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On Wood in Chinese / Japanese...

Buy an On Wood calligraphy wall scroll here!

Personalize your custom “On Wood” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “On Wood” title below...


  1. Wood

  2. Bamboo

  3. Five Elements

  4. Wood Rat

  5. Wood Dog

  6. Wood Monkey

  7. Wood Rooster

  8. Wood Horse

  9. Wood Dragon

10. Wood Snake

11. Wood Tiger

12. Wood Rabbit

13. Wood Ox/Bull

14. Wood Pig/Boar

15. Wood Goat/Sheep

16. Chop Wood, Carry Water

17. Put out a burning wood cart with a cup of water

18. Five Elements

19. Profound / Powerful Words

20. Ebony

21. Jupiter

22. Four Elements

23. Sticky Hands / Chi Sau


Wood

(One of the five elements)

 mù
 ki
 
Wood Scroll

木 is the symbol for wood in Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

This can sometimes mean “tree” depending on context. In fact, the character comes from a pictogram that is supposed to resemble a tree.


Wood 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 and Chinese 12 Animals / Zodiac.

 wǔ dé
Wood Scroll

伍德 is the name Wood in Chinese (Mandarin).

 wuuddo
Wood Scroll

ウーッド is the name Wood in Japanese (Katakana).


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

 zhú
 take
 
Bamboo Scroll

竹 is the character that means bamboo in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

In Asian cultures, bamboo is often seen as a symbol of a noble gentleman (tall, straight, and honest).

There are also some multi-character bamboo words that regard individual bamboo plants, species of bamboo, bamboo as lumber, and edible bamboo shoots. However, this single character seems most appropriate for a wall scroll and covers the whole category of Asian bamboo.

Five Elements

 jīn mù shuǐ huǒ tǔ
Five Elements Scroll

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.

Wood Rat

The Year of the Wood Rat

 mù shǔ
Wood Rat Scroll

木鼠 is Wood Rat in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1864, 1924, 1984, and 2044.

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


See Also:  Rat

Wood Dog

The Year of the Wood Dog

 mù gǒu
Wood Dog Scroll

木狗 is Wood Dog in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1874, 1934, 1994, and 2054.

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


See Also:  Dog

Wood Monkey

The Year of the Wood Monkey

 mù hóu
Wood Monkey Scroll

木猴 is Wood Monkey in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1884, 1944, 2004, and 2064.

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


See Also:  Monkey

Wood Rooster

The Year of the Wood Rooster

 mù jī
Wood Rooster Scroll

木雞 is Wood Rooster in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1885, 1945, 2005, and 2065.

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


See Also:  Rooster

Wood Horse

The Year of the Wood Horse

 mù mǎ
Wood Horse Scroll

木馬 is Wood Horse in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1894, 1954, 2014, and 2074.

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


See Also:  Horse

Wood Dragon

The Year of the Wood Dragon

 mù lóng
Wood Dragon Scroll

木龍 is Wood Dragon in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1904, 1964, 2024, and 2084.

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


See Also:  Dragon

Wood Snake

The Year of the Wood Snake

 mù shé
Wood Snake Scroll

木蛇 is Wood Snake in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1905, 1965, 2025, and 2085.

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


See Also:  Snake

Wood Tiger

The Year of the Wood Tiger

 mù hǔ
Wood Tiger Scroll

木虎 is Wood Tiger in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1914, 1974, 2034, and 2094.

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


See Also:  Tiger

Wood Rabbit

The Year of the Wood Rabbit

 mù tù
Wood Rabbit Scroll

木兔 is Wood Rabbit in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1915, 1975, 2035, and 2095.

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


See Also:  Rabbit

Wood Ox/Bull

The Year of the Wood Ox/Bull

 mù niú
Wood Ox/Bull Scroll

木牛 is Wood Ox/Bull in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1865, 1925, 1985, and 2045.

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


See Also:  Ox/Bull

Wood Pig/Boar

The Year of the Wood Pig/Boar

 mù zhū
Wood Pig/Boar Scroll

木豬 is Wood Pig/Boar in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1875, 1935, 1995, and 2055.

