We have many options to create artwork with Tenacious characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
4. Advance Bravely / Indomitable Spirit
5. Dedication
7. Diligence
8. Enthusiasm
9. Fortitude / Strength of Character
11. Industrious / Hard Working
12. Indomitable Spirit / Indomitable Attitude
13. Indomitable / Persistence / Fortitude
15. Inner Strength
16. Inner Strength / Self-Improvement
17. Never Give In / Never Succumb / Never Lose
19. Enthusiasm / Passion for a Cause
21. Perseverance
23. Perseverance
24. Perseverance / Indomitable / Invincible Fortitude
25. Persistence
26. Undaunted After Repeated Setbacks
27. Resilience / Restoration / Recovery
29. Power / Strength
30. Always Striving for Inner Strength
31. Unwavering
頑強 means “Tenacious,” “Hard to Defeat,” or “Dogged.”
Alone, the first character means mischievous, obstinate, or stubborn. But it loses some of the mischievous meaning when the second character is added.
The second character means strength, force, power, or better.
See Also: Determination | Dedication | Devotion | Never Give Up
不撓不屈 is a Japanese and Korean word that means tenacity, indomitableness, or dauntlessness.
This proverb creates an image of a warrior bravely advancing against an enemy regardless of the odds.
This proverb can also be translated as “indomitable spirit” or “march fearlessly onward.”
See Also: Indomitable | Fortitude
Dedicated to One Thing
專用 is the dedication you might have to your job or a person.
Trivia: It is the same word used as an adjective in front of the word for “network” to say “dedicated network” in Chinese.
Please note: While this is a word in Korean, the meaning is private or “exclusive use.” So this is best if your audience is Chinese.
See Also: Devotion | Passion | Commitment
専念 is the Japanese word for dedication.
It means “give undivided attention” or “devote oneself to (something).”
Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used term.
See Also: Devotion | Passion | Commitment
決心 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that holds the dictionary definition of determination but literally means determined heart.
The first character means to determine or determined.
The second character means heart, mind, or soul, so you can imagine that this form of determination partially means putting your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).
See Also: Devotion | Passion | Dedication | Will-Power
勤勉 can be translated as diligence, industrious, assiduity, assiduous, diligent, or sedulity.
Diligence is working hard and doing your absolute best. You take special care by doing things step by step. Diligence helps you to get things done with excellence and enthusiasm. Diligence leads to success.
See Also: Hard Work | Tenacity | Commitment | Passion for a Cause
勤 is a single character that means diligence or “sense of duty” in Chinese and Korean (also understood in Japanese but not commonly seen as a stand-alone Kanji).
As a single character on a wall scroll, this will only be seen with this meaning. However, it can also mean industrious, hardworking, frequent, regular, constant, energy, zeal, fortitude, or virility.
In Buddhism, this can represent vīrya (viriya), the idea of energy, diligence, enthusiasm, or effort. It can be defined as an attitude of gladly engaging in wholesome activities, and it functions to cause one to accomplish wholesome or virtuous actions. Some Buddhists may even define this as “manliness” (a definition from a hundred years ago, before equality).
If you or someone you know is a hard worker (or needs a reminder to be diligent), then this is the wall scroll to have in your/their office.
熱情 is a Chinese and Korean word for enthusiasm that can also be translated as passion (for a cause), ardency, ardor/ardour, enthusiasm, or zeal.
Enthusiasm is being warm, cheerful, happy, and full of spirit. It is doing something wholeheartedly and eagerly. When you are enthusiastic, you have a positive attitude.
In some contexts, this could mean being extremely fond of something or having a fondness for a cause or person.
This Chinese word can also be translated as "sincere and warm" or literally "warm sentiment / affection."
See Also: Motivation | Passion | Commitment | Tenacity
剛毅 is a Japanese and Chinese word that means resolute and firm, fortitude, firmness of character, hardihood, manliness, or macho.
See Also: Perseverance | Strength | Tenacity
堅忍 means persistent, steadfast, fortitude, and/or perseverance.
The first character means strong, solid, firm, unyielding, or resolute.
The second character means to beat, endure, or tolerate.
Together they speak of the strength from within yourself. Some may also translate this as long-suffering in a more Biblical sense.
