The name Black Flag Gate Hek Ki Boen in Chinese / Japanese...

黑旗門 is often romanized as “Hek Ki Boen” in Cantonese, this is the title for a certain branch school of Wing Chun or Eng Chun martial arts.

These are the Kanji for “Black Belt” in Japanese.

This would be the gift to buy someone who is about to achieve the rank of black belt, or perhaps for yourself, like a certificate on the wall to subtly show your accomplishment.

It should be mentioned that the title “black belt” is not a typical selection for a calligraphy wall scroll.

Note: with a tiny stroke difference on the second character, this also means black belt in Korean Hanja. Let me know if you need the exact Korean version (though any Korean who can read Hanja will know this is black belt).

大智慧門 is the title for “The Great Wisdom Door,” or “The Gate to Great Wisdom.”

This refers to a portal to all wisdom and knowledge in Buddhism.

気剣体一致 is the title Ki Ken-Tai Icchi.

気 = energy, 剣 = sword, 体 = body, 一致 = synchronization/unity. So, “energy, sword, and body in unison” would be one way to translate this. Sometimes written with the possessive article, の, making it 気剣体の一致 or “Ki Ken-Tai no Icchi.” Let me know in the special instructions if you want that の character added by the calligrapher.

糸東流氣目館空手道 is the title for Shito-Ryu Ki-Me-Kan Karate-Do.
A school of Karate.

Note that while this title can be pronounced in Chinese, it only makes complete sense in Japanese.

門 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for gate, door, gateway, doorway, opening, entrance, valve, or switch.

Most commonly, this is simply a gate or door.

門 is also a Chinese surname that romanizes as Men.

In Japanese, this can be surnames romanizing as Yuki, Mon, To, or Kado.

In the Buddhist context, beyond meaning a door or gate, this can be a counter for a Buddhist sect, teaching, or school (we might say “slice” of bread, this would be a “gate” of teaching). In this way, it kind of refers to one of several doors that lead to salvation or nirvana.

This is the Dharma Gate, The Gate to Enlightenment, or Dharmaparyāya.

The doctrines, or wisdom of Buddha is regarded as the door to enlightenment.

安樂の法門 represents that the Dharma Gate or the Door to Enlightenment leads to peace and happiness.

The Dharma Gate is the method of attaining or actualizing peace and happiness in Zen and other Buddhist traditions.

In modern Japanese, 門主 is the title of a head priest of a temple or monastery.

This can also refer to the spiritual leader of the sect and/or direct descendant of its founder.
In the past, this could refer to the founder of a Buddhist sect.

The literal meaning of 門主 is gatekeeper or keeper of the gate.

In the Chinese Buddhist dictionary, this entry comes up as the controller of a gate or sect. However, this term is not commonly used in Chinese.

大道無門 is a Buddhist proverb that means “The Great Way has no entrance,” “The Great Way is gateless,” or “The Great Path lacks a gate.”

This can be translated in many other ways.

This concept was authored within a long sacred text by 無門慧開 (known as Wúmén Huìkāi in Chinese or Mumon Ekai in Japanese). He was a Chinese Chan Master (in Japanese, a Zen Master) who lived between 1183 and 1260 AD. His most famous work was a 48-koan collection titled “The Gateless Barrier” or “The Gateless Gate” (無門關 Wú Mén Guān in Chinese, or 無門関 Mu Mon Kan in Japanese). This calligraphy title is a notable line from this collection.

I like this reference to the source of this proverb: The Gateless Gate 無門關

無門關 is the ancient title for “The Gateless Barrier.” This has both direct meaning and is the title of a 13th-century collection of koans, compiled by a Chinese Chan Master known as Wumen in China (known in Japan as Zen Master Mumon).

While this is the original title, you may see this written as 無門関 in Japan, where the last character, 關, was simplified to 関 after 1945.

無門関 is the specifically Japanese title for “The Gateless Barrier.” This has both direct meaning and is the title of a 13th-century collection of koans, compiled by Zen Master Mumon (actually a Chinese Chan Master known as Wumen in China).

The original title is 無門關, but the last Kanji was simplified to 関 in modern Japan.

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.

玄龍 is a sophisticated or scholarly way to say “Black Dragon.”

玄龍 is the title you'd expect in ancient Chinese literature.

The first character means black or mysterious.

