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Situation in Chinese / Japanese...

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


  1. Enigma / Unpredictable Situation

  2. Soldiers Adapt Actions to the Situation

  3. Accept the Situation and Move On

  4. Wind of Change

  5. Sisterhood

  6. Ability to Adapt

  7. Return From Death’s Door

  8. Open and Calm Mind

  9. If you cannot bite, do not show your teeth

10. A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action

11. Listen to Both Sides and be Enlightened, Listen to One Side and be in the Dark

12. Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment

13. Contentment

14. Passions / Feelings / Emotions

15. Art of War: 5 Points of Analysis

16. Diligent Study Proverb

17. Better Late Than Never


Enigma / Unpredictable Situation

 mí tuán
Enigma / Unpredictable Situation Scroll

謎團 is a Chinese word that can mean riddle, enigma, unpredictable situation, or elusive matter.

Soldiers Adapt Actions to the Situation

 bīng lái jiàng dǎng shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
Soldiers Adapt Actions to the Situation Scroll

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

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

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

Accept the Situation and Move On

 xiǎng kāi
Accept the Situation and Move On Scroll

想開 is a Chinese title that translates as “move on.”

It can mean getting over a shock or bereavement. More often, it means avoiding dwelling on unpleasant things or accepting the situation and moving on. It's a suggestion to get over it and get on with life.

The literal meaning of the characters is something like “thoughts opening.” But it's understood more as getting over the same old thoughts and opening yourself up to new thoughts or ways of thinking.

Wind of Change

 fēng yún biàn huàn
Wind of Change Scroll

風雲變幻 is a Chinese proverb that means “wind of change” or “changeable situation.”

The first character, 風, means wind, but when combined with the second character, 風雲, you have weather, winds and clouds, nature, or the elements. Colloquially, this can refer to an unstable situation or state of affairs.

The last two characters, 變幻, mean change or fluctuate.

 jiě mèi qíng
Sisterhood Scroll

姐妹情 is one way to say “sisterhood.”

Literally, this means “sisters feeling, emotion, passion, or situation.”

Ability to Adapt

 ouhen nouryoku
Ability to Adapt Scroll

応変能力 is “the ability to take proper steps to meet the situation,” “the ability to adapt oneself to the requirement of the moment,” “the ability to adapt to circumstances,” or “adapt and overcome,” in Japanese Kanji.

Return From Death’s Door

 jué chǔ féng shēng
Return From Death’s Door Scroll

絕處逢生 is a Chinese proverb/idiom that talks of coming back from death's door or an unexpected rescue from danger.

Figuratively, this can be to recover from a seemingly impossible situation or to find a way out of a predicament.

If you have survived a near-death experience or severe illness, this might be an appropriate wall scroll for you.

Open and Calm Mind

 kyo shin tan kai
Open and Calm Mind Scroll

虛心坦懐 is a Japanese proverb that means “with an open and calm mind,” “with no preconceived notions,” or “without reservations.”

In some contexts, it can mean frank or candid.

If you want to remind yourself to approach each situation with no preconceptions, this is a good title for you. This can also refer to the ideas of being candid, frank, and straightforward.

If you cannot bite, do not show your teeth

If you cannot fight, don't start one

 bù néng yǎo rén jiù bié zī yá
If you cannot bite, do not show your teeth Scroll

不能咬人就别龇牙 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: [if you] can't bite people, don't bare [your] teeth.

Figuratively, this means: Don't show your anger if you can't do anything about the situation.

Some will also say this means “Don't start a fight that you cannot win.” Others will say it means that you must be willing to back up your words (perhaps with your fists).

A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action

 yí dòng bù rú yí jìng
A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action Scroll

Sometimes 一動不如一靜 is translated by others as “Look before you leap” but the more accurate and direct translation is the one I used in the title.

While somewhat military in its origin, this proverb can apply to any situation where a decision needs to be made, but perhaps there are still some “unknowns.”

This phrase suggests that in our “action-based” world, sometimes the “smarter move” is “no move at all.”