堅忍 is a common term in Chinese and Korean Hanja but a little less commonly used in modern Japanese Kanji. For that reason, this selection is best if your audience is Chinese or Korean.
Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write the second Kanji a little differently. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect the form where the little horizontal stroke crosses the vertical stroke. See differences in the images to the right. Technically, they are both the same character, and will be read the same in either language.
愛崗敬業 is used to refer to someone who puts forth maximum effort and achieves much.
We might call this kind of person a “go-getter” in English.
See Also: Dedication | Devotion
Fukutsu no Seishin
不屈 is the short form of a longer Chinese word and also a word used in Korean and Japanese to express the idea of being indomitable. It literally means “will not bend,” “will not crouch,” “will not yield,” “will not flinch,” or “will not submit.”
Note: Some will translate this as “indomitable spirit”; however, technically, there is no character to suggest the idea of “spirit” in this word.
不屈不撓 means “Indomitable” or “Unyielding.”
不屈不撓 is a long word by Chinese standards. At least, it is often translated as a single word into English. It's actually a proverb in Chinese.
If you want to break it down, you can see that the first and third characters are the same. Both mean “not” (they work as a suffix to make a negative or opposite meaning to whatever character follows).
The second character means “bendable.”
The last means “scratched” or “bothered.”
So this really means “Won't be bent, can't be bothered.” I have also seen it written as “Will not crouch, will not submit.” This comes from the fact that the second character can mean “to crouch” and the last can mean “to submit” (as in “to give in” such as “submitting to the rule of someone else”). This may explain better why these four characters mean “indomitable.”
Notes:
Some will translate this as “indomitable spirit”; however, technically, there is no character to suggest the idea of “spirit” in this word.
Other translations include indefatigability, indomitableness, or unremitting tenacity.
The first two characters can be stand-alone words in Chinese.
In Japanese, this is considered two words (with very similar meanings). It's more common to see the word order flipped to 不撓不屈 in Japanese.
The same characters are used in old Korean Hanja. Just like in Japanese, the words are swapped to 不撓不屈 creating a word pronounced “불요불굴” in Korean.
See 不撓不屈
內在力量 is the slightly-verbose way to say inner strength.
The first two characters mean “intrinsic” or “inner.” The second two characters mean “power,” “force” or “strength” (especially physical strength). 內在力量 is more a short phrase rather than just a word in Chinese and Korean. This can sort of be understood in Japanese but it's not normal/proper Japanese.
內力 is the shorter version of inner strength (can also be translated as “internal force”). The first character holds the meaning of “inner” or “internal.” The second character means “power,” “force,” or “strength.”
內力 is a Kung Fu way of talking about an inner power or strength from within. This is a way to express “inner chi.” This is something that you might hear in a real Chinese Kung Fu movie.
While understood in Chinese and Japanese, this can have a secondary meaning of “inner stress” in Japanese.
自強 is the kind of inner strength that applies to a person who has will-power and can inspire themselves to do great things.
自強 can also be the creed of a person that always pursues self-improvement.
Other translations: self-strengthening, striving for improvement, self-improvement, striving to become stronger, and self-renewal.
決して諦めるな is a Japanese term that informally means “never give up.”
It's also a Japanese way to say “never surrender.”
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
See Also: Tenacity | Perseverance | Hope
Depending on the context, 熱情 can mean “cordial,” “enthusiastic,” “passionate,” or “passionately.”
This version is sometimes used in Japanese, but the character order is more common in Chinese and Korean Hanja. The meaning in Japanese for this Kanji order is ardor/ardour or zeal but rarely used in modern Japan. I suggest you choose a different version of “passion” if your audience is Japanese.
See Also: Persistence | Devotion | Tenacity | Commitment | Motivation
情熱 is the Japanese word that means enthusiasm or “passion for a cause.”
In some contexts, this could mean being extremely fond of something or having a fondness for a cause or person.
Can also be translated as passion, zeal, ardor/ardour, or fervor.
Note: This word (or character order) is not natural in Chinese. However, a typical Chinese person can guess this is a Japanese or Korean word and understand the intended meaning. This selection is best if your audience is Japanese or old-school Korean.