The second character means dragon.

This black dragon represents a king dwelling in the depths of the mystic waters.

墨龍 is a cool way to say “Black Dragon.”

墨龍 is literally “Ink Dragon.” The ink part is black Chinese ink, the deepest, darkest ink available for thousands of years.

黒龍 is a generic title for “Black Dragon.”

The first character is black color.
The second means dragon.

Sometimes written as 黑龍 (just a minor variation in the first character).

This is the Japanese martial arts title Black Dragon Ninjitsu or Black Dragon Ninjutsu in Kanji.

黑帶 is “black belt” in Chinese.

Many will argue whether rank systems that include a “black belt” are used in pure Chinese martial arts systems. The argument goes that it's more a Japanese idea merged into the western versions of Chinese martial arts. However, in Wushu (often referred to as Kung Fu), it's said that all students started with white belts. Over the years of training, the white belt would get dirty until finally appearing black with filth. Thus, more advanced students had darker belts.

If you want this title in Chinese, this would be the form.

Often, the second character is written like the image to the right. If you like this version, click on this character instead of the button above.

黑 is the color black in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

In some contexts, 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.

黑狼 is how the title Black Wolf is written in Chinese.

黑狼 is not a common term in Chinese but will be understood.

黑虎拳 is Hei Hu Quan or “Black Tiger Fist” - a school of Chinese Martial Arts.

黑八馬 means “eight black horses” in Chinese.

This is an unusual title for calligraphy, but several people have searched for it, so we added it.
Eight horses are a sign of success in business in Chinese culture.

黑龍之家 was added by special request of a customer. This phase is natural in Chinese, but it is not a common or ancient title.

The first character is black.
The second is dragon.
The third is a possessive modifier (like making “dragon” into “dragon's”).
The fourth character means home (but in some context can mean “family” - however, here it would generally be understood as “home”).

鷲 is the way to write black eagle or condor in Chinese.

It means eagle (sometimes vulture) in Japanese Kanji. 鷲 hasn't been in common use in Korean for hundreds of years, so it's hard to say what bird it represented in old Korean Hanja.

There are other multi-character words that express different specific species of birds of prey (bald eagle, osprey, golden eagle, etc).

If you need a more specific title, just contact me.

In Chinese, 鴟 is the Scops Owl. In Japanese, this is the black kite (Milvus migrans).

Colloquially in Japanese, this can refer to a construction worker who walks on or erects scaffolding. It can also be a firefighter up high on a ladder or building.

玄武 can refer to the Black Tortoise (an ancient Chinese constellation of stars- part of the seven mansions of the north sky).

In Daoism, this is the God of the North sky.

This also refers to a Black Tortoise god, said to rule over the northern heavens in Japanese. Can also be pronounced/romanized as genmu or when used as a personal name, Hirotake in Japanese.

五段 represents the 5th Rank or 5th Degree (5th Degree of black belt) in Japanese martial arts.

This can also be the 5th rank in other fields such as chess play (Japanese “Go”) etc.

七段 represents the 7th Rank or 7th Degree (7th Degree of black belt) in Japanese martial arts.

This can also be the 7th rank in other fields such as chess play (Japanese “Go”) etc.

六段 is the Japanese title for the 6th Degree or 6th Level.

This applies mostly to martial arts and earning the title of a 6th-degree black belt.

The first character is simply the number 6.
The second character is “dan” which is often translated as “degree” in the context of Japanese martial arts. 六段 means grade, rank, level. When a number is in front like this, it refers to a senior rank in martial arts or games of strategy such as go, shogi, chess, etc.

不管黑猫白猫能捉着老鼠的就是好猫 literally translates as: It doesn't matter [if a] cat [is] black [or] white, [as long as it] can catch mice, it's a good cat.

This proverb was either composed or made famous by Deng XiaoPing in 1961 when he exclaimed, “I don't care if it's a white cat or a black cat. It's a good cat so long as it catches mice” when his critics pointed out that his ideas were Capitalistic (free market). The response was meant to say, “It does not matter if it's Communist or Capitalist, as long as it works.”

This is a Chinese proverb that can be used to suggest one should disregard looks or a person's race, as long as they can do the job. It can also be used as a metaphor for many other situations.