See Also:  Better to Choose Nothing Rather Than Make a Poor Choice

Listen to Both Sides and be Enlightened, Listen to One Side and be in the Dark

 jiān tīng zé míng, piān tīng zé àn
Listen to Both Sides and be Enlightened, Listen to One Side and be in the Dark Scroll

兼聽則明偏聽則暗 is an ancient Chinese proverb about getting all the information from all sides so that you truly understand a situation.

Wei Zheng

Wei Zheng

A man named Wei Zheng lived between 580-643 AD. He was a noble and wise historian and minister in the court of the early Tang Dynasty. The emperor once asked him, “What should an emperor do to understand the real-world situation, and what makes an emperor out-of-touch with reality?”

Wei Zheng replied, “Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; listen to only one side and you will be left in the dark.”

Then Wei Zheng went on to cite examples of leaders in history that were victorious after heeding both sides of the story, and other leaders that met their doom because they believed one-sided stories which often came from flattering lips.

Please note that there is an unwritten rule when the same character appears twice in the same phrase, the calligrapher will alter the appearance so that no two characters are exactly alike in the same piece. This calligraphy has two repeating characters that will be written differently than they appear here.

Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment

 bù bǐ bù zhī dào yī bǐ xià yì tiào
Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment Scroll

不比不知道一比吓一跳 is a Chinese proverb that literally means: [If one not does] not make comparisons, [one will] not know [the truth] when [one] compares, [one will be] greatly surprised.

This goes to the idea that if you do not know bad times, you cannot know what good times are.
...And...
You can not know light without experiencing darkness.

Another way to translate this would be: If you wish to be enlightened, you need to make comparisons and analyze every aspect (of a situation, issue, or problem).

 zhī zú
 chisoku
Contentment Scroll

知足 means content with one's situation or to know contentment (hence happiness).

From the Zen Buddhist context, Chisoku or 知足 (knowing what’s enough) means always to know and be satisfied with one’s lot.

Human pain and suffering are born of greed, and that greed arises because we do not know what’s enough.

The Chinese philosopher, Menzi (372-289 BCE) said, “to nourish the mind, there is nothing better than to make the desires few.” This relays the idea that the best method to cultivate the mind is to have little desire.

Passions / Feelings / Emotions

 qíng
 jou / nasake
 
Passions / Feelings / Emotions Scroll

情 means feelings, emotions, passions, and sometimes refers to the situation you are in (with your emotions).

At least, this is the definition in Chinese and Japanese. This word is a bit stronger in Korean Hanja, where it means affection, love, compassion, sympathy, tender feelings, and emotions. Just as in Chinese and Japanese, this can also refer to your circumstances or your facts of life in Korean.
情 is also the original Korean Hanja for the surname Jeong (정).

In Japanese, this can be the surname Sei.

Art of War: 5 Points of Analysis

 dào tiān dì jiàng fǎ
 dou ten chi shou hou
Art of War: 5 Points of Analysis Scroll

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.

Diligent Study Proverb

Drill a hole in the wall to get light to read by.

 záo bì tōu guāng
Diligent Study Proverb Scroll

鑿壁偷光 is a Chinese proverb that means “Bore a hole in the wall to make use of the neighbor's light to study.”

This is a nice gift for a very studious person.

Kuang Heng was born during the Western Han period. He has been very fond of reading ever since he was young. However, he could not attend school since his family was poor, and he had to borrow books from people to learn.

To borrow these books, he normally did chores for people who had them. When he became older, he had to work in the field from sunrise to sunset since his family's financial situation did not improve. Thus, he tried to study at night, but he had no lamp.

One day, he noticed the light from the neighbor's house coming through a crack in the wall. This made him very happy, so he dug a larger hole from the crack and read in the light that shone through. This diligent study eventually made him an accomplished person.

Better Late Than Never

It's Never Too Late Too Mend

 wáng yáng bǔ láo yóu wèi wéi wǎn
Better Late Than Never Scroll

Long ago in what is now China, there were many kingdoms throughout the land. This time period is known as “The Warring States Period” by historians because these kingdoms often did not get along with each other.

