The name The Sun Moon and Stars in Chinese / Japanese...

日月星 is the shortest way to write a title (or word list) that means Sun, Moon, Stars.

日月星辰 is a title that encompasses all of the heavenly bodies or celestial bodies.

Namely, this includes the Sun, Moon, and Stars of our universe.

月 is how to write the title for “moon” in Chinese, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

月 is also used to refer to the month. This is because China traditionally uses a lunar calendar, so saying “next moon” is the same as saying “next month” etc.
In modern Chinese and Japanese and old Korean, the character for a number is put in front of this moon character to represent western months. So “one moon” is January “two moons” is February etc.

If you are wondering, in the east Asian way to write dates, the character for “sun” or “day” is used with a number in front of it to express the day of the month. So “ten moons, one sun” becomes “October 1st” or “10/1” (this date happens to be Chinese National Day - The equivalent of Independence Day in the USA, Canada Day, or the Queen's Birthday).

In Japanese, 月 can be a surname that romanizes as Tsuki, Tsukizaki, or Takagetsu.

日 is the word for sun.

It also means day and can refer to the day of the month when expressing the date.
Example: October 1st would be “10 Moons, 1 Sun.”

日 is also the first Kanji for the title of Japan (in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja). Thus, this character is used as an adjective for things that are Japanese.
Ever heard of Japan being called, “The land of the rising sun”? Well, that's what the full title of Japan means.

Depending on the context, this character can mean Sunshine or Sunlight.

Note: In Japanese, this Kanji has a variety of possible pronunciations. The pronunciation changed depending on context and how this Kanji is combined with other Kanji. When used alone, this is usually "hi" (pronounced like "hee") but sometimes it’s "nichi." When combined, it can be "tsu," "ni," "ka," and a few others.

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.

繁星 is a title that literally means a cluster or huge number of stars in the sky.

空一面の星 is a Japanese phrase that refers to the sky being like a vast page or face full of stars.

月竹 is the title, “Bamboo Moon” - Technically, it's in the order of “moon bamboo,” but that's the most natural order in Chinese and Japanese.

With a little research, I found this title has been used as the name of a linen company, a band, a song title, an actual person's name, the title for a piece of artwork featuring bamboo with a moon in the background, and a few other things. I added it here because many people searched for “bamboo moon” on my website, so here it is for you.

The typical Japanese pronunciation would probably be "tsu-ki ta-ke." However, this would not be the only possible pronunciation in Japanese (especially if used as a given name).

新月 literally means new moon.

This can also refer to a crescent moon or the first lunar phase that occurs every 29.53 days.

In Japanese, this can be the female given names Wakatsuki, Nidzuki, or Nitsuki. It can also be the surnames Shintsuki, Shingetsu, or Aratsuki.

This is April in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This was originally the fourth month of the Chinese lunar year, now used for the fourth month of the Gregorian calendar (also known as the Western or Christian calendar). 四月 literally mean “fourth month” or “fourth moon.”

鏡花水月 is an old Asian proverb that means “flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in the lake” or “flowers reflected on a mirror and the moon reflected on the water's surface.”

Literally, 鏡花水月 reads “Mirror Flower, Water Moon.”

Figuratively this can be used to represent a lot of different ideas. It can be used to express an unrealistic rosy view or viewing things through rose-tinted spectacles. So you can use it to relay an idea about something that is visible but has no substance, something that can be seen but not touched, or something beautiful but unattainable such as dreams or a mirage.

This expression is used to describe things like the subtle and profound beauty of poems that cannot be described in words.

鏡 = Mirror (or lens)
花 = Flower(s)
水 = Water
月 = Moon

Can also be written 水月鏡花 (just a slight change in word/character order).

月の心 means “Mind like the Moon” or, more directly translated, “Moon of Mind.”

月の心 is a phrase used in Zen Buddhism and some Japanese martial arts.

This is how to write “day” in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Hanja.

This can also mean “Sun,” the star in the middle of the Solar system in which we live. In Japanese, it can also mean “sunshine” or even “Sunday.”

When writing the date in modern Chinese and Japanese, putting a number in front of this character indicates the day of the month. Of course, you need to indicate the month too... The month is expressed with a number followed by the character for the moon. So “three moons ten suns” would be “March 10th” or “3/10.”