See Also: Persistence | Devotion | Tenacity | Commitment | Motivation
忍 contains the ideas of patience, equanimity, perseverance, forbearance, and endurance. Alone, this single character can be a bit ambiguous or flexible. It can also mean to endure, to bear, to put up with, or to conceal. If you want to simply decide what this character means to you within the general meaning but keep it a mystery to others, this is a good choice.
If you want to be more direct, you may want to choose one of our other selections that mean perseverance or patience (you will see this character within those larger words/phrases).
There is a secondary meaning in Japanese since this is the first character of the word ninja.
Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write it in the form shown to the right. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect this Kanji form (yes, it's just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in the Japanese Kanji form).
See Also: Perseverance | Patience
堅韌不拔 is about perseverance, being steadfast and persistent.
堅韌不拔 is a great phrase for you if you commit to your goals and overcome obstacles, no matter how long it takes.
The translation of this proverb literally means “something so persistent or steadfast, that it is not uprootable, movable, or surpassable.”
Other translations include being firm and indomitable or tenacious and unyielding.
See Also: Devotion | Persistence | Indomitable
毅 is the simplest way to express perseverance in Chinese and Korean Hanja.
This single-character version leaves a bit of mystery about what kind of perseverance you might want to convey.
In Korean, this is usually associated with “strength of character.”
In Japanese, this character can be pronounced in a dozen different ways (so we have left out the Japanese pronunciation guide that normally appears above). In Japanese, this Kanji would usually be translated as “strong” (perhaps strong-willed).
堅忍不抜 means determined, steadfast, unswerving, or unshakable in Japanese.
This is the Japanese version of an old Chinese 4-character perseverance proverb.
This would be understood in Chinese, but it's not commonly written this way in Chinese.
Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese calligraphers sometimes write the second Kanji in the form shown to the right. Yes,
it’s
just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in this alternate Japanese Kanji form. If you have a preference, let us know when you order.
Due to some odd computer coding conventions, these two character forms were combined/merged into the same code point - thus, you will not see Kanji images of more Japanese form as you select options for your scroll.
固執 can also mean “opinionated” or “stubborn” in Chinese and Japanese, but in the nicest way possible (still bad).
This just means “stubborn” in Korean (not a good scroll if your audience is Korean, in fact, we don't recommend this word at all). There are better ways to express this idea, such as tenacity/tenacious or perseverance... ...see the links below...
See Also: Fortitude | Perseverance
Persistence to overcome all challenges
百折不撓 is a Chinese proverb that means “Be undaunted in the face of repeated setbacks.”
More directly translated, it reads, “[Overcome] a hundred setbacks, without flinching.” 百折不撓 is of Chinese origin but is commonly used in Japanese and somewhat in Korean (same characters, different pronunciation).
This proverb comes from a long, and occasionally tragic story of a man that lived sometime around 25-220 AD. His name was Qiao Xuan, and he never stooped to flattery but remained an upright person at all times. He fought to expose the corruption of higher-level government officials at great risk to himself.
Then when he was at a higher level in the Imperial Court, bandits were regularly capturing hostages and demanding ransoms. But when his own son was captured, he was so focused on his duty to the Emperor and the common good that he sent a platoon of soldiers to raid the bandits' hideout, and stop them once and for all even at the risk of his own son's life. While all of the bandits were arrested in the raid, they killed Qiao Xuan's son at first sight of the raiding soldiers.
Near the end of his career, a new Emperor came to power, and Qiao Xuan reported to him that one of his ministers was bullying the people and extorting money from them. The new Emperor refused to listen to Qiao Xuan and even promoted the corrupt Minister. Qiao Xuan was so disgusted that in protest, he resigned from his post as minister (something almost never done) and left for his home village.
His tombstone reads “Bai Zhe Bu Nao” which is now a proverb used in Chinese culture to describe a person of strong will who puts up stubborn resistance against great odds.
My Chinese-English dictionary defines these 4 characters as “keep on fighting despite all setbacks,” “be undaunted by repeated setbacks,” and “be indomitable.”
Our translator says it can mean “never give up” in modern Chinese.
