Buy a wall scroll with "The Earth / The World" in Chinese or Japanese.

土虎 is Earth Tiger in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1878, 1938, 1998, and 2058.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 戊寅.

See Also:  Tiger

土兔 is Earth Rabbit in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1879, 1939, 1999, and 2059.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 己卯.

See Also:  Rabbit

土鼠 is Earth Rat in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1888, 1948, 2008, and 2068.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 戊子.

See Also:  Rat

土牛 is Earth Ox/Bull in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1889, 1949, 2009, and 2069.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 己丑.

See Also:  Ox/Bull

土狗 is Earth Dog in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1898, 1958, 2018, and 2078.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 戊戌.

See Also:  Dog

土豬 is Earth Pig/Boar in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1899, 1959, 2019, and 2079.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 己亥.

See Also:  Pig/Boar

土猴 is Earth Monkey in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1908, 1968, 2028, and 2088.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 戊申.

See Also:  Monkey

土雞 is Earth Rooster in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1909, 1969, 2029, and 2089.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 己酉.

See Also:  Rooster

土馬 is Earth Horse in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1918, 1978, 2038, and 2098.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 戊午.

See Also:  Horse

土羊 is Earth Goat/Sheep in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1919, 1979, 2039, and 2099.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 己未.

See Also:  Goat/Sheep

土龍 is Earth Dragon in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1868, 1928, 1988, and 2048.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 戊辰.

See Also:  Dragon

土蛇 is Earth Snake in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1869, 1929, 1989, and 2049.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 己巳.

See Also:  Snake

道天地將法 is a list of five key points to analyzing your situation from the first chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

This reads like a 5-part military proverb. Sun Tzu says that to sharpen your skills, you must plan. To plan well, you must know your situation. Therefore, you must consider and discuss the following:

1. Philosophy and Politics: Make sure your way or your policy is agreeable among all of your troops (and the citizens of your kingdom as well). For when your soldiers believe in you and your way, they will follow you to their deaths without hesitation and will not question your orders.

2. Heaven/Sky: Consider climate / weather. This can also mean considering whether God is smiling upon you. In the modern military, this could be waiting for clear skies so that you can have air support for an amphibious landing.

3. Ground/Earth: Consider the terrain in which the battle will take place. This includes analyzing defensible positions, and exit routes, while using varying elevations to your advantage. When you plan an ambush, you must know your terrain and the best location from which to stage that ambush. This knowledge will also help you avoid being ambushed, as you will know where the likely places in which to expect an ambush from your enemy.

4. Leadership: This applies to you as the general and your lieutenants. A leader should be smart and be able to develop good strategies. Leaders should keep their word, and if they break a promise, they should punish themselves as harshly as they would punish subordinates. Leaders should be benevolent to their troops, with almost a fatherly love for them. Leaders must have the ability to make brave and fast decisions. Leaders must have steadfast principles.

5. [Military] Methods: This can also mean laws, rules, principles, models, or systems. You must have an efficient organization in place to manage both your troops and supplies. In the modern military, this would be a combination of how your unit is organized and your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

Notes: This is a simplistic translation and explanation. Much more is suggested in the actual text of the Art of War (Bing Fa). It would take a lot of study to master all of these aspects. In fact, these five characters can be compared to the modern military acronyms such as BAMCIS or SMEAC.

CJK notes: I have included the Japanese and Korean pronunciations but in Chinese, Korean and Japanese, this does not make a typical phrase (with subject, verb, and object) it is a list that only someone familiar with Sun Tzu’s writings would understand.

身土不二 (Shindofuni) is originally a Buddhist concept or proverb referring to the inseparability of body-mind and geographical circumstances.

This reads, “Body [and] earth [are] not two.”

Other translations or matching ideas include:
Body and land are one.
Body and earth can not be separated.
Body earth sensory curation.
You are what you eat.
Indivisibility of the body and the land (because the body is made from food and food is made from the land).

Going further, this speaks of our human bodies and the land from which we get our food being closely connected. This phrase is often used when talking about natural and organic vegetables coming directly from the farm to provide the healthiest foods in Japan.

Character notes: 身(shin) in this context does not just mean your physical body but a concept including both body and mind.
土 (do) refers to the soil, earth, clay, land, or in some cases, locality. It's not the proper name of Earth, the planet. However, it can refer to the land or realm we live in.

Japanese note: This has been used in Japan, on and off, since 1907 as a slogan for a governmental healthy eating campaign (usually pronounced as shindofuji instead of the original shindofuni in this context). It may have been hijacked from Buddhism for this propaganda purpose, but at least this is “healthy propaganda.”