Note: This is also the first character for the proper name of Japan. Remember that Japan is “The land of the rising sun”? Well, the first character for Japan means “sun” and the second means “origin” so you get the real meaning now. Sometimes, in China, this sun character can be a short name for Japan or a suffix for something of or from Japan.

This Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean character means morning sun, dawn, or rising sun.

It can also be the Japanese surname Kyoku or Asahi.

天照皇大神 is the title for Sun Goddess or Amaterasu Oomikami in Japanese.

Rare Chinese Buddhists/Shitoists may be familiar with this (so I have included the Chinese pronunciation above) however, this should generally be considered a specifically-Japanese title.

Besides Amaterasuoomikami, this can also be pronounced/romanized as Tenshoukoudaijin. There are several similar ways to write Sun Goddess in Japanese, so don't be surprised if you see different forms on the web, etc.

太陽 is a two-character title for the Sun.

This refers specifically to Sol, the star at the center of our Solar system.

In Japanese, this is often romanized as Taiyou or Taiyo but can also be pronounced as the names Minami, Hiroaki, Hinata, Hikaru, Tsubasa, Tahi, Takayasu, Takaharu, or Soru.

朝日 is a version of the Japanese name Asahi.

This can also be Ahisa, Asuka, Ashita, or Asaka. This means morning sun and is the name of the famous beer company in Japan.

This would be read as “Zhao Ri” in Mandarin where it means morning sun but is also known to be the Asahi company (maker of beer and other beverages).

孫子兵法 is the full title of the most famous book of military proverbs about warfare.

The English title is “Sun Tzu's The Art of War.”

The last two characters have come to be known in the west as “The Art of War,” but a better translation would be “military strategy and tactics,” “military skills” or “army procedures.”

Note: Sometimes the author's name is Romanized as “Sun Zi” or “Sunzi.”

It's written the same in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.

See Also:  Military | Warrior

明日 is a common way to say “tomorrow” in Chinese and Japanese Kanji.

This temporal noun literally means “next sun[rise].” In addition to “tomorrow,” it can also mean “near future.”

In Japanese, this can also be the female given name Meibi.

兵法 means “Art of War.”

It is also part of the title of a famous book of tactics by Sun Tzu. 兵法 could also be translated as “military strategy and tactics,” “military skills” or “army procedures.” If you are a military tactician, this is the wall scroll for you.

See Also:  Military

孫悟空 is the name Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. He is the main character with supernatural powers in the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West.

This title is also known as the real name of the Monkey King in Japanese. This can also be the Son Goku, better known as simply Goku, a fictional character of the Dragon Ball Japanese manga series.

This old Buddhist phrase means, “When the sun rises it always shines first on the highest mountain,” or “When the sun appears, it first casts its light upon the highest mountain.”

This comes from the Avatamsaka Sutra and has been used as the name or portion of the name for temples in Japan and sites in China.

The Buddha's first round of teaching (Avatamsaka period) is likened to the time when the sun rises from the east horizon. When the sun first rises it illuminates the high mountains. In this analogy, the high mountains represent the great Bodhisattvas and/or those most ready to receive enlightenment and liberation.

This can be romanized from Japanese as “Nichi shutsu sen shō kō san,” “Nisshutsu saki teru takayama,” or “Hide temazu kōzan wo terasu yama.” The last one is probably the most common. Ask three Japanese people what they think the pronunciation is, and you will get three different opinions.

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.

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.”

天 means “heaven” or “sky” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The context determines if you are talking about heaven or the sky above (often they are the same concept).

When combined with other characters, words like “today” and “tomorrow” are created. While sometimes the character for “sun” is used to mean “day,” often “sky” represents “day” in Asian languages.
Example: 今天 (this sky) = “today,” 明天 (next sky) = “tomorrow” in modern Chinese and Japanese.

In Chinese culture, regardless of which religion, it's almost always assumed that God (and any other deities) live up above the sky. The concept of God living in the sky is likely the reason heaven is associated with this character.
The equation goes something like this: God's domain is the sky, thus, the sky is heaven.

Note: As a single character, this is a little ambiguous, so you might want to choose our Kingdom of Heaven selection instead.

