To Dream in Chinese / Japanese...

夢 is the very simple word for dreams in Chinese and Japanese.

It can also mean having a vision or simply an illusion.

大夢 means “Big Dream” in Chinese and Japanese.

大夢 is primarily a Buddhist term referring to the great dream that represents a long and winding life that feels like a dream (since reality is an illusion anyway in Buddhism).

This can also be a female given name, Hiromu, or Oomu, in Japanese. Also, more rare unisex given names Daimu or Taimu.

夢想 is the two-character version of dream or dreaming, which can mean “to dream of [something],” vision, imagine, or reverie.

Be careful, as, in some contexts, it can mean dreaming of something in vain.

大望 is one of a few ways to write “dream big” in Japanese.

This is a good title if you want that to inspire ambition or high aspirations. 大望 is also a way to say “great expectations.”

人生如夢 is an old Chinese proverb that suggests, “life is but a dream.”

This kind of follows the Buddhist idea that the world is a temporal place, where reality may not be as real as you think.

得誌 is a Chinese word that means to accomplish one's ambition, a dream come true, or to enjoy your success.

遠大夢想 is a way to say “dream big” or “big dreams” in Mandarin Chinese.

美麗的夢神 is the Chinese title for the song Beautiful Dreamer.

It translates as Beautiful Dream Saint.

幻想 is illusions or fantasy in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also refer to delusion or daydreaming. It sort of means a dream or idea that cannot be true or real ( at least not in this realm).

實現你的夢想 means “realize your dreams” or “live your dreams” in Chinese.

實現 means to achieve, to implement, to realize, or to bring about.

The characters 你的 effectively mean “your.”

夢想 means to dream, imagine, or have a vision.

幻像 is a universal word for Illusion in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The first character means phantasm, vision, dream, illusion, apparition, or fantasy.

The second character means statue, picture, image, figure, portrait, shape, form, appearance, to be like, to resemble, to take after, to seem, or in rare/ancient context: an elephant.

Note that the first character can be written without the left-side radical in Chinese. This form is shown to the right. Both forms are acceptable in Chinese but the character shown to the right is more likely to be read as "elephant."

See Also:  Reality

永遠的家 is a special phrase that we composed for a “family by adoption” or “adoptive family.”

It's the dream of every orphan and foster child to be formally adopted and find their “forever family.”

The first two characters mean forever, eternal, eternity, perpetuity, immortality, and/or permanence. The third character connects this idea with the last character which means “family” and/or “home.”

See Also:  Family

夢を追い続ける is the Japanese way to express “pursue your dreams,” “follow your dreams,” or “chase your dreams.”

If you have dreams that you want to pursue and make true, this is the phrase for you.

The first character is “dream” or “dreams.” The rest of the characters establish the idea of chasing or pursuing.

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

See Also:  Pursuit of Happiness

乘風破浪 is a Chinese proverb that represents having great ambitions.

The British might say “to plough through.” Another way to understand it is “surmount all difficulties and forge ahead courageously.”

This can also be translated as “braving the wind and waves,” “to brave the wind and the billows,” “to ride the wind and crest the waves,” or “to be ambitious and unafraid.”

Literally, it reads: “ride (like a chariot) [the] wind [and] break/cleave/cut [the] waves,” or “ride [the] wind [and] slash [through the] waves.”

乘風破浪 is a great proverb to encourage yourself or someone else not to be afraid of problems or troubles, and when you have a dream, just go for it.

There is an alternate version, 長風破浪, but 乘風破浪 is far more common.

老當益壯 is a Chinese proverb that means “old but vigorous” or “hale and hearty despite the years.”

Said of someone who is more spirited when he/she grows older.

The story behind this Chinese proverb:

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ma Yuan. He had been planning to herd animals on the frontier since he was young. When he grew up, Ma became a minor official of a county.

Once, he was sending some prisoners to another location. He felt pity for them, so he set them free, and then he fled to another county in the north. He herded animals there, and thus his dream came true. He always said: “If you want to be a great man, the poorer you are, the firmer in spirit you have to be; the older you are, the more spirited you should be.”

Later, when he was even older, Ma Yuan became a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty and contributed to many battles.