Korean note: The phrase 身土不二 was in use by 1610 A.D. in Korea, where it can be found in an early medical journal.
In modern South Korea, it's written in Hangul as 신토불이. Korea used Chinese characters (same source as Japanese Kanji) as their only written standard form of the language until about a hundred years ago. Therefore, many Koreans will recognize this as a native phrase and concept.

See Also:  Strength and Love in Unity

蟠龍 is sometimes seen as a lower-level of dragon or a dragon that has not-yet-reached its potential.

蟠龍 is often defined as a “lake dragon” that has not ascended to heaven.
Another way to put that is a dragon coiled on the earth, which has not yet ascended to the sky.

孔子 is how to write the name of the great sage, known in the West as Confucius.

His real name is Kongzi (The name Confucius is a westernized version of his name - his family name is Kong, and “zi” was added as a title of distinction).

He lived some 2500 years ago in Qufu, a town in modern-day Shandong Province of Northern China (about 6 hours south of Beijing by bus). He was a consort to Emperors, and after his death, the impact of his philosophies still served to advise emperors, officials, and common people for generations.

Also during these thousands of years, the Kong family remained powerful in China, and the Kong estate was much like the Vatican in Rome. The Kong estate existed as if on sovereign ground with its own small garrison of guards and the privileges of a kingdom within an empire.

This was true up until the time the Kong family had to flee to Taiwan in 1949 when the Red Army took victory over the Nationalists during the Revolution. The home of Confucius was later razed and all statues were defaced or stolen during the Cultural Revolution. Finally, after years of smearing his name and image, it is once again okay to celebrate the teachings of Confucius in mainland China.

Known as Khổng Tử in Vietnamese.

This text is the first chapter of the Daodejing / Tao Te Ching.

The text reads:
道可道、非常道。名可名、非常名。 無名天地之始 有名萬物之母。故常無欲以觀其妙、常有欲以觀其徼。此兩者同出而異名。同謂之玄。玄之又玄、衆妙之門。

This classical Chinese passage comes from the Mawangdui (馬王堆帛書) text.

This is referred to as passage or chapter 33 of the Dao De Jing (often Romanized as “Tao Te Ching”).

These are the words of the philosopher Laozi (Lao Tzu).

Notes:

During our research, the Chinese characters shown here are probably the most accurate to the original text of Laozi. These were taken for the most part from the Mawangdui 1973 and Guodan 1993 manuscripts which pre-date other Daodejing texts by about 1000 years.

Grammar was a little different in Laozi’s time. So you should consider this to be the ancient Chinese version. Some have modernized this passage by adding, removing, or swapping articles and changing the grammar (we felt the oldest and most original version would be more desirable). You may find other versions printed in books or online - sometimes these modern texts are simply used to explain to Chinese people what the original text really means.

This language issue can be compared in English by thinking how the King James (known as the Authorized version in Great Britain) Bible from 1611 was written, and comparing it to modern English. Now imagine that the Daodejing was probably written around 403 BCE (2000 years before the King James Version of the Bible). To a Chinese person, the original Daodejing reads like text that is 3 times more detached compared to Shakespeare’s English is to our modern-day speech.

Extended notes:

While on this Biblical text comparison, it should be noted, that just like the Bible, all the original texts of the Daodejing were lost or destroyed long ago. Just as with the scripture used to create the Bible, various manuscripts exist, many with variations or copyist errors. Just as the earliest New Testament scripture (incomplete) is from 170 years after Christ, the earliest Daodejing manuscript (incomplete) is from 100-200 years after the death of Laozi.

The reason that the originals were lost probably has a lot to do with the first Qin Emperor. Upon taking power and unifying China, he ordered the burning and destruction of all books (scrolls/rolls) except those pertaining to Chinese medicine and a few other subjects. The surviving Daodejing manuscripts were either hidden on purpose or simply forgotten about. Some were not unearthed until as late as 1993.

We compared a lot of research by various archeologists and historians before deciding on this as the most accurate and correct version. But one must allow that it may not be perfect, or the actual and original as from the hand of Laozi himself.

地球 is the name of the earth (our planet) in Chinese, old Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji.

If you love the earth, or want to be reminded of where your home is in the solar system, this is the wall scroll for you.

土 is earth, soil, ground, or Terra.

Earth is one of the five elements that ancient Chinese believed all things were composed of. These elements are also part of the cycle of Chinese astrology. Every person has both an animal sign, and one of the five elements according to the date of their birth.