Deng XiaoPing probably saved China from collapse (as the Soviet Union experienced). He changed China’s economy from pure Communism to a hybrid where the free market (Capitalism) is encouraged. More about Deng XiaoPing

白酒紅人面黃金黑世心 literally says: [Just as] white liquor makes people's faces turn red, [So] yellow gold makes people's hearts turn black.

This is a warning about the nature of greed. The suggestion is that one who lusts for gold and riches will eventually have a black heart (or become a heartless greedy bastard). As a wall scroll, this is a reminder and warning to keep yourself from following the greedy path.

闘気 is an alternate Japanese title for “fighting spirit.”

This one is more like “fighting energy.” The second character is “ki,” the same “ki” in Aikido. This “ki” is the spiritual energy that all martial arts practitioners must master and focus on.

魔術 means magic in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This title can also refer to black magic, black arts, sorcery, magic tricks, and in some contexts, juggling.

This is a strange selection for a wall scroll. Probably only appropriate if you are a magician (or an inspiring magician).

開門 means “to open a door,” “opening gate” or figuratively, “to open for business.”

孝靜 or 효정 is the Korean given name Hyo-Jung or Hyojung.

If you want this name written in Hangul, click the Hangul characters next to the Korean flag above (instead of the big button).

悶 is a character that can mean melancholy, sorrow, or depression.

The visual meaning depicts a heart shut behind a door or gate. In some contexts outside of melancholy, this can mean sealed, airtight, or shut indoors.

This sad or sorrowful character is kind of a strange selection for a calligraphy wall scroll.

暉 is a Kanji that often represents a Japanese name romanized as Hikari.

The literal meaning can be sunshine, light, or to shine upon. It has the same meaning in Chinese and Korean. From ancient Chinese, it is a variant of 輝/辉.

Other Japanese romanizations include Hikaru, Hikatsu, Teru, Terasu, Ki, and Akira.

This 氣 energy flow is a fundamental concept of traditional Asian culture.

氣 is romanized as “Qi” or “Chi” in Chinese, “Gi” in Korean, and “Ki” in Japanese.
Chi is believed to be part of everything that exists, as in “life force” or “spiritual energy.” It is most often translated as “energy flow” or literally as “air” or “breath.” Some people will simply translate this as “spirit,” but you must consider the kind of spirit we're talking about. I think this is weighted more toward energy than spirit.

The character itself is a representation of steam (or breath) rising from rice. To clarify, the character for rice looks like this:
Steam was apparently seen as visual evidence of the release of “life energy” when this concept was first developed. The Qi / Chi / Ki character is still used in compound words to mean steam or vapor.
The etymology of this character is a bit complicated. It's suggested that the first form of this character from bronze script (about 2500 years ago) looked like these samples:
However, it was easy to confuse this with the character for the number three. So the rice radical was added by 221 B.C. (the exact time of this change is debated). This first version with the rice radical looks like this:
The idea of Qi / Chi / Ki is really a philosophical concept. It's often used to refer to the “flow” of metaphysical energy that sustains living beings. Yet there is much debate that has continued for thousands of years as to whether Qi / Chi / Ki is pure energy or consists partially or fully of matter.

You can also see the character for Qi / Chi / Ki in common compound words such as Tai Chi / Tai Qi, Aikido, Reiki, and Qi Gong / Chi Kung.

In the modern Japanese Kanji, the rice radical has been changed into two strokes that form an X.

The original and traditional Chinese form is still understood in Japanese, but we can also offer that modern Kanji form in our custom calligraphy. If you want this Japanese Kanji, please click on the character to the right instead of the “Select and Customize” button above.

More language notes: This is pronounced like “chee” in Mandarin Chinese, and like “key” in Japanese.
This is also the same way to write this in Korean Hanja where it is Romanized as “gi” and pronounced like “gee” but with a real G-sound, not a J-sound.
Though Vietnamese no longer use Chinese characters in their daily language, this character is still widely known in Vietnam.

See Also:  Energy | Life Force | Vitality | Life | Birth | Soul

気の強い means strong-willed or strong of heart in Japanese.

Here's the character breakdown of this Japanese title:
気 (ki) spirit; mind; heart; nature; motivation; intention; feelings; essence.
の (no) possessive particle.
強い (tsuyoi) strong; powerful; mighty; potent; resistant; resilient; durable.