See Also:  Heaven | God | Today | Sun

陰陽 literally means yin and yang in written form (versus the common yin-yang symbol). The first character has the element of the moon, while the second character has the element of the sun so that you can see, even in written form, they suggest the balance of opposites (of night and day). You could also translate this title as “sun and moon.”

Note: This title is often misspelled as Ying Yang instead of Yin Yang.

See Also:  Taoism

This is a Japanese personal name, Rago.

The meaning can be the intersection of the Moon's orbit with the ecliptic in Vedic astronomy (from Sanskrit Rāhu). In Buddhist context, this can be, “the demon who is supposed to seize the sun and moon and thus cause eclipses.”

This is a variant of the Chinese 羅睺. It can also be written 羅護 or 羅虎. If you need the more ancient Chinese version, just let me know.

參宿四 is the title for Betelgeuse (star in the constellation Orion) in Chinese.

Also known as “α Orionis” (Alpha Orionis), Alpha Ori, or in Japan the Heike-boshi or Heike-star.

Note: 参宿 (Shēn Xiù) is the name given by ancient Chinese astronomers for a constellation of three stars (the three naked-eye visible belt stars of Orion). Therefore, 參宿四 means the Fourth Star of the constellation of Three Stars (which sounds like a joke). As telescopes got better, it should be noted that there are actually 10 stars in the constellation.

This is the Chinese and Japanese Kanji name for the country of Japan.

日 means sun and 本 means origin. That is how Japan is known as the land of the rising sun (literally the place where the sun originates from).

See Also:  Asia

This can be the Japanese surname Yako or Minami.

陽 is actually the yang from yin and yang ☯.

The meaning includes positive, sun, male, the side on which the sun shines, the sun, heat, masculine, dynamic, etc.

太陽神 means “Sun God” in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

It's used in Chinese to mean the Greek God Apollo. This can also be used in Chinese to refer to Nasa's Apollo missions to the moon.

日出 is a Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji word that means sunrise.

It literally means “sun coming” or “sun arrival.”

花月 is a somewhat archaic Japanese word that literally means “flowers and the moon.”

Colloquially, this refers to “refined leisure,” or “an elegant pastime.”

神舟 is the name of the Chinese spacecraft “Shenzhou.” The name means “divine craft” or “saintly vessel.”

The name is a play on words in Chinese, as there is an alternate name for China that is pronounced “Shenzhou” but means “Divine land” or “Land of the Gods” (just the second character is different).

The first flight of a Shenzhou spacecraft was in 1999, with more missions following. The next is planned for 2008, and will include China's first “spacewalk.” The tenth Shenzhou mission is planned for 2015, when China has promised its people that a Chinese astronaut will walk on the moon (or at least orbit the moon - there are two ways to interpret the announcement made in 2005).

For those of you concerned, this word is pronounced more like “Shen Joe” (with a slightly soft “J”) than the Romanization would suggest.

2016 Update: I wrote the above in 2006. Imagine that, 10 years later, none of the promises came true.

福星 is the lucky star, one of three Chinese deities (三星 or Three Stars) representing fortune/luck, prosperity, and longevity.

In Japanese, this can be the given name Fukusei - with the same “lucky star” or “star of good fortune” meaning.

十一月 is the Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean title for the month of November.

This literally means the eleventh month or moon.

獵戶座 means Orion's Belt, or more literally Orion's Constellation or the “Constellation of the Hunter.”

This title refers not just to the three stars that make up the belt but to the whole constellation known as Orion (or the Hunter).

This is a common Mandarin Chinese transliteration for the female name June.

However, you might want the meaning of month June (the 6th moon of the year) instead of this.

二月 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for the month of February.

This literally means the “second month” or “second moon” (of the year).

七月 is how Chinese and Japanese express July (also used in old Korean Hanja).

七月 literally means “seventh month” or “seventh moon.”

十月 is how Chinese and Japanese express October (also used in old Korean Hanja).

十月 literally means “tenth month” or “tenth moon.”

This colloquial Japanese greeting means hello, or good day.

こにちわ is the common greeting for daytime or afternoon (after morning, before the sun sets).

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

アポロ is the Japanese Katakana title for Apollo.

This can be the Greek God Apollo, or the title of the Nasa mission to the moon. Also the given name Apollo.