See Also:  Five Elements | Chinese Zodiac

地龍 is the Earth Dragon, king of rivers and seas.

地龍 is sometimes used in Chinese as a nickname for earthworms.

四大元素 is the title for the four classical chemical elements (fire, earth, air, and water) in Japanese.

四大 = four great/big. 元素 = elements. So 四大元素 literally means “Four Great Elements.”

地 is the single-character element and title of the planet Earth in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

Because this is a single character, the definition is a little ambiguous and can have many meanings depending on the context in which it is used. These meanings include: earth, ground, land, soil, dirt, place, territory, bottom (of a package, book, etc.), earth (one of the Japanese five elements), the region in question, the local area, skin, texture, fabric, material, weave, base, background, one's true nature, narrative (i.e. descriptive part of a story), real life, actuality, etc.

In Japanese, this Kanji can be pronounced several ways, including chi, ji, tsushi, or tsuchi.
地 is also an element of the Japanese version of the five elements (the original Chinese version uses a different version of earth).

腳踏實地 is a four-character proverb that 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.”

五行 is the title of the five elements: wood, fire, water, earth, and metal.

The first character means five, and the second character is simply element(s).

According to ancient Chinese science, all matter in the world is comprised of these elements. One idea presented with the five elements is that when energy is added, the matter is believed to expand. When energy is removed, matter contracts. Oddly, this concept is not far from Einstein's theories and modern science. Just a few thousand years before Einstein.

More info: Wikipedia - Five Elements (Wu Xing).

See Also:  Wood | Fire | Water | Metal | Five Elements

金木水火土 is a list of the Chinese characters for the five elements in a comfortable order (meaning that they “feel right” to a Chinese person who views this arrangement).

The order is metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Note that sometimes the metal element is translated as gold. And earth refers to soil versus the whole planet earth.

地水火風空 is the specifically-Japanese version of the five elements.

This is a little different than the ancient or original Chinese version.

The elements are written in this order:
1. Earth / Terra / Ground
2. Water
3. Fire
4. Wind / Air
5. Sky / Emptiness / Void / Ether

Note: This set of Kanji can also be romanized as “ji sui ka fuu kuu,” “jisuikafuukuu,” or “jisuikafuku.”

These can also be written in the order 地火風水空 (chi ka sui fuu kuu). Let me know when you place your order if you want the Kanji to be in this character order.

This is the title “5 Element Dojo” in Japanese Kanji.

Sometimes, the five elements are expressed in Japanese as 五大 (Godai) (earth, water, fire, wind, void) instead of the Chinese/Traditional 五行 (Gogyo) (wood, fire, water, earth, metal), so you might want 五大道場 instead. Let me know when ordering if that is the case.

地水火風 is a Buddhist term that means “earth, water, fire, wind.”

This is often just referred to as “the four elements.” There is a more common title (the five elements) that adds wood to the mix. These four elements are used in some sects of Japanese Buddhism (not so much in Chinese).

五大 is the Japanese title for the five elements.

In Japan, the five elements differ slightly from the original Chinese. Therefore, in Japanese philosophy, you have earth, water, fire, wind, and void (space).

The meaning of the first character is 5, but the second character means great or large. Some translate this as the five majors. 大 is only understood as “elements” when you have 五 in front of it.

In Buddhism, this can be short for 五大明王, or the five great and wise kings.

天地 is “Heaven and Earth” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This title is used in many different contexts. It can be a general term but is also used by Buddhists and in other religions.

This can also be used to refer to all of nature, the universe, the top and bottom, the realm of life, or the sphere of existence.

地獄 is the way that hell is written in modern Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

There's more than one way to express hell, but this is the one that has stood the test of time.

The first character refers to the ground or the earth.
The second character means jail or prison.

You can also translate this word as infernal, inferno, Hades, or underworld.

It should be noted that this is a somewhat terrible selection for a wall scroll. Hanging this in your home is like telling the world that your home is hell. Oddly, many people search for this on our website, so I added it for reference.

聖地 can be titled or translated in a lot of different ways: sacred ground, the Holy Land, Holy city, sacred place, Holy ground, or shrine.

I have seen all of these English translations used when coming from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

In China, 哄堂大笑 is a proverb that is used in response to a good joke or witty comment.

The story goes that Mr. Feng and Mr. He were both senior officials in the Song Dynasty (about a thousand years ago). One day, Mr. Feng walked into their shared office wearing a new pair of boots. The boots caught the eye of Mr. He who said, “New boots! - how much were they?.” Mr. Feng lifted one of the boots off the ground as if to show it off and responded, “900 coins.”
Astonished, Mr. Feng explained, “900? How can that be? - I paid 1800 coins for my boots!.” Mr. Feng then lifted his other foot off the ground and said, “This boot was also 900 coins.”