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

靑濤館 is the Korean martial arts style, Chung Do Kwan, meaning “Blue Wave School.”

If you want this in modern Korean Hangul characters, click on the Hangul next to the Korean flag above instead of the button above.

Also Romanized as “Cheong Do Gwan” or “Ch'ŏng Do Kwan.”

This means ebony (the dark - virtually black tropical wood) in Chinese and Japanese.

When pronounced as Karasugi instead of Uboku is the name of a town and sometimes a surname in Japan.

This is the Korean martial arts title Jung Sim Do.

The official romanization should be Jeong Sim Do (thought in Korean, the J is almost a "Ch" sound) and other will romanize as Jung Shin Do.

The meaning is straight/right heart way. If you want this written in Hangul (정심도) in stead of Hanja (正心道), please click on the Hangul characters next to the Korean flag above.

ニダン is the name Nidan in Japanese.

This is not the same as 二段 (nidan), which is the second degree (black belt) in Japanese.

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

灰色 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for the color gray.

This can also mean ash gray, grizzly, pessimistic, gloomy, dispirited, ambiguous (not black and white), and the alternate spelling grey.

竜 is an alternate form of the dragon.

Still pronounced the same in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

This particular Kanji is often associated as an imperial symbol as well as representing the mythical Asian dragon. You may have seen it on the chest or flag of the emperor in old Japanese and Chinese movies.

Note: I would rate this as a non-universal alternate form. The other dragon character is by far more common, and universally understood.

We strongly recommend if you are looking for the symbol of dragon.

See Also:  Phoenix | Emperor | King

武藝 is a Korean Hanja title that means “martial arts” or “military skill.”

武藝 is also a word in Chinese but used more often in the context of Korean martial arts.

From Korean, this is romanized as either “mu ye” or “moo ye.” If you want to order this in modern Korean Hangul, just click the Hangul characters in the pronunciation box next to the Korean flag above.

菖蒲 is the title for the iris flower in Japanese.

If your name happens to be Iris, this is a nice way to express your name by meaning in Japanese (it will mean your name but not sound like your name).

Can also mean Siberian iris (Iris sanguinea) or sweet flag (Acorus calamus / Acorus gramineus) varieties.

Note: This will also be recognized in Chinese, though it is generally written with the addition of a character meaning "stone" in front of this title in Chinese.

指圧道 is the title for Shiastu-Do, the Japanese way of finger pressure.

Shitsu-Do is about applying special finger pressure to points on the body thought to be connected to pathways called “meridians.” Shiatsu is a healthful way to get your 気 or 氣 (ki energy) flowing properly.

Note: This title can also be written in the older 指壓道 form (just the middle character has an ancient/traditional form used before WWII).
You might even see 指压道 which uses the Simplified Chinese form of the second character.

美國館 is a Korean Hanja title, which roughly means “U.S. School.”

The first two characters mean “USA” (literally: Beautiful Kingdom/Country).

The last character means “school,” “building,” and “schoolroom” in this context.

This “Mi Guk Kwan” title is used to mean “The American School of Tang Soo Do.”

If you want this in modern Korean Hangul, just click the Hangul characters in the pronunciation box next to the Korean flag above.

七級 or Shichi-Kyu/Shichikyu is the 7th Kyu or 7th Rank before black belt in many Japanese martial arts ranking schemes.

In some cases this is a yellow belt with two stripes, other schools designate this with a blue belt.

In Chinese, this can mean seven floors - like a seven-floor pagoda.

松巖跆拳道 is the title Songahm Taekwondo.

If you want this written in Korean Hangul instead of Hanja, click on the Hangul characters below the Korean flag above.

Note, Songahm is usually written in Hanja as 松巖. However, in Traditional Chinese, it would be 鬆巖, and in modern Japanese, it can be 松岩 (but not known in this context - I think it's a small train station and place in Japan).
Technically, all of these can also be Korean Hanja so that you might see these variations in use. If you need a version other than 松巖, just let me know when you order.

不自由毋寧死 means “Give me liberty or give me death” in Chinese.

This is also the best way to say, “Live free or die.”

The characters break down this way:
不 = Not; none; without.
自由 = Freedom; liberty; freewill; self-determination.
毋寧 = Rather; would rather; rather be.
死 = Dead; death.