Although the first two characters are translated correctly as “repeated setbacks,” the literal meaning is “100 setbacks” or “a rope that breaks 100 times.” The last two characters can mean “do not yield” or “do not give up.”
Most Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people will not take this absolutely literal meaning but will instead understand it as the title suggests above. If you want a single big word definition, it would be indefatigability, indomitableness, persistence, or unyielding.
See Also: Tenacity | Fortitude | Strength | Perseverance | Persistence
恢復力 suggests having the power to recover, restore, and rehabilitate. This can refer to yourself, someone else, or even to something, like rehabilitating a burned forest. 恢復力 is the essence of resilience in life.
The first two characters are a word that means to reinstate, resume, restore, recover, regain, or rehabilitate, restoration, rehabilitation, recovery, return, improvement, recovery (from an illness), recuperation, or convalescence.
The last character means strength or power.
See Also: Tenacity | Perseverance
体力 means “physical strength” or “physical power.”
The first character was first simplified in Japan. Later, that simplified version became the standard in mainland China. Just in case you want this version, it is offered here. I suggest it if your audience is Japanese. Most Chinese know the older traditional version, which looks like 體力.
体力 can also be defined: stamina; endurance; physical strength; resilience; resistance to disease; clout; stability.
力 is the simplest form of “power” or “strength.”
In Japanese, it is pronounced “chikara” when used alone, and “ryoku” when used in a sentence (there are also a few other possible pronunciations of this Kanji in Japanese).
In some contexts, this can mean ability, force, physical strength, capability, and influence.
自強不息 is a proverb or idiom that suggests that the pursuit of self-improvement is eternal. It can also be a suggestion to strive unremittingly in life.
The first two characters mean inner strength with the idea of self-improvement. The last two characters mean “never rest” or “striving without giving up.”
Some will translate these four characters as “Exert and strive hard without any let-up.”
意志 is a Chinese, Korean, and Japanese word that means “determination to achieve.” It can also be translated as: will; willpower; determination; volition; intention; or intent.
In Japanese, this can also be the given name, Ishi.
意志力 is a form of willpower or self-control and is about having the determination or tenacity to keep going.
In Japanese, this is the power of will, the strength of will, volition, intention, intent, or determination.
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Tenacious Tenacity | 頑強 顽强 | gan kyou / gankyou / gan kyo | wán qiáng wan2 qiang2 wan qiang wanqiang | wan ch`iang wanchiang wan chiang |
Stamina Tenacity | 持久力 | jikyuuryoku jikyuryoku | ||
Tenacity Indomitable | 不撓不屈 | fu tou fu kutsu futoufukutsu fu to fu kutsu | ||
Advance Bravely Indomitable Spirit | 勇往直前 | yǒng wǎng zhí qián yong3 wang3 zhi2 qian2 yong wang zhi qian yongwangzhiqian | yung wang chih ch`ien yungwangchihchien yung wang chih chien |
|
Dedication | 專用 专用 | zhuān yòng zhuan1 yong4 zhuan yong zhuanyong | chuan yung chuanyung |
|
Dedication | 専唸 専念 | sennen | ||
Determination | 決心 决心 | kesshin / keshin | jué xīn / jue2 xin1 / jue xin / juexin | chüeh hsin / chüehhsin |