It is said that the whole room was shaking from the laughter of all that heard Mr. Feng's joke on Mr. He.

仙 means immortal (as in a being or person).

In some contexts, it can mean hermit, ascetic, man of the hills, or wizard. The Buddha is often put in this category.

In Chinese mythology and folklore, there is a famous group of eight immortals (八仙).

The 楞嚴經 (Śūraṅgama Sūtra) speaks of many kinds of immortals including walkers on the earth, fliers, wanderers at will (into space or into the deva heavens), beings with the ability to transform themselves into any form, etc.

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, and idle.

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

Together, these three Kanji create a title 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.”

於是又彎著腰用指頭在地上畫字 is John 8:8 in Chinese.

This text is from the 1919 Chinese Union Bible.

You may know it from the KJV as:
And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

叩頭 is the term that seems to be known worldwide as kowtow.

In Japanese and Chinese, it simply means a deep bow, especially one so low that one's head touches the ground in submission. However, in western culture, it has sometimes come to mean “giving in” or “surrendering to someone else's will.” Sometimes even said of a person who stoops to flattery at the expense of their dignity.

I don't know if you would really want this on a wall scroll, but enough people have searched for this term on our website that I guess it was time to add it. It just feels strange to see such a word on a wall scroll, so please order with caution. 叩頭 is antiquated in both Japanese and Chinese. The act is seldom done anymore and is seen as an ancient ritual.

百歲光陰如過客 directly translates as: [Even a] hundred-year-old [person] is [just a] traveler passing by.

The simple message is, “Human life is short.” Of course, there is an unspoken suggestion that you should make the best of your time here on earth.

Here is the Lord's Prayer in Chinese from Luke 11:2-4.

The Chinese text with punctuation is:
Part of 11:2 ...我们在天上的父，有古卷只作父阿愿人都尊你的名为圣。愿你的国降临。愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。有古卷无愿你的旨意云云。
11:3 我们日用的饮食，天天赐给我们。
11:4 赦免我们的罪，因为我们也赦免凡亏欠我们的人。不叫我们遇见试探。救我们脱离凶恶。有古卷无末句。
Note that punctuation is not included in traditional Chinese calligraphy artwork.

From KJV, this is:
Part of 11:2 ...Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Here is the Lord's Prayer in Chinese from Mathew 6:9-13.

The Chinese text with punctuation is:
Part of 6:9 ...我们在天上的父，愿人都尊你的名为圣。
6:10 愿你的国降临，愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。
6:11 我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。
6:12 免我们的债，如同我们免了人的债。
6:13 不叫我们遇见试探，救我们脱离凶恶，因为国度，权柄，荣耀，全是你的，直到永远，阿们。
Note that punctuation is not included in traditional Chinese calligraphy artwork.

From KJV, this is:
Part of 6:9 ...Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

愚公移山 is the Chinese proverb (also somewhat known in Japan and Korea) for “the silly old man moves a mountain.”

Figuratively, this means “where there's a will, there's a way.”

Based on a fable of Lord Yu (愚公). He moved the soil of the mountain in front of his house. After years of effort, he finally moved the entire mountain (some versions of the story have God seeing how determined the man was, and sending two angels to whisk the mountains away).

The moral of the story: Anything can be accomplished if one works at it ceaselessly.

The Japanese version of this is 愚公山を移す (gu kou yama wo utsu su). But better to get the Chinese version, since this is originally a Chinese proverb.

See Also:  Nothing is Impossible

移山 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for “to remove mountains” or “to move a mountain.”

Figuratively, this means you can accomplish the impossible by sheer persistence.

移山 is the short form of a proverb about a man who had much persistence and could move a whole mountain (a bucket of soil at a time).

天下一家 is a proverb that can also be translated as “The whole world is one family.”

It is used to mean that all humans are related by decree of Heaven.

The first two characters can be translated as “the world,” “the whole country,” “descended from heaven,” “earth under heaven,” “the public,” or “the ruling power.”

The second two characters can mean “one family,” “a household,” “one's folks,” “a house” or “a home.” Usually, this is read as “a family.”

Note: This proverb can be understood in Japanese, though not commonly used.

磨杵成針 is a Chinese proverb that means “to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle,” or “Even a bar of iron can be ground down to a needle [with perseverance].”