This will go nicely next to your “Don't tread on me” flag. This phrase is known well enough in China that it's listed in a few dictionaries. Though I doubt you will find too many Chinese citizens willing to yell this on the steps of the capital in Beijing.

See Also:  Death Before Dishonor

In Chinese, 平等 is the word that describes equality among all humans.

Yes, this is equality that means equality no matter of religion, whether you are rich or poor, gay or straight, black white or yellow.

In Japanese and Korean, this can be defined as equality, impartiality, and evenness (basically the same as the Chinese meaning).

海東劍道 is the Korean martial arts style that means Eastern Sea Sword Way.

The character meanings break down this way:
海 = Sea
東 = East/Eastern
劍 = Sword
道 = Way/Path/Style/Method

This can sometimes be romanized as “Hae Dong Kum Do,” “Haidong Kendo,” “Hae Dong Geom Do,” “Haedong Geomdo,” or “Haedong Kumdo.”

If you want this written in modern Korean Hangul (해동검도) instead of Hanja (Chinese), click on the Hangul characters next to the Korean flag above, instead of the regular button.

黑暗天使 means “Dark Angel” in Chinese.

The first character means black, but the second means dark by itself, so this can also be written with the first character dropped.

The last two characters mean angel.

暗黒 is the two-character Japanese word for darkness.

The first Kanji can mean unilluminated, dark, gloomy, hidden, or secret.
The second character means black or dark.

Together, these two Kanji will be understood as dark or darkness.

金魚 is the title for goldfish in Chinese and Japanese.

There was a time in ancient China when only the Emperor could possess the actual yellow-gold colored fish. This is why alternate coloration such as orange, black, red, and white was bred. Many believe this is why colors other than yellow-gold are more common for “goldfish” in pet shops today.

大熊貓 is how to write “giant panda” in Chinese.

大熊貓 is specific to the “giant panda,” which has black and white fur. Not to be confused with other types of smaller pandas in China.

The literal meaning of these characters is “great/big bear cat.” Chinese do think of pandas as “cat-like bears.”

Note: In Japanese, they only express Giant Panda in Katakana, which is ジャイアント　パンダ”　(Jaianto Panda). So we have not included that for wall scroll orders.

黑闇 is the two-character Chinese word for darkness.

The first character alone means black or dark.

The second character has several possible meanings, depending on context; They include: to shut the door, unilluminated, dark, gloomy, hidden, or secret.

Together, these two characters will, in most cases, be translated as dark or darkness.

In Japanese martial arts, this usually represents the first-degree black belt rank.

It can also be like a linguistic stair step of “more, much more, still more, all the more.” It can also be a step, rung, level, or rank.

Also sometimes used in the context of Buddhism to mean “first step” or “first stage.” This might presume the first step towards enlightenment etc.

熊貓 is how to write “panda” in Chinese.

熊貓 is kind of a generic term that is applied to all pandas. When most people think of panda bears, they are really thinking of the “giant panda,” which has black and white fur.

The literal meaning of these characters is “bear cat.” Chinese do think of pandas as “cat-like bears.”

三段 is a Japanese Kanji word that literally means “third degree.”

三段 is the third black belt rank in Japanese martial arts.

The first Kanji means three or third in Japanese.

The second Kanji means step, grade, rank, or level.

初段 is a Japanese Kanji word that literally means “beginning degree.”

初段 is the lowest black belt rank in Japanese martial arts and the game of Go.

The first Kanji means first, new, or beginning in Japanese.

Other ways to translate this title include “lowest grade” or “first grade.”

二段 is a Japanese Kanji word that literally means “second degree.”

二段 is the second black belt rank in Japanese martial arts.

The first Kanji means two or second in Japanese.

The second Kanji means step, grade, rank, or level.

二段 can also be written as 弐段. This version just uses a more complicated Kanji for the number two.

羅剎 is the Chinese version of demon that comes from the ancient Sanskrit word raksha, raksasa (rākṣasa), raksas (rakṣas), or raksasi (rākṣasī).

This title regards malignant spirits and demons. These demons are described in ancient texts as terrifying, with black bodies, red hair, and green eyes, and as devourers of men.

FYI: Sometimes the second character is written in the form shown to the right.

九段 is a Japanese Kanji word that means “ninth degree” (in martial arts, go, shogi, etc.).