Sometime around 279 B.C. the Kingdom of Chu was a large but not particularly powerful kingdom. Part of the reason it lacked power was the fact that the King was surrounded by “yes men” who told him only what he wanted to hear. Many of the King's court officials were corrupt and incompetent which did not help the situation.

The King was not blameless himself, as he started spending much of his time being entertained by his many concubines.

One of the King's ministers, Zhuang Xin, saw problems on the horizon for the Kingdom, and warned the King, “Your Majesty, you are surrounded by people who tell you what you want to hear. They tell you things to make you happy and cause you to ignore important state affairs. If this is allowed to continue, the Kingdom of Chu will surely perish, and fall into ruins.”

This enraged the King who scolded Zhuang Xin for insulting the country and accused him of trying to create resentment among the people. Zhuang Xin explained, “I dare not curse the Kingdom of Chu but I feel that we face great danger in the future because of the current situation.” The King was simply not impressed with Zhuang Xin's words.
Seeing the King's displeasure with him and the King's fondness for his court of corrupt officials, Zhuang Xin asked permission from the King that he may take leave of the Kingdom of Chu, and travel to the State of Zhao to live. The King agreed, and Zhuang Xin left the Kingdom of Chu, perhaps forever.

Five months later, troops from the neighboring Kingdom of Qin invaded Chu, taking a huge tract of land. The King of Chu went into exile, and it appeared that soon, the Kingdom of Chu would no longer exist.

The King of Chu remembered the words of Zhuang Xin and sent some of his men to find him. Immediately, Zhuang Xin returned to meet the King. The first question asked by the King was “What can I do now?”

Zhuang Xin told the King this story:

A shepherd woke one morning to find a sheep missing. Looking at the pen saw a hole in the fence where a wolf had come through to steal one of his sheep. His friends told him that he had best fix the hole at once. But the Shepherd thought since the sheep is already gone, there is no use fixing the hole.
The next morning, another sheep was missing. And the Shepherd realized that he must mend the fence at once. Zhuang Xin then went on to make suggestions about what could be done to reclaim the land lost to the Kingdom of Qin, and reclaim the former glory and integrity of the Kingdom of Chu.

The Chinese idiom shown above came from this reply from Zhuang Xin to the King of Chu almost 2,300 years ago.
It translates roughly into English as...
“Even if you have lost some sheep, it's never too late to mend the fence.”

This proverb, 亡羊补牢犹未为晚, is often used in modern China when suggesting in a hopeful way that someone change their ways, or fix something in their life. It might be used to suggest fixing a marriage, quitting smoking, or getting back on track after taking an unfortunate path in life among other things one might fix in their life.

I suppose in the same way that we might say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life” in our western cultures to suggest that you can always start anew.

Note: This does have Korean pronunciation but is not a well-known proverb in Korean (only Koreans familiar with ancient Chinese history would know it). Best if your audience is Chinese.


These search terms might be related to Situation:

Mark the Boat to Find the Lost Sword / Ignoring the Changing Circumstances of the World

