chinese and Korean, this means "simplicity heart," "composure," "calmness," or a "sense of orderliness." In Chinese and Korean, this implies that you enjoy what you have, keep your heart in balance, and have no over-blown ambitions.

不動心 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: An unshakable mind and an immovable spirit is the state of fudoshin. It is courage and stability displayed both mentally and physically. Rather than indicating rigidity and inflexibility, fudoshin describes a condition that is not easily upset by internal thoughts or external forces. It is capable of receiving a strong attack while retaining composure and balance. It receives and yields lightly, grounds to the earth, and reflects aggression back to the source.

Other translations of this title include imperturbability, steadfastness, keeping a cool head in an emergency, or keeping one's calm (during a fight).

The first two Kanji alone mean immobility, firmness, fixed, steadfastness, motionless, idle.

The last Kanji means heart, mind, soul, or essence.

Together, these three Kanji create a title that is defined as "immovable mind" within the context of Japanese martial arts. However, in Chinese it would mean "motionless heart" and in Korean Hanja, "wafting heart" or "floating heart."

First off, this should only be used in context of Japanese martial arts. In Chinese, it's a rather sad title (like a broken heart). In Chinese, the first character alone means destroyed, spoiled, ruined, injured, cruel, oppressive, savage, incomplete, disabled. However, in Japanese, it's remainder, leftover, balance, or lingering.
The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence in both languages.

殘心 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: The spirit of zanshin is the state of the remaining or lingering spirit. It is often described as a sustained and heightened state of awareness and mental follow-through. However, true zanshin is a state of focus or concentration before, during, and after the execution of a technique, where a link or connection between uke and nage is preserved. Zanshin is the state of mind that allows us to stay spiritually connected, not only to a single attacker but to multiple attackers and even an entire context; a space, a time, an event.

In modern Japan (and Simplified Chinese), they use a different version of the first character, as seen to the right. Click on this character to the right instead of the button above if you want this modern Japanese version of lingering mind / zanshin.

虛己以聽 is a Chinese proverb that means to listen to the ideas of others with an open mind.

This is, "Be master of mind, rather than mastered by mind," in Chinese.

This is not an ancient Chinese phrase but rather something we added at the request of a customer.

This is probably the best way to express the idea of "Body, Mind and Spirit" in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word for "heart" here because for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say "warm-hearted" or "I love you with all of my heart." In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.

The very literal translation of these three characters is "body, heart & spirit" which could also be interpreted as "body mind & soul."

We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply "feels" like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we have to be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).

In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.

Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.

心勝於物 is how to write, "mind over matter" in Chinese.

This means, "mind over matter," in Japanese.

If you get really technical, you get a translation like, "mental strength transcends materiality."

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

This literally translates as: [About] matters [that] don't concern [you], do not open [your] mouth, [and] when questioned, always shake [your] head "No."

Figuratively, this means: It is best to remain reticent about other people's affairs and to refuse to make any comment on matters that don't concern you.

This suggests that you not give unwanted help or advice to someone.

The Japanese characters break down this way:
余計 (yokei) too much, unnecessary, extraneous, abundance, surplus, excess, superfluity.
な (na) connecting article. お世話 (osewa) help, aid, assistance.

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

水の心 is the Japanese Buddhist and martial arts phrase, "mizu no kokoro," which means, "mind like water" or "heart of 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.

The idea of "morality of mind" goes along with "wu de" (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).

Here, the first character is a representation of your heart or mind.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.

This can also be translated as "morality of heart," "virtue of heart," or "virtue of the mind."

Note that since ancient times in Asia, the idea of your mind (the place where your soul resides, and your thought originate from) has been associated with the heart. Just as in western culture where we say "it comes from the heart," or "heartfelt emotions," there is a belief that your heart and mind are one and the same (medical science now begs to differ).

See Also:  Morality of Deed | Martial Morality

In Japanese, this word means innocent, or one with no knowledge of good and evil. It literally means "without mind."

無心 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

This literally reads as "one heart" in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Colloquially or figuratively, it means: wholeheartedly; heart and soul; of one mind; wholeheartedness; one's whole heart; with the whole mind or heart; one mind of heart.
I'm not kidding, all of those came right from the dictionary for this one title. In Buddhism, this can refer to the bhūtatathatā, or the whole of things; the universe as one mind, or a spiritual unity.

In Japanese this can be the female given name, Hitomi.

和合 means to blend, unite, or be of one mind.

和合 is usually used as a Buddhist term. It can also be defined as: harmony; concord; agreement; unity; union; harmonize.

虛心坦懐 is a Japanese proverb that means, "with an open and calm mind," "with no preconceived notions," or "without reservations."

In some context it can mean frank or candid.

開覺 is a Buddhist term meaning "open mind."