九段 is the ninth black belt rank in Japanese martial arts.

The first Kanji means nine or ninth in Japanese.

The second Kanji means step, grade, rank, or level.

闇 is the shortest and universal way (in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja) to write “darkness.”

In Chinese, this can mean dark, gloomy, hidden, secret, to shut the door, or unilluminated.

In Japanese, this can mean darkness, the dark, black-marketeering, dark, shady, or illegal.

In old Korean Hanja, this can mean dark, obscure, hidden, or secret.

Note that there is an alternate form of this character. It is used as an alternate in all three languages (that rarely happens). You can see this alternate version to the right. If you want to order that version, please click on that character, instead of the button above.

有段者 is a Japanese term for someone who holds rank in karate, judo, etc.
This term theoretically applies to anyone with rank (above a white belt). However, some schools or dojos may reserve this title for a holder of a black belt.

I'd suggest that you only order this phrase if you have honestly reached this level.

This title does kind of make sense in Chinese but only to those Chinese who practice “kong shou dao” (karate) or when used in the context of martial arts.

气剑体一致 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 the mind, it's more about the invisible or intangible parts 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.

Note: Arguments exist as to whether this should be romanized as Kikentaiitchi, Kikentaiicchi, or kikentaiichi. Technically, if you drop the last character, you get 気剣体一 and kikentaiichi (ki ken tai ichi), which is also a valid phrase.

師範 or Shihan is a Japanese term, often used in Japanese martial arts.

In typical Japanese language, it can refer to a teacher or instructor. However, in martial arts, it's often an honorific title for an expert or master instructor.

Example: In Aikido the title can refer to someone with the rank of 7th dan. But other schools use it to mean a master who has earned the right to award black belts.

This term is also used in Chinese, where it refers to teacher-training or the art of teaching by example. It's used within the proper name of certain types of universities in China.

谦逊正直温柔忍耐克己不屈 are the virtues used by Choi Kwang Do Martial Arts.

The characters shown here are in the ancient Korean Hanja form of writing. If you wish for a Korean Hangul form of these tenets, we can arrange that with our Master Calligrapher Xing An-Ping (click on the Hangul next to the South Korean flag above to order this in Hangul).

武芸者 is the Japanese Kanji title for “Martial Arts Master.” It suggests that you have reached at least the level of black belt and are probably to the level where you are ready to become an instructor.

Please consider carefully where you stand before ordering this phrase on a wall scroll. If you are not a master, this will make you look a bit foolish.

If you want to get this as a gift for your master at the dojo. Try to discreetly make sure this term is used in your school. Different schools and styles of Japanese martial arts use different terms. You may notice in the Romaji that the last two characters romanize as “geisha” which means “person skilled in arts” (what a geisha girl really is). The title here has the character for “martial,” “warrior,” and/or “military” in front of it. Therefore the literal translation is “martial art person.”

These Kanji are valid Chinese characters and Korean Hanja, but this title does not really make sense in Chinese and is not often used in Korean, though a Chinese or Korean would be able to guess the meaning by looking at the first and last characters.

During the Tang Dynasty, a man named Jia Dao (born in the year 779), a well-studied scholar and poet, went to the capital to take the imperial examination.

One day as he rides a donkey through the city streets, a poem begins to form in his mind. A portion of the poem comes into his head like this:

“The bird sits on the tree branch near a pond,
A monk approaches and knocks at the gate...”

At the same time, he wondered if the word “push” would be better than “knock” in his poem.

As he rides down the street, he imagines the monk pushing or knocking. Soon he finds himself making motions of pushing and shaking a fist in a knocking motion as he debates which word to use. He is quite a sight as he makes his way down the street on his donkey with hands and fists flying about as the internal debate continues.

As he amuses people along the street, he becomes completely lost in his thoughts and does not see the mayor's procession coming in the opposite direction. Jia Bao is blocking the way for the procession to continue down the road, and the mayor's guards immediately decide to remove Jia Bao by force. Jia Bao, not realizing that he was in the way, apologizes, explains his poetic dilemma and awaits his punishment for blocking the mayor's way.

The mayor, Han Yu, a scholar and author of prose himself, finds himself intrigued by Jia Dao's poem and problem. Han Yu gets off his horse and addresses Jia Bao, stating, “I think knock is better.” The relieved Jia Bao raises his head and is invited by the mayor to join the procession, and are seen riding off together down the street, exchanging their ideas and love of poetry.