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

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.

三月 is the Chinese, Japanese, and Chinese way to write the month of March.

This literally reads as “third month” or “third moon.”

天照大神 is the Japanese Shinto deity often referred to as the Sun Goddess.

The full name is often romanized as Amaterasu Oomikami/Omikami.
Sometimes also written as 天照大御神 (just the addition of 御 near the end) or 天照皇大神 (with 皇 added in the middle).

This is a Chinese surname that romanizes as Shen from Mandarin or Shum from Cantonese.

In Japanese, it can be the surnames Chin, Chimu, Sen, Sun, Shin, or Shimu.

The meaning is to sink or heavy.

This 沈 character is a variant of 沉.

These are the short titles for Sanxing or 三星 (Three Stars).

福祿壽 are the gods of Jupiter, Ursa Major, and Sirius. Fu, Lu, and Shou represent fortune (福), presiding over the planet Jupiter, prosperity (祿), presiding over Ursa Major, and longevity (壽), presiding over Sirius.

In old Chinese folk religion, they are often represented as three old bearded wise men.

This is the second most common transliteration to Chinese for the name Nixon.

The other version, 尼克松, is twice as popular. The last character of this version sounds like “sin” while the other that sounds a bit like “sun.”

This is the Japanese name Samidare.

The meaning of the name is “early-summer rain.” Literally, it's “5th moon rain,” which means “rain in the month of May.” This may refer to an anime character, a Japanese battleship in WWII, or a place in Japan called Samidare.

This is the month of June in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This was originally the sixth month of the Chinese lunar year, now used for the sixth month of the Gregorian calendar (also known as the Western or Christian calendar). 六月 literally mean “sixth month” or “sixth moon.”

五月 is the month of May in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This was originally the fifth month of the Chinese lunar year, now used for the fifth month of the Gregorian calendar (also known as the Western or Christian calendar). 五月 literally means “fifth month” or “fifth moon.”

Note: Sometimes Japanese parents will use this as a female given name, and use "Mei" (the sound of May in English) as the pronunciation.

望 holds the ideas of ambition, hope, desire, aspiring to, expectations, looking towards, to gaze (into the distance), and in some contexts, full moon rising.

望 is one of those single characters that is vague but in that vagueness, it also means many things.

望 is a whole word in Chinese and old Korean but is seldom seen alone in Japanese. Still, it holds the meanings noted above in all three languages.

光芒 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for radiance meaning rays of light, brilliant rays, beams of light, etc.

光芒 is the radiance you feel when the sun hits your face in the morning, bringing you warmth while kickstarting your vitamin D production.

This is a Chinese surname that romanizes as Zhang, but in Taiwan or old romanization can be Cheung.

This can also be the Japanese surnames Harisaki, Hari, Hara, Tsuan, Chou, Cho, Chiyan, Chiyau, Chan, Chian, Sun, Jin, Jiyon, Jiyan, Zan, San, or Kin.

The meaning of this character can be: to open up; to spread; sheet of paper; classifier for flat objects; sheet; classifier for votes.

企望 is a Chinese and Japanese word that can be translated as:
to hope; to look forward; looking forward to; hoping for.

The first character means to plan. The second can mean to hope; to expect; to gaze (into the distance); to look towards. Sometimes it can mean a full moon.
Together, these characters create this word about hoping, wishing, looking forward, and dreaming about the future.

八月 is the month of August in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

八月 literally means “eighth month” or “eighth moon.”

In Japanese, this can also be the female given name, Yatsuki, in much the same way August can be a female given name in English.

悟空 is the short name or given name of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, from the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West.

This title is also known as the given name of the Monkey King in Japanese. This can also be Goku, short for Son Goku, a fictional character of the Dragon Ball Japanese manga series (also based loosely on the Monkey King).

花鳥風月 is the Japanese Kanji proverb for “Beauties of Nature.”

The dictionary definition is “the traditional themes of natural beauty in Japanese aesthetics.”

The Kanji each represents an element of nature that constitutes beauty in traditional Japanese art and culture.

The Kanji breakdown:
花 = ka = flower (also pronounced “hana”)
鳥 = chou = bird (also pronounced “tori”).
風 = fuu = wind (also pronounced “kaze”).
月 = getsu = moon (also pronounced “tsuki”)

崔 is both a word and surname in Chinese and Korean.