The more full definition as used in Buddhism is, "To arouse, awaken; to allow the original Buddha-nature to open and enlighten the mind."

There are several ways to translate this ancient proverb. Translated literally and directly it says, "Open roll has/yields benefit."

To understand that, you must know a few things...

First, Chinese characters and language have deeper meanings that often are not spoken but are understood - especially with ancient text like this. Example: It's understood that the "benefit" referred to in this proverb is to the mind of the reader. Just the last character expresses that whole idea.

Second, Chinese proverbs are supposed to make you think, and leave a bit of mystery to figure out.

Third, for this proverb, it should be noted that roll = book. When this proverb came about (about two thousand years ago) books were really rolls of bamboo slips strung together. The first bound books like the ones we use today did not come about until about a thousand years after this proverb when they invented paper in China.

開卷有益 is a great gift for a bookworm who loves to read and increase their knowledge. Or for any friend that is or wants to be well-read.

Some other translations of this phrase:
Opening a book is profitable
The benefits of education.

This means, "patience brings peace of mind," in Japanese.

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

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

內心的寧靜 is the longer way to express the idea of "peace of mind" in Chinese.

The first two characters mean heart or "innermost being."
The middle character is a connecting modifier.
The last two characters mean peace, tranquility, or serenity.

Some may also translate this as "inner peace" but I like our other inner-peace options for that idea.

This kind of makes sense in Korean but will have an archaic read - even by those who can understand Korean Hanja.

和平 is the Chinese order for these two characters which means peace but can also be translated as amicability, pacifically or mildness. 和平 is often translated as a simple way to say "peace of mind." This combination is used in Korean Hanja to mean "peace and harmony."

Alone, the first character means peace and harmony.
The second character means balance, when read by itself.

Note: 和平 are often seen in the opposite order in Japanese with the same meaning (You'll sometimes find them in this order in Japan, so either way is OK).

This can be defined as relief, peace of mind, feeling at ease, to be relieved, set one's mind at rest, easiness.

安心 is a nice word that encompasses great meanings within just two characters. Some of the other meanings include to pacify, to settle the mind, peace of mind, and it's also the idea of feeling a sense of security, safety, and confidence in your state of well-being.

This can be used by everyone, but some consider it to be a Buddhist concept (You'll find it in your Zen dictionary).

This Chinese and Japanese proverb/word means, "cool and collected," "showing no sign of nerves," "perfectly composed," "having presence of mind," "self-possessed," "imperturbable," and/or "calm and self-possessed."

This Japanese word means: calmness; composure; presence of mind; stability; steadiness.

This Japanese and Korean word means "pride" or "self-respect."

The first Kanji/Hanja means oneself. The second can mean revered, valuable, precious, noble or exalted. And the last Kanji/Hanja means heart, mind and/or spirit.

While these characters make sense and hold the same general meaning in Chinese, this is not a normal Chinese word. This selection should only be used if your audience is Japanese or Korean.

See Also:  Respect | Pride | Self-Reliance | Self-Control | Self-Discipline

心澄淨 is the Buddhist concept of the pure and calm mind. It is believed that once you achieve a meditative state of pure focused thought, the mind becomes clear and calm. Although, others will say this means that achieving a calm mind will allow you to reach pure thought.

From Sanskrit, this is known as citta-prasāda. The concept of citta-prasāda is sometimes defined as, "clear heart-mind," or "the single and definitive aspiration."

This is the Chinese phrase for "Strong Mind, Strong Body," however, the character order is actually "Strong Body, Strong Mind," as that's the more natural word order in Chinese.

強い体強い心 is a way to write "strong mind, strong body" in Japanese.

Each of the two lines starts with 強い (tsuyoi) which means: strong; powerful; mighty; potent; resistant; resilient; durable; tough; stiff; hard; inflexible.

Body is represented with 体 (ancient version is 體, romanized as karada) which means: body; build; physique; posture; torso; trunk; health.

Mind is represented with 心 (kokoro) which can mean heart, mind, or soul depending on context.

This is not a common phrase in Japanese, so it's not the most natural title for calligraphy. In English, you might want to write it, "strong mind, strong body" but, "strong mind, strong body," is more natural in Japanese.

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

參悟 is a Chan / Zen Buddhism concept that means "to understand (mystery) from meditation," or "to see truth flash through the mind."

參悟 is a pretty deep idea, therefore, your own study and contemplation may be required before you can fully appreciate it.

This Japanese proverb suggests that a wise man is willing to change his mind but a fool will stubbornly never change his.

The first word is 君子 (kunshi) man of virtue, person of high rank, wise man.

The second word is 豹変 (hyouhen) sudden change, complete change.

The last part す (su) just modifies the verb to a more humble form.

