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Personalize your custom “Road” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Road” title below...
1. Bon Voyage
4. God of Zion / God of Abraham
5. Islam
6. Jew / Jewish
7. A Journey of 1000 Miles Begins with a Single Step
9. Marco Polo
10. The Middle Way
11. Fear not long roads; Fear only short ambition
12. There is No Royal Road to Learning
14. Push or Knock
15. Tibet
一路平安 is a wish for someone to have a pleasant journey.
It's probably the closest way to translate “bon voyage” into Chinese.
The first two characters mean one road or one path. The second two characters mean “safe and sound” or “without mishap.”
一路平安 means the same thing in Japanese but is not the most common selection for a wall scroll.
起重機 refers to the huge machine that lifts materials high into the air as crews construct huge buildings.
A customer requested this specifically after some confusion over the bird by the same name.
In an odd twist, while they don't know this name in English sounds like a bird; the building crane is jokingly called “The real national bird of China” because of the accelerated level of construction in Beijing and elsewhere ever since preparations began for the 2008 Olympics. As of 2018, construction has barely slowed.
If you want the type of construction crane that drives down the road, please note that the word is totally different for that kind of “vehicle crane.”
Literally: The Way or Road
道 is the character “dao” which is sometimes written as “tao” but pronounced like “dow” in Mandarin.
道 is the base of what is known as “Taoism.” If you translate this literally, it can mean “the way” or “the path.”
Dao is believed to be that which flows through all things and keeps them in balance. It incorporates the ideas of yin and yang (e.g. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)
The beginning of Taoism can be traced to a mystical man named
Lao Zi (604-531 BC), who followed, and added to the teachings of Confucius.
More about Taoism / Daoism here.
Note that this is pronounced “dou” and sometimes “michi” when written alone in Japanese but pronounced “do” in word compounds such as Karate-do and Bushido. It's also “do” in Korean.
Alternate translations and meanings: road, way, path; truth, principle province.
Important Japanese note: In Japanese, this will generally be read with the road, way, or path meaning. Taoism is not as popular or well-known in Japan so Daoist/Taoist philosophy is not the first thing a Japanese person will think of when they read this character.
See our Taoism Page
上帝 is how Chinese Christians and Jews refer to God, AKA The Judeo-Christian God.
There are Chinese Jews whose ancestry dates back to Jewish traders on the silk road. They are known as the Kaifeng Jews. Most have left China for Israel now.
There are also plenty of Christians in China of the Protestant and Catholic varieties. However, the churches are basically run by the government, and the Chinese Catholic church does not recognize the Pope.
Oddly, in my experience, I found the Chinese Protestant church to be much less political compared to Baptist and other Protestant churches that I have visited in America.
上帝 is also the typically-used title for God in Japanese.
While you may find this term in old Korean dictionaries, it is an obscure and rarely-used title for God in modern Korean.
See Also: Christianity | Jesus Christ
(phonetic version)
伊斯蘭教 both means and sounds like “Islam” in Mandarin Chinese.
The first three characters sound like the word “Islam,” and the last character means “religion” or “teaching.” It's the most general term for “Islam” in China. The highest concentration of Muslims in China is Xinjiang (the vast region in northwest China that was called The East Turkistan Republic until 1949 and is sometimes called Chinese Turkistan, Uyghuristan). Here you will find Uygurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and others that are descendants of Turkmen (possibly mixed with Persians and Arabs). Many of their ancestors were traders who traveled the silk road to buy and sell spices and silk and exchange other goods from the Orient and the Middle East.
I spent some time in Xinjiang and got to know this community. They are strong people who can endure much. They are friendly and love to have a good time. I was a stranger but was treated by villagers (near China's border with Afghanistan) as if I was a good friend.
However, I have heard that it's best not to cross them, as in this land, the law is the blade, and everything is “eye for an eye.” The Chinese government has little control in Xinjiang, with almost no police officers except in the capital of Urumqi (so it's a 60-hour roundtrip train ride to seek the aid of law enforcement in most cases).
While few seem devout, there are at least small mosques in every village. And you will never see a man or woman outside without a head covering.
It should be noted that these people are all citizens of China, but they are officially of the Caucasian race. A visit to Xinjiang will change your idea of what it means to be Chinese.
猶太 is the title for Jews or the adjective for being Jewish in Chinese.
You may be surprised to learn there are still a few native Jews in China (though many ethnic Jews moved to Israel). It's believed that they are descendants of traders who traveled the silk road between the Middle East and the Orient.
senri no michi mo ippo kara
千里の道も一歩から is the Japanese version of an ancient Chinese proverb that means “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Some will also translate this as a 1000-mile road starts with one brick (a small amount).
In this case, the real measurement is an ancient Chinese “li” or 里, which is romanized as “ri” in Japanese. It's about half a kilometer, so three 里 would be a western mile. A journey of 333 miles begins with a single step, just doesn't sound as natural.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
If you believe that life is a journey, this is a nice Japanese title for your wall.
人生行路 means “journey of life” in Japanese Kanji. The actual word order is more like “life (人生) journey (行路)” as Japanese grammar is a bit different than English.
Note: The “journey” part can also be translated as “road,” so this is also how to say “the road of life.”
In the most basic translation, 中道 means road through the middle or middle road.
The expanded meaning can be moderation or the golden mean.
But if you are looking for this title, you are probably seeking the Buddhist definition, which is more complex.
中道 is the middle way or middle path of Buddhism. This has various interpretations. In general, it denotes the mean between two extremes and has special reference to the mean between realism and nihilism, or eternal substantial existence and annihilation.
