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Personalize your custom “Precious” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Precious” title below...
1. Precious
3. A Moment of Time is as Precious as Gold
4. Time is as Precious as Gold
5. Treasure
6. Time is Gold
7. Gem
9. Prideful Mind / Self-Respecting Heart
10. Baby
11. Jade
12. Pride
13. Pure Heart
貴重品 means precious or treasured as an adjective or as a noun, valuables or treasures in Japanese.
貴重品 exists in the Korean dictionary but is rarely if ever, used in Korea.
寶 means precious thing or treasure.
This can also mean precious, a gem, a pearl, or anything valuable.
The version of this character shown to the left is the traditional Chinese and ancient/traditional Japanese version. In modern Japan and China, this character has been simplified. This simplified version is shown to the right. If you want this modern Japanese/simplified version, just click the Kanji on the right, instead of the button above. If your audience is Chinese or Korean, I recommend the ancient/traditional form. Only consider the simplified form if your audience is younger Japanese people.
In Chinese, 珍寶 means treasure, something you value highly, or something very precious to you.
In Japanese, 珍寶 has a meaning like “rare treasure.”
珍 can mean a precious thing or treasure. 寶 can mean a jewel or gem, a treasure, or simply precious. Together these two characters reinforce each other into a word that clearly means treasure.
財寶 is the Japanese word meaning “treasure” or “money and valuables.”
The first character means “property,” “money,” “wealth,” or “assets.” The second character means “treasure,” “wealth,” or “valuables” in Japanese. Together these two characters reinforce each other into a word that clearly means treasure in Japanese.
財寶 is also a word meaning “money and valuables” in Chinese but more of a daily use word - not as appropriate for a wall scroll if your audience is Chinese.
The second character shown to the left is the ancient/traditional Japanese version. In modern Japan, this character has been simplified. This simplified version is shown to the right. If you want this modern Japanese/simplified version, just click the Kanji on the right, instead of the button above.
自尊心 is a Japanese and Korean word that 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
寶寶 is how Chinese people express “baby.”
The word is composed of the same character twice, and therefore literally means “double precious” or “double treasure.”
This would be a nice wall scroll to put either inside or by the door of your baby's room (not on the door, as wall scrolls swing around wildly when hung on doors that open and close a lot).
(precious stone)
玉 is how to write jade in Chinese, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji. This refers to the semi-precious stone that can be almost white or a vivid green.
Note: In Japanese, this character can mean jewel, ball, sphere or coin depending on context.
If your name is Jade, you may want to choose this to represent your name by meaning rather than pronunciation.
自尊 can mean “pride,” “self-respect,” or “self-esteem.” The first character means “oneself,” and the second can mean revered, valuable, precious, noble, exalted, honorable, or simply “pride.”
I have also seen this two-character word translated as “amour propre,” self-regard, and self-pride.
自尊 is universal between Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja written languages. It may also be understood in old Vietnamese (they once used Chinese characters as well).
Pure and Innocent
純情 means “Pure Heart” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
It's used to reflect the ideas of being “pure and innocent.”
Depending on the context in which this title is used, it can relay “self-sacrificing devotion” or, in some cases, “naïveté.”
This would be in the same way we might refer to a young girl giving her lunch money to a beggar on the street. She has a pure and precious heart but perhaps is also a bit naive.
The Triple Gem
三寶 is the title for “Three Precious Treasures of Buddhism” or “The Triple Gem.”
These three treasures are the Buddha 佛, the Dharma 法 (teachings or the law of the Buddha), and the Sangha 僧 (the community of monks or followers).
This term is used by most (perhaps not all) Buddhists in China, Japan, and South Korea (written the same in the original form but pronounced differently in each language). Non-Buddhists may just read this as “Three Treasures” without the religious context. For instance, there is also a “Three Treasures of Chinese Medicine” that is sometimes titled the same way.
In modern Japanese and Simplified Chinese, this is written 三宝 instead of 三寶.
Better to be broken jade than unbroken pottery
寧為玉碎不為瓦全 is the long version of a Chinese proverb that means “rather be shattered piece of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery.”
A little more explanation:
Death is implied with the “broken” meaning. Jade is one of the most precious materials in Chinese history, and in this case, is compared with one's honor and self-worth. Pottery is just something you eat off of, it has no deep value, just as a person who has lost their honor, or had none to begin with.