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


See Also:  Pig/Boar

Wood Goat/Sheep

The Year of the Wood Goat/Sheep

 mù yáng
Wood Goat/Sheep Scroll

木羊 is Wood Goat/Sheep in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1895, 1955, 2015, and 2075.

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


See Also:  Goat/Sheep

Chop Wood, Carry Water

Before enlightenment or after, chores remain.

 dùn wù zhī qián kǎn chái tiāo shuǐ dùn wù zhī hòu kǎn chái tiāo shuǐ
Chop Wood, Carry Water Scroll

頓悟之前砍柴挑水; 頓悟之後砍柴挑水 means “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

This is a Chinese proverb that is attributed to 吴力 (Wú Lì) who lived between 1632 and 1718 - living part of his life as a devout Buddhist, and many years as a Catholic Jesuit Priest in China - what an interesting life!

This has been explained many times in many ways. I am a Buddhist, and here is my brief take on this proverb...

Before enlightenment, one may find daily chores mundane, tedious, and boring. However, upon reaching enlightenment one is not relieved of the details of daily life. An enlightened person will, however, see such chores as a joy, and do them mindfully.


There is another version floating around, which is 在你領悟之前砍柴、運水。在你領悟之後,砍柴、運水。
If you want this other version, just contact me. The meaning is the same, just different phrasing.

Put out a burning wood cart with a cup of water

An utterly inadequate measure

 bēi shuǐ chē xīn
Put out a burning wood cart with a cup of water Scroll

杯水車薪 is a warning against a futile effort.

This proverb literally refers to one who is “trying to put out a burning cart of wood with a cup of water,” or “throw a cup of water on a cartload of wood.” The lesson to be learned is about using the right measure or tool for the job and not wasting your effort if you are inadequately equipped for the task at hand - in other words the postscript should be “go get a bucket or a fire hose.”

Five Elements

 wǔ xíng
 gogyou
Five Elements Scroll

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 | Earth | Metal | Five Elements

Profound / Powerful Words

 rù mù sān fēn
Profound / Powerful Words Scroll

入木三分 is a four-character Chinese proverb that translates in English to a strong form of “profound” or “written with a forceful hand.”

But there is much more to the story...

The deep meaning behind this proverb comes from a man named Wan Xizhi, who lived in the third century.

He was a great writer and calligrapher whose writing style influenced generations of other writers and calligraphers.

He once wrote words on a piece of wood to be taken to an engraver.
When the engraver began to carve the characters into the wood, he found that Wang Xizhi's writing had penetrated the wood about 3/8 of an inch.

Thus people believed that his words were so powerful and profound that they caused the ink from his brush to penetrate the wood deeply.

The proverb literally means “penetrated wood three fen” (A fen is an ancient Chinese measurement of a little over 1/8 of an inch or almost 4mm).

 wū mù
 uboku
Ebony Scroll

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.

 mù xīng
 Mokusei
Jupiter Scroll

木星 is the planet Jupiter in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The literal meaning is “wood star.”

This can also be a given name Mokusei or the surname Kiboshi in Japanese.

Four Elements

Buddhist Term

 dì shuǐ huǒ fēng
 chisuikafuu
Four Elements Scroll

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).

Sticky Hands / Chi Sau

 chī shǒu
Sticky Hands / Chi Sau Scroll

The first character means “wood glue” or can be understood as “sticky” or “sticking.”
The second character means “hand” (or “hands”).

This term can be romanized as “Chi Sau,” “Chi Sao,” or from Mandarin, “Chi Shou.”

黐手 is a concept that comes from the Wing Chun (AKA: Ving Tsun, Wing Tsun, or Yong Chun) style of martial arts. If you are looking for this term, chances are, you already know the meaning within the context of Wing Chun.