The "fool" part is merely implied or understood. So if wise and noble people are willing to change their minds, it automatically says that foolish people are the ones unwilling to change.

一味同心 is a Japanese phrase that refers to people working together with one mind.

残心 is a Japanese Kanji word meaning: continued alertness; unrelaxed alertness; remaining on one's guard; lingering mind, being prepared for a counterstrike. This context is used in martial arts, which is probably why you are looking up this word.

In archery and golf, it can be the follow-through.

In the context of love and relationships, it can be: lingering affection; attachment; regret; regrets; reluctance.

身心 means, "body and mind" or "mental and physical" in Chinese and Japanese.

In the Buddhist context, body and mind encompass the five elements (skandha) of a sentient being.
The body is the physical material (rūpa) of life. Mind embraces the other four skandhas which are consciousness, perception, action, and knowledge.

虚心坦懐 is a Japanese word that means with an open and calm mind.

If you want to remind yourself to approach each situation with no preconceptions, this is a good title for you. This can also refer to the ideas of being candid, frank, and straightforward.

佛心 means the mind of Buddha or the spiritually enlightened heart.

The Buddha Heart is one that is detached from good and evil and other such constructs. The Buddha Heart has mercy, compassion, and loving-kindness for all sentient life, the good, the wicked, and all in between.

The heart and mind (心) are the same concept in the ancient Orient, so you can use heart and mind interchangeably in this context.

美麗的心靈 means beautiful heart, beautiful mind, or beautiful spirit in Chinese.

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 old Chinese proverb has been translated many different ways into English. As you read the translations below, keep in mind that in Chinese, heart=mind.

Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
Nothing is difficult to a willing heart.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Nothing in the world is impossible if you set your mind to do it.
A willful man will have his way.
If you wish it, you will do it.
A determined heart can accomplish anything.
All things are possible to a strong mind.

This Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word holds the dictionary definition of "determination" but literally means, "determined heart."

The first character means "to determine" or "determined."

The second character means "heart," "mind" or "soul," so you can imagine that this form of "determination" partially means to put your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).

See Also:  Devotion | Tenacious | Passion | Dedication | Will-Power

This Chinese philosophy tells of how we continue to learn throughout our lives. This proverb can be translated in a few ways such as "Study has no end," "Knowledge is infinite," "No end to learning," "There's always something new to study," or "You live and learn."

The deeper meaning: Even when we finish school we are still students of the world gaining more knowledge from our surroundings with each passing day.

See Also:  An Open Book Benefits Your Mind | Wisdom | Learn From Wisdom

鍛煉 / 鍛鍊 means exercise in much the same way we use the word exercise in English. This can be exercising your body at the gym, or exercising your mind in studies. Most of the time, this refers to physical exercise.

This can also be translated as to temper, to toughen, to train, to drill, to forge, or simply discipline.

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 refers to the virtue, morality, and ethics that any practitioner of martial arts should posses.

This can be used in both Chinese and Japanese in lieu of English terms such as "soldierly virtue," "good conduct" (military), "warrior ethics," and being honorable in regards to any fight or competition.

See Also:  Morality of Mind | Morality of Deed

This often gets translated as "Mind Sword Body," or "Spirit, Sword and Body as One." But I think these translations don't tell you enough about what this is really saying.

In this context, 気, which is the modern Japanese version of 氣, means spiritual and unseen energy or "life energy." In some cases, 気 can be translated as spirit, feeling, or nature. If defined as mind, it's more about invisible or intangible part of one's mind (or soul).

剣 is the Japanese version of 劍 meaning sword.

体 is the modern Japanese version of 體 meaning body.

The Kanji 一 means one, and in this case suggests "all in one." The Kanji 到 means to send, deliver, or convey. But together, 一到 suggests all these things in agreement, union cooperation, or in concert.

The idea of "morality of deed" goes along with "wu de" (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).

Here, the first character is a representation of the actions or deeds that you engage in.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.

This translates better in English in the opposite order, as the Chinese order is literally "deed morality."

See Also:  Morality of Mind | Martial Morality

精神 is the kind of spirit that you have if you perform well in sports or competition. It is the idea of having a good attitude, and putting your all into something - so much so that others can see or feel your spirit. It is the essence of your being that can only be subjectively described because there are no words that can fully explain what "spirit" really is.

For your information:
My Japanese dictionary further tries to explain this word by comparing it to mind, soul, heart or intention.
My Chinese dictionary compares these characters to meanings like vigor, vitality, drive and mentality.
My Korean dictionary defines this as mind, spirit and soul.

See Also:  Vitality | Heart | Soul

This literally translates as: Do not be concerned about being old; be concerned about a mind which is old.

Figuratively, this means: Your are not as old as you look, you are only as old as you think you are.