Diligence | 勤勉 | kinben | qín miǎn / qin2 mian3 / qin mian / qinmian | ch`in mien / chinmien / chin mien |
Diligence | 勤 | kin | qín / qin2 / qin | ch`in / chin |
Enthusiasm | 熱情 热情 | rè qíng / re4 qing2 / re qing / reqing | je ch`ing / jeching / je ching | |
Fortitude Strength of Character | 剛毅 刚毅 | gouki / goki | gāng yì / gang1 yi4 / gang yi / gangyi | kang i / kangi |
Perseverance Fortitude | 堅忍 坚忍 | ken nin / kennin | jiǎn rěn / jian3 ren3 / jian ren / jianren | chien jen / chienjen |
Industrious Hard Working | 愛崗敬業 爱岗敬业 | ài gǎng jìng yè ai4 gang3 jing4 ye4 ai gang jing ye aigangjingye | ai kang ching yeh aikangchingyeh |
|
Indomitable Spirit Indomitable Attitude | 不屈の精神 | fu kutsu no sei shin fukutsunoseishin | ||
Indomitable Persistence Fortitude | 不屈 | fukutsu | bù qū / bu4 qu1 / bu qu / buqu | pu ch`ü / puchü / pu chü |
Indomitable Unyielding | 不屈不撓 不屈不挠 | fu kutsu fu tou fukutsufutou fu kutsu fu to | bù qū bù náo bu4 qu1 bu4 nao2 bu qu bu nao buqubunao | pu ch`ü pu nao puchüpunao pu chü pu nao |
Inner Strength | 內在力量 内在力量 | nèi zài lì liàng nei4 zai4 li4 liang4 nei zai li liang neizaililiang | nei tsai li liang neitsaililiang |
|
Inner Strength | 內力 内力 | nai ryoku / nairyoku | nèi lì / nei4 li4 / nei li / neili | |
Inner Strength Self-Improvement | 自強 自强 | zì qiáng / zi4 qiang2 / zi qiang / ziqiang | tzu ch`iang / tzuchiang / tzu chiang | |
Never Give In Never Succumb Never Lose | 決して諦めるな | kesshite akirameruna kesshiteakirameruna keshite akirameruna | ||
Passion for a Cause | 熱情 热情 | netsujou / netsujo | rè qíng / re4 qing2 / re qing / reqing | je ch`ing / jeching / je ching |
Enthusiasm Passion for a Cause | 情熱 情热 | jou netsu / jounetsu / jo netsu | qíng rè / qing2 re4 / qing re / qingre | ch`ing je / chingje / ching je |
Patience Perseverance | 忍 | nin | rěn / ren3 / ren | jen |
Perseverance | 堅韌不拔 坚韧不拔 | jiān rèn bù bá jian1 ren4 bu4 ba2 jian ren bu ba jianrenbuba | chien jen pu pa chienjenpupa |
|
Perseverance Fortitude | 堅韌 坚韧 | jiān rèn / jian1 ren4 / jian ren / jianren | chien jen / chienjen | |
Perseverance | 毅 | see note / seenote / se note | yì / yi4 / yi | i |
Perseverance Indomitable Invincible Fortitude | 堅忍不抜 / 堅忍不拔 坚忍不拔 | kenninfubatsu | jiān rěn bù bá jian1 ren3 bu4 ba2 jian ren bu ba jianrenbuba | chien jen pu pa chienjenpupa |
Persistence | 固執 固执 | koshuu / koshu | gù zhí / gu4 zhi2 / gu zhi / guzhi | ku chih / kuchih |
Undaunted After Repeated Setbacks | 百折不撓 百折不挠 | hyaku setsu su tou hyakusetsusutou hyaku setsu su to | bǎi zhé bù náo bai3 zhe2 bu4 nao2 bai zhe bu nao baizhebunao | pai che pu nao paichepunao |
Resilience Restoration Recovery | 恢復力 恢复力 | huī fù lì hui1 fu4 li4 hui fu li huifuli | ||
Physical Strength | 體力 体力 | tai ryoku / tairyoku | tǐ lì / ti3 li4 / ti li / tili | t`i li / tili / ti li |
Physical Strength | 體力 体力 | tairyoku | tǐ lì / ti3 li4 / ti li / tili | t`i li / tili / ti li |
Power Strength | 力 | chikara / ryoku | lì / li4 / li | |
Always Striving for Inner Strength | 自強不息 自强不息 | zì qiáng bú xī zi4 qiang2 bu2 xi1 zi qiang bu xi ziqiangbuxi | tzu ch`iang pu hsi tzuchiangpuhsi tzu chiang pu hsi |
|
Unwavering | 腹が据わる | haragasuwaru | ||
Determination to Achieve Will-Power | 意志 | ishi | yì zhì / yi4 zhi4 / yi zhi / yizhi | i chih / ichih |
Will-Power Self-Control | 意志力 | ishi ryoku / ishiryoku | yì zhì lì yi4 zhi4 li4 yi zhi li yizhili | i chih li ichihli |
Fortitude Steadfast | 頑張る | ganbaru | ||
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. |
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.