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The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Woodkimù / mu4 / mu
Wood伍德wǔ dé / wu3 de2 / wu de / wudewu te / wute
Woodウーッドwuuddo / wuddo
Bambootakezhú / zhu2 / zhuchu
Five Elements金木水火土jīn mù shuǐ huǒ tǔ
jin1 mu4 shui3 huo3 tu3
jin mu shui huo tu
jinmushuihuotu
chin mu shui huo t`u
chinmushuihuotu
chin mu shui huo tu
Wood Rat木鼠mù shǔ / mu4 shu3 / mu shu / mushu
Wood Dog木狗mù gǒu / mu4 gou3 / mu gou / mugoumu kou / mukou
Wood Monkey木猴mù hóu / mu4 hou2 / mu hou / muhou
Wood Rooster木雞
木鸡
mù jī / mu4 ji1 / mu ji / mujimu chi / muchi
Wood Horse木馬
木马
mù mǎ / mu4 ma3 / mu ma / muma
Wood Dragon木龍
木龙
mù lóng / mu4 long2 / mu long / mulongmu lung / mulung
Wood Snake木蛇mù shé / mu4 she2 / mu she / mushe
Wood Tiger木虎mù hǔ / mu4 hu3 / mu hu / muhu
Wood Rabbit木兔mù tù / mu4 tu4 / mu tu / mutumu t`u / mutu / mu tu
Wood Ox/Bull木牛mù niú / mu4 niu2 / mu niu / muniu
Wood Pig/Boar木豬
木猪
mù zhū / mu4 zhu1 / mu zhu / muzhumu chu / muchu
Wood Goat/Sheep木羊mù yáng / mu4 yang2 / mu yang / muyang
Chop Wood, Carry Water頓悟之前砍柴挑水頓悟之后砍柴挑水
顿悟之前砍柴挑水顿悟之后砍柴挑水
dùn wù zhī qián kǎn chái tiāo shuǐ dùn wù zhī hòu kǎn chái tiāo shuǐ
dun4 wu4 zhi1 qian2 kan3 chai2 tiao1 shui3 dun4 wu4 zhi1 hou4 kan3 chai2 tiao1 shui3
dun wu zhi qian kan chai tiao shui dun wu zhi hou kan chai tiao shui
tun wu chih ch`ien k`an ch`ai t`iao shui tun wu chih hou k`an ch`ai t`iao shui
tun wu chih chien kan chai tiao shui tun wu chih hou kan chai tiao shui
Put out a burning wood cart with a cup of water杯水車薪
杯水车薪
bēi shuǐ chē xīn
bei1 shui3 che1 xin1
bei shui che xin
beishuichexin
pei shui ch`e hsin
peishuichehsin
pei shui che hsin
Five Elements五行gogyou / gogyowǔ xíng / wu3 xing2 / wu xing / wuxingwu hsing / wuhsing
Profound
Powerful Words
入木三分rù mù sān fēn
ru4 mu4 san1 fen1
ru mu san fen
rumusanfen
ju mu san fen
jumusanfen
Ebony烏木
乌木
ubokuwū mù / wu1 mu4 / wu mu / wumu
Jupiter木星Mokuseimù xīng / mu4 xing1 / mu xing / muxingmu hsing / muhsing
Four Elements地水火風
地水火风
chisuikafuu
chisuikafu
dì shuǐ huǒ fēng
di4 shui3 huo3 feng1
di shui huo feng
dishuihuofeng
ti shui huo feng
tishuihuofeng
Sticky Hands
Chi Sau
黐手chī shǒu / chi1 shou3 / chi shou / chishouch`ih shou / chihshou / chih shou
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.


Dictionary

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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.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

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.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

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.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

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.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

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.

Some people may refer to this entry as On Wood Kanji, On Wood Characters, On Wood in Mandarin Chinese, On Wood Characters, On Wood in Chinese Writing, On Wood in Japanese Writing, On Wood in Asian Writing, On Wood Ideograms, Chinese On Wood symbols, On Wood Hieroglyphics, On Wood Glyphs, On Wood in Chinese Letters, On Wood Hanzi, On Wood in Japanese Kanji, On Wood Pictograms, On Wood in the Chinese Written-Language, or On Wood in the Japanese Written-Language.

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