No Place Like Home

State of Anarchy

There’s No Place Like Home

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

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Enigma
Unpredictable Situation
謎團
谜团
mí tuán / mi2 tuan2 / mi tuan / mituanmi t`uan / mituan / mi tuan
Soldiers Adapt Actions to the Situation兵來將擋水來土掩
兵来将挡水来土掩
bīng lái jiàng dǎng shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
bing1 lai2 jiang4 dang3 shui3 lai2 tu3 yan3
bing lai jiang dang shui lai tu yan
ping lai chiang tang shui lai t`u yen
ping lai chiang tang shui lai tu yen
Accept the Situation and Move On想開
想开
xiǎng kāi
xiang3 kai1
xiang kai
xiangkai
hsiang k`ai
hsiangkai
hsiang kai
Wind of Change風雲變幻
风云变幻
fēng yún biàn huàn
feng1 yun2 bian4 huan4
feng yun bian huan
fengyunbianhuan
feng yün pien huan
fengyünpienhuan
Sisterhood姐妹情jiě mèi qíng
jie3 mei4 qing2
jie mei qing
jiemeiqing
chieh mei ch`ing
chiehmeiching
chieh mei ching
Ability to Adapt応変能力ouhen nouryoku
ouhennouryoku
ohen noryoku
Return From Death’s Door絕處逢生
绝处逢生
jué chǔ féng shēng
jue2 chu3 feng2 sheng1
jue chu feng sheng
juechufengsheng
chüeh ch`u feng sheng
chüehchufengsheng
chüeh chu feng sheng
Open and Calm Mind虛心坦懐
虚心坦懐
kyo shin tan kai
kyoshintankai
If you cannot bite, do not show your teeth不能咬人就別齜牙
不能咬人就别龇牙
bù néng yǎo rén jiù bié zī yá
bu4 neng2 yao3 ren2 jiu4 bie2 zi1 ya2
bu neng yao ren jiu bie zi ya
bunengyaorenjiubieziya
pu neng yao jen chiu pieh tzu ya
A Deliberate Inaction is Better than a Blind Action一動不如一靜
一动不如一静
yí dòng bù rú yí jìng
yi2 dong4 bu4 ru2 yi2 jing4
yi dong bu ru yi jing
yidongburuyijing
i tung pu ju i ching
itungpujuiching
Listen to Both Sides and be Enlightened, Listen to One Side and be in the Dark兼聽則明偏聽則暗
兼听则明偏听则暗
jiān tīng zé míng, piān tīng zé àn
jian1 ting1 ze2 ming2, pian1 ting1 ze2 an4
jian ting ze ming, pian ting ze an
chien t`ing tse ming, p`ien t`ing tse an
chien ting tse ming, pien ting tse an
Comparison Leads to Truth and Enlightenment不比不知道一比嚇一跳
不比不知道一比吓一跳
bù bǐ bù zhī dào yī bǐ xià yì tiào
bu4 bi3 bu4 zhi1 dao4 yi1 bi3 xia4 yi4 tiao4
bu bi bu zhi dao yi bi xia yi tiao
pu pi pu chih tao i pi hsia i t`iao
pu pi pu chih tao i pi hsia i tiao
Contentment知足chisokuzhī zú / zhi1 zu2 / zhi zu / zhizuchih tsu / chihtsu
Passions
Feelings
Emotions
jou / nasake
jo / nasake
qíng / qing2 / qingch`ing / ching
Art of War: 5 Points of Analysis道天地將法
道天地将法
dou ten chi shou hou
doutenchishouhou
do ten chi sho ho
dào tiān dì jiàng fǎ
dao4 tian1 di4 jiang4 fa3
dao tian di jiang fa
daotiandijiangfa
tao t`ien ti chiang fa
taotientichiangfa
tao tien ti chiang fa
Diligent Study Proverb鑿壁偷光
凿壁偷光
záo bì tōu guāng
zao2 bi4 tou1 guang1
zao bi tou guang
zaobitouguang
tsao pi t`ou kuang
tsaopitoukuang
tsao pi tou kuang
Better Late Than Never亡羊補牢猶未為晚
亡羊补牢犹未为晚
wáng yáng bǔ láo yóu wèi wéi wǎn
wang2 yang2 bu3 lao2 you2 wei4 wei2 wan3
wang yang bu lao you wei wei wan
wang yang pu lao yu wei wei wan
wangyangpulaoyuweiweiwan
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

Lookup Situation in my Japanese & 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 Situation Kanji, Situation Characters, Situation in Mandarin Chinese, Situation Characters, Situation in Chinese Writing, Situation in Japanese Writing, Situation in Asian Writing, Situation Ideograms, Chinese Situation symbols, Situation Hieroglyphics, Situation Glyphs, Situation in Chinese Letters, Situation Hanzi, Situation in Japanese Kanji, Situation Pictograms, Situation in the Chinese Written-Language, or Situation in the Japanese Written-Language.

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