In Korean, this romanizes as Choi. Occasionally, some have romanized it as Choe.

In Chinese, this is romanized as Cui in the mainland and Tsui in Taiwan.

The meaning of this characters is high mountain or precipitous.

This is also a rarely used Japanese surname or given name. From Japanese, this has the following possible romanizations: Chiyoi; Chioe; Chiejiyon; Chiei; Chie; Che; Takashi; Sun; Sa.

This proverb is from Sun Tzu's (Sunzi's) Art of War.

It means that if you know and understand the enemy, you also know yourself. Four secondary characters come after this in the Art of War (not included here) which suggests you cannot lose a battle when you follow this philosophy.

In a very literal and somewhat-boring way, this can also be translated as “Estimate correctly one's strength as well as that of one's opponent.”

Nothing could be more true. When I was in the Marine Corps, we trained for years for combat that often lasts only hours.

養兵千日用兵一時 is a Chinese proverb that, also reminds me of a common phrase used in the military to describe combat: “Weeks of total boredom, punctuated with five minutes of sheer terror.”

This may have some roots in Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Though I can not find this passage in his writings.

On the subject of the Art of War, if you have a favorite passage, we can create a custom calligraphy scroll with that phrase.

知彼知己百戰不殆 is from Sun Tzu's (Sunzi's) Art of War. It means that if you know and understand the enemy, you also know yourself, and thus with this complete understanding, you cannot lose.

This proverb is often somewhat directly translated as “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.”

It can also be translated as “If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can come out of hundreds of battles without danger,” or “Know your enemy, know yourself, and your victory will not be threatened.”

清 is a word that means clarity or clear in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Looking at the parts of this character, you have three splashes of water on the left, “life” on the top right, and the moon on the lower right.

Because of something Confucius said about 2500 years ago, you can imagine that this character means “live life with clarity like bright moonlight piercing pure water.” The Confucian idea is something like “Keep clear what is pure in yourself, and let your pure nature show through.” Kind of like saying, “Don't pollute your mind or body, so that they remain clear.”

This might be stretching the definition of this single Chinese character but the elements are there, and “clarity” is a powerful idea.

Korean note: Korean pronunciation is given above but this character is written with a slight difference in the "moon radical" in Korean. However, anyone who can read Korean Hanja, will understand this character with no problem (this is considered an alternate form in Korean). If you want the more standard Korean Hanja form (which is an alternate form in Chinese), just let me know.

Japanese note: When reading in Japanese, this Kanji has additional meanings of pure, purify, or cleanse (sometimes to remove demons or "exorcise"). Used more in compound words in Japanese than as a stand-alone Kanji.

一日千秋 is a Japanese and Chinese proverb about missing someone.

一日千秋 is often used to express how hard it is to wait for someone's return or to be away from someone.

Some will translate this as “one day feels like a very long time” or “waiting for someone (something) is hard.”

You might see this romanized as a single word, Ichijitsusenshuu, or as “Ichijitsu Senshuu” from Japanese.
If you break down the characters one-by-one, we get:
一 = one/a
日 = day/sun (can also represent time or date)
千 = 1000/thousand
秋 = autumn/fall

Together, 千秋 can mean “autumn comes thousand times” (or 1000 years). It can also be read as 1000 periods of time.
However, it relays the idea of heartache as you wait for someone you miss.

風林火山 is the battle strategy and proverb of Japanese feudal lord Takeda Shingen (1521-1573 AD).

This came from the Art of War by Chinese strategist and tactician Sun Tzu (Sunzi).

You can think of this as an abbreviation to remind officers and troops how to conduct battle.

風林火山 is a word list: Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain.

The more expanded meaning is supposed to be...

“Swift as the wind, quiet as the forest, fierce as fire, and immovable as a mountain”

“As fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain”

“Move as swift as the wind, stay as silent as a forest, attack as fierce as fire, undefeatable defense like a mountain”

“Move swiftly like the wind, stay silent like the forest, attack fiercely like fire, take a tactical position on the mountain”

See Also:  Art of War

誰言寸草心報得三春暉 is the last line of a famous poem. It is perceived as a tribute or ode to your parents or mother from a child or children that have left home.