Figuratively, this means to persevere in a difficult task or to study diligently.

守土有責 is a Chinese proverb that expresses one's duty to defend the country.

守 means to guard, defend, keep watch, abide by the law, and/or observe (rules or ritual).
土 means land, earth, or soil.
有 is a possessive modifier in effect meaning “is a.”
責 means duty or responsibility.

So you get a literal translation of “Protecting [the] land is [a] duty/responsibility.”

淨土 literally means “pure land” or “clean earth.”

淨土 is also the abbreviated title of a Buddhist sect that involves faith in the rebirth of Buddha Amitabha (Amitābha) in the Western Heaven. Sometimes this sect is translated as “Paradise of the West.” Other titles of this school of Buddhism include Amidism or Elysium.

See Also:  Nirvana | Shin Buddhism

踏實 means realistic or practical.

If you need a reminder to remain grounded in your life, this is a great way to do that. 踏實 also can have the meanings of “at ease,” “down to earth,” “to have peace of mind,” “free from anxiety,” steady, or steadfast.

藏紅花 is the Chinese title for saffron (Crocus sativus).

The most valuable herb or spice, by weight, on earth.

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.

土星 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for the planet Saturn.

The literal meaning of these characters is “earth star.” The earth character is one of the five elements of Chinese culture. This earth character regards soil or dirt, not the planet Earth.

Saturn has been titled 土星 for at least 2000 years.

殼 is a Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean word that means shell or carapace.

This can also refer to the earth's crust or the husk of a seed or nut.

In Mahayana Buddhism, 四大 represents mahābhūta, the four elements of which all things are made: earth, water, fire, and wind.

This can also represent the four freedoms: speaking out freely, airing views fully, holding great debates, and writing big-character posters.

In some contexts, this can be a university or college offering four-year programs.

To others, this can represent the Tao, Heaven, Earth, and King.

Going back to the Buddhist context, these four elements “earth, water, fire, and wind,” represent 堅, 濕, 煖, 動, which are: solid, liquid, heat, and motion.

士兵 means “Soldier” but more specifically, a rank-and-file soldier (a private or troop - you could say a ground-pounder). Our other entry for “solider / serviceman” is probably better for a wall scroll (since someday, you will be promoted).

Note: In Japanese, they use these characters in the opposite order to create the same meaning word. In that order, it's pronounced “heishi” in Japanese. Just let us know if you want it in Japanese Kanji order when you place your order.

This Chinese military proverb means, counter soldiers with arms and counter water with an earthen dam.

兵來將擋水來土掩 is about how different situations call for different actions. You must adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation.

To explain the actual proverb, one would not attack a flood of water with gunfire, nor would you counter-attack soldiers by building an earth weir. You must be adaptable and counter whatever threatens with relevant action.

星 is how “star” is written in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

Thousands of years ago, when this character was first developed, there was the belief that you could see remnants of stars in everything. In fact, some early Chinese men of science suggested that all living things came from “stardust” or cosmic debris. This could explain why the upper portion of this character means “sun” (a star itself) and the lower portion means “birth” or “life.”

Oddly enough, modern-day scientists suggest that we are all made up of cosmic dust. Seems they were getting it right in China at a time when the western world thought the Earth was flat and the Church was claiming that the sun and all cosmic bodies revolved around the Earth.

視卒如嬰兒故可以與之赴深溪視卒如愛子故可與之俱死 is an entry from the 10th section within the Earth/Terrain chapter of Sun Tzu's Art of War.

This is often translated as “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”

太極拳 is the famous Taoist meditation and martial art exercise. The direct translation of these characters would be something like “grand ultimate fist,” but that does not quite hit the mark for what this title really means.

An early-morning walk through any city in China near a park or an open area will yield a view of Chinese people practicing this ancient technique.

A typical scene is an old man of no less than 80 years on this earth, with a wispy white beard and perhaps a sword in one hand. He makes slow moves that are impossibly smooth. He is steady-footed and always in balance. For him, time is meaningless and proper form, and technique is far more important than speed.

For the younger generation, faster moves may look impressive and seem smooth to the casual observer. But more discipline and mental strength are needed to create perfectly smooth moves in virtual slow motion.

Note: There are two ways to Romanize these Chinese characters, as seen in the title above. The pronunciation and actual characters are the same in Chinese. If you really used English sounds/words to pronounce this, it would be something like “tie jee chew-on” (make the “chew-on” one flowing syllable).

特拉 is the name Terra in Chinese (Mandarin).

テラ is the name Terra in Japanese Katakana.

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