Thus, this means “better to die with honor than to live in shame” or words to that effect.
寧為玉碎不為瓦全 is often translated in English as “Death Before Dishonor,” the famous military slogan.
I would also compare this to the English proverb, “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
This is an idiom. It therefore doesn’t directly say exactly what it means. If you think about the English idiom, "The grass is always greener," it does not directly say "jealousy" or "envy" but everyone knows that it is implied.
Better to be broken jade than unbroken pottery
寧為玉碎 is the short version of a longer Chinese proverb which means “rather be shattered piece of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery.”
寧為玉碎 says the “rather be a broken piece of jade” part (the second half is implied - everyone in China knows this idiom).
A little more explanation:
Death is implied with the “broken” meaning. Jade is one of the most precious materials in Chinese history, and in this case, is compared with one's honor and self-worth. Pottery is just something you eat off of; it has no deep value, just as a person who has lost their honor or had none to begin with.
Thus, this means “better to die with honor than to live in shame” or words to that effect.
This is often translated in English as “Death Before Dishonor,” the famous military slogan.
I would also compare this to the English proverb, “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Precious | 珍貴的 珍贵的 | zhēn guì de zhen1 gui4 de zhen gui de zhenguide | chen kuei te chenkueite |
|
Precious | 貴い | tattoi | ||
Precious Treasure | 貴重品 | ki chou hin kichouhin ki cho hin | ||
A Moment of Time is as Precious as Gold | 春宵一刻 | shunshouikkoku shunshoikoku | ||
Time is as Precious as Gold | 惜時如金 惜时如金 | xī shí rú jīn xi1 shi2 ru2 jin1 xi shi ru jin xishirujin | hsi shih ju chin hsishihjuchin |
|
Treasure | 寶 宝 | takara | bǎo / bao3 / bao | pao |
Treasure | 珍寶 珍宝 | chin hou / chinhou / chin ho | zhēn bǎo / zhen1 bao3 / zhen bao / zhenbao | chen pao / chenpao |
Treasure | 財寶 财宝 | zaihou / zaiho | cái bǎo / cai2 bao3 / cai bao / caibao | ts`ai pao / tsaipao / tsai pao |
Time is Gold | 一刻千金 | ikko ku sen kin ikkokusenkin iko ku sen kin | yī kè qiān jīn yi1 ke4 qian1 jin1 yi ke qian jin yikeqianjin | i k`o ch`ien chin ikochienchin i ko chien chin |
Gem | 寶石 宝石 | bǎo shí / bao3 shi2 / bao shi / baoshi | pao shih / paoshih | |
Adorable Cute Lovely | 可愛い 可爱い | ka wai i / kawaii | ||
Prideful Mind Self-Respecting Heart | 自尊心 | ji son shin jisonshin | zì zūn xīn zi4 zun1 xin1 zi zun xin zizunxin | tzu tsun hsin tzutsunhsin |
Baby | 寶寶 宝宝 | bǎo bao / bao3 bao / bao bao / baobao | pao pao / paopao | |
Jade | 玉 | tama / gyoku | yù / yu4 / yu | yü |
Pride | 自尊 | jison | zì zūn / zi4 zun1 / zi zun / zizun | tzu tsun / tzutsun |
Pure Heart | 純情 纯情 | jun jou / junjou / jun jo | chún qíng chun2 qing2 chun qing chunqing | ch`un ch`ing chunching chun ching |
Three Treasures of Buddhism | 三寶 三宝 | san bou / sanbou / san bo | sān bǎo / san1 bao3 / san bao / sanbao | san pao / sanpao |
Death Before Dishonor | 寧為玉碎不為瓦全 宁为玉碎不为瓦全 | níng wéi yù suì bù wéi wǎ quán ning2 wei2 yu4 sui4 bu4 wei2 wa3 quan2 ning wei yu sui bu wei wa quan ningweiyusuibuweiwaquan | ning wei yü sui pu wei wa ch`üan ning wei yü sui pu wei wa chüan |
|
Death Before Dishonor | 寧為玉碎 宁为玉碎 | níng wéi yù suì ning2 wei2 yu4 sui4 ning wei yu sui ningweiyusui | ning wei yü sui ningweiyüsui |
|
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
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All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
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