The poem was written by Meng Jiao during the Tang Dynasty (about 1200 years ago). The Chinese title is “You Zi Yin” which means “The Traveler's Recite.”

The last line as shown here speaks of the generous and warm spring sunlight which gives the grass far beyond what the little grass can could ever give back (except perhaps by showing its lovely green leaves and flourishing). The metaphor is that the sun is your mother or parents, and you are the grass. Your parents raise you and give you all the love and care you need to prepare you for the world. A debt that you can never repay, nor is repayment expected.

The first part of the poem (not written in the characters to the left) suggests that the thread in a loving mother's hands is the shirt of her traveling offspring. Vigorously sewing while wishing them to come back sooner than they left.
...This part is really hard to translate into English that makes any sense but maybe you get the idea. We are talking about a poem that is so old that many Chinese people would have trouble reading it (as if it was the King James Version of Chinese).

虚実 is a Japanese word that means “falsehood [and] truth” or “fiction [and] fact.”

This concept is used in warfare, gameplay, and martial arts strategies. 虚実 can be a strategy of real and/or deceptive moves. This gets to some Sun Tzu Art of War stuff where in warfare a strategic move is either a real and serious move or it is a deceptive blow.

Let's explore each character in more depth:

虚 was originally written 虛 (there is a very subtle difference in the strokes at the bottom of the character) and means unpreparedness, falsehood, emptiness, void, abstract theory, empty or unoccupied, diffident or timid, false, humble or modest, virtual, or in vain.
In the Buddhist context, 虛 represents the Pali/Sanskrit word “śūnya,” meaning empty, vacant, unreal, unsubstantial, untrue, space, humble, or in vain.
In ancient Eastern/Chinese astronomy, 虛 represents the “Emptiness” constellation (one of the 28 mansions in the sky).

実 was originally 實 in Chinese (they currently write it as 实 in Simplified Chinese) with the meaning, truth, reality, sincerity, honesty, fidelity, and substance.
The Buddhist context is similar, adding real, true, honest, really, solid, definitely, sincere, solid, fixed, full, to fill, fruit, kernel, verily, in fact, the supreme fact, or ultimate reality to the definition.

破鏡重圓 is about a husband and wife who were separated and reunited.

About 1500 years ago in China, there lived a beautiful princess named Le Chang. She and her husband Xu De Yan loved each other very much. But when the army of the Sui Dynasty was about to attack their kingdom, disposed of all of their worldly possessions and prepared to flee into exile.

They knew that in the chaos, they might lose track of each other, so the one possession they kept was a bronze mirror which is a symbol of unity for a husband and wife. They broke the mirror into two pieces, and each of them kept half of the mirror. They decided that if separated, they would try to meet at the fair during the 15th day of the first lunar month (which is the lantern festival). Unfortunately, the occupation was brutal, and the princess was forced to become the mistress of the new commissioner of the territory, Yang Su.

At the Lantern Festival the next year, the husband came to the fair to search for his wife. He carried with him his half of the mirror. As he walked through the fair, he saw the other half of the mirror for sale at a junk market by a servant of the commissioner. The husband recognized his wife's half of the mirror immediately, and tears rolled down his face as he was told by the servant about the bitter and loveless life that the princess had endured.

As his tears dripped onto the mirror, the husband scratched a poem into his wife's half of the mirror:

You left me with the severed mirror,
The mirror has returned, but absent are you,
As I gaze in the mirror, I seek your face,
I see the moon, but as for you, I see not a trace.

The servant brought the inscribed half of the mirror back to the princess. For many days, the princess could not stop crying when she found that her husband was alive and still loved her.

Commissioner Yang Su, becoming aware of this saga, realized that he could never obtain the princess's love. He sent for the husband and allowed them to reunite.

This proverb, 破鏡重圓, is now used to describe a couple who has been torn apart for some reason (usually divorce) but have come back together (or remarried).
It seems to be more common these days in America for divorced couples to reconcile and get married to each other again. This will be a great gift if you know someone who is about to remarry their ex.

月光 is the Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji title for moonlight.

This can also be used to describe a moonbeam and can be a given name in all three languages (pronounced as Rumi when used as a female given name in Japanese).