In modern Chinese, this 反復推敲 idiom is used when someone is trying to decide which word to use in their writing or when struggling to decide between two things when neither seems to have a downside.

酒后吐真言 / 酒後吐真言 is a nice Asian proverb if you know a vintner or wine seller - or wine lover - although the actual meaning might not be exactly what you think or hope.

The literal meaning is that someone drinking wine is more likely to let the truth slip out. It can also be translated as “People speak their true feelings after drinking alcohol.”

It's long believed in many parts of Asia that one can not consciously hold up a facade of lies when getting drunk, and therefore the truth will come out with a few drinks.

I've had the experience where a Korean man would not trust me until I got drunk with him (I was trying to gain access to the black market in North Korea which is tough to do as an untrusted outsider) - so I think this idea is still well-practiced in many Asian countries.

VS

Please note that there are two common ways to write the second character of this phrase. The way it's written will be left up to the mood of the calligrapher, unless you let us know that you have a certain preference.

See Also:  Honesty | Truth

Hapkido or 合氣道 is a mostly-defensive martial art in Korea.

Hapkido has some connection to the Aikido of Japan. They are written with the same characters in both languages. However, it should be noted that the Korean Hanja characters shown here are the traditional Chinese form - but in modern Japan, the middle character was slightly simplified.
Note: You can consider this to be the older Japanese written form of Aikido. Titles on older books and signs about Aikido use this form.

The connection between Japanese Aikido and Korean Hapkido is muddled in history. The issue is probably due to the difficult relationship between the two countries around WWII. Many Koreans became virtual slaves to the Japanese during that period. After WWII, many things in Korea were disassociated from having any Japanese origin. The relationship has greatly mellowed out now.

Looking at the characters, the first means “union” or “harmony.”
The second character means “universal energy” or “spirit.”
The third means “way” or “method.”
One way to translate this into English is the “Harmonizing Energy Method.” This makes sense, as Hapkido has more to do with redirecting energy than fighting strength against strength.

More Hapkido info

More notes:
1. Sometimes Hapkido is Romanized as “hap ki do,” “hapki-do” “hab gi do” or “hapgido.”

2. Korean Hanja characters are actually Chinese characters that usually hold the same meaning in both languages. There was a time when these characters were the standard and only written form of Korean. The development of modern Korean Hangul characters is a somewhat recent event in the greater scope of history. There was a time when Chinese characters were the written form of many languages in places known in modern times as North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, and a significant portion of Malaysia. Even today, more people in the world can read Chinese characters than English.

3. While these Korean Hanja characters can be pronounced in Chinese, this word is not well-known in China and is not considered part of the Chinese lexicon.

五十步笑百步 is a Chinese proverb that means the one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one who retreats 100 paces.

During the Warring States Period of what is now China (475 - 221 B.C.), the King of Wei was in love with war. He often fought with other kingdoms just for spite or fun.

One day, the King of Wei asked the philosopher Mencius, “I love my people, and all say I do the best for them. I move the people from famine-stricken areas to places of plenty and transport grains from rich areas to the poor. Nobody goes hungry in my kingdom, and I treat my people far better than other kings. But why does the population of my kingdom not increase, and why does the population of other kingdoms not decrease?”

Mencius answered, “Since you love war, I will make this example: When going to war, and the drums beat to start the attack, some soldiers flee for their lives in fear. Some run 100 paces in retreat, and others run 50 steps. Then the ones who retreated 50 paces laugh and taunt those who retreated 100 paces, calling them cowards mortally afraid of death. Do you think this is reasonable?

The King of Wei answered, “Of course not! Those who run 50 paces are just as timid as those who run 100 paces.”

Mencius then said, “You are a king who treats his subjects better than other kings treat their people, but you are so fond of war that your people suffer from great losses in battle. Therefore, your population does not grow. While other kings allow their people to starve to death, you send your people to die in war. Is there any difference?”

This famous conversation led to the six-character proverb shown here. It serves as a warning to avoid hypocrisy. It goes hand-in-hand with the western phrase, “The pot calls the kettle black,” or the Biblical phrase, “Before trying to remove a splinter from your neighbor's eye, first remove the plank from your own eye.”