The Buddha teaches that one should not take things to extremes. Don't be extremely evil and engage in debauchery and murder. But do not spend every waking out trying to be a perfect saint. Instead, take the middle path, try to help others, show loving kindness wherever you can, and try not to do harm. If you inadvertently harm another being, make amends if you can, and move on. Realize you are not perfect, but in time, a path of moderation lead toward proper living and enlightenment.
不怕路遠隻怕志短 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as “Fear not long roads; fear only short ambition,” or “Don't fear that the road is long, only fear that your will/ambition/aspiration is short.”
Figuratively, this means: However difficult the goal is, one can achieve it as long as one is determined to do so.
Others may translate the meaning as “Don't let a lack of willpower stop you from pressing onward in your journey.”
求學無坦途 is a Chinese proverb that translates as “There is no royal road to learning.”
This suggests that the path of learning can never be smooth, there will be difficulties and troubles along the way.
See Also: Learning is Eternal
古道 is the Japanese word meaning “The Old Way.” The first character means old or ancient. The second character means “the way” and is the same character as used in Taoism / Daoism (Taoism literally means “the way”).
This second character can also be translated as “method,” as in a way of doing things.
古道 is sometimes Romanized as “Kodo,” though officially, the Romaji should be “Kodou.”
My Japanese-English dictionary further translates this word as the old road, ancient methods, ancient moral teachings, and the way of learning.
Note that this would be understood differently in Chinese. Most Chinese people would just read this as “The old road” without the other meanings derived in Japanese.
To weigh one's words
During the Tang Dynasty, a man named Jia Dao (born in the year 779), a well-studied scholar and poet, went to the capital to take the imperial examination.
One day as he rides a donkey through the city streets, a poem begins to form in his mind. A portion of the poem comes into his head like this:
“The bird sits on the tree branch near a pond,
A monk approaches and knocks at the gate...”
At the same time, he wondered if the word “push” would be better than “knock” in his poem.
As he rides down the street, he imagines the monk pushing or knocking. Soon he finds himself making motions of pushing and shaking a fist in a knocking motion as he debates which word to use. He is quite a sight as he makes his way down the street on his donkey with hands and fists flying about as the internal debate continues.
As he amuses people along the street, he becomes completely lost in his thoughts and does not see the mayor's procession coming in the opposite direction. Jia Bao is blocking the way for the procession to continue down the road, and the mayor's guards immediately decide to remove Jia Bao by force. Jia Bao, not realizing that he was in the way, apologizes, explains his poetic dilemma and awaits his punishment for blocking the mayor's way.
The mayor, Han Yu, a scholar and author of prose himself, finds himself intrigued by Jia Dao's poem and problem. Han Yu gets off his horse and addresses Jia Bao, stating, “I think knock is better.” The relieved Jia Bao raises his head and is invited by the mayor to join the procession, and are seen riding off together down the street, exchanging their ideas and love of poetry.
In modern Chinese, this 反復推敲 idiom is used when someone is trying to decide which word to use in their writing or when struggling to decide between two things when neither seems to have a downside.
西藏 is the Chinese and Japanese name for Tibet.
It is a vast area in southwest China for which the Chinese government has little control (except in the capital of Llasa). During your travels in Tibet (outside of Llasa) you will find it is rough country full of ruthless bandits and honorable and upright Living Buddhas. There are about 2000 Living Buddhas in Tibet, and at least 10 times more bandits ready to ambush you on the road or trail.
On the eastern frontier of Tibet, you will find the place designated to be Shangri-la. It's a friendly village of Tibetans and is the gateway to greater Tibet.
The full official Chinese name is Tibet Autonomous Region or 西藏自治區|西藏自治区. The name here, 西藏 is quite old - from several dynasties ago.
This controversial Buddhist koan means “On encountering Buddha, you should kill him.”
This is the short concise Japanese version of an original statement by ninth-century Chinese Buddhist monk Linji Yixuan, “If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him.”
This takes some explaining... The concept here is that if you think you have seen, experienced, or achieved true enlightenment, the chances that you really have are so slim that you should kill or dismiss that idea.
Another suggestion is that one's path to becoming a Buddha is one's own, and one should not get caught up in religious fervor, and avoid “showing off” that they are a Buddhist.
Helpful references for this concept:
Lion's Roar addresses "If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him"
Kill the Buddha
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
These search terms might be related to Road:
All Tenets of the Noble Eightfold Path
Buddha Way
Bushido / the Way of the Samurai
Four Noble Truths: Path Leading Away From Suffering
I Walk My Own Path
Kendo / the Way of the Sword
Kensho Jobutsu - Enlightenment - Path to Buddha
Love Will Find a Way
Milky Way Galaxy
Move on / Change Way of Thinking
Noble Eightfold Path
Tang Soo Do / Tang Hand Way
The Great Path Has No Gate
The Middle Way
The Noble Eightfold Path
The Old Way / Old School
The Way of Five Pecks of Rice
The Way of Tea
The Way of the Dragon
The Way of the Wave
There is Always a Way Out
There is One Single Thread Binding My Way Together
Walk in the Way
Walking 100 Miles: Stopping at 90 Miles, is the Same as Stopping Half-Way
Warrior’s Path
Way of Life / Art of Life
Where There is a Will, There is a Way
Where There’s a Will There’s a Way
Zendo / the Zen Way
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Bon Voyage | 一路平安 | ichiro heian ichiroheian | yī lù píng ān yi1 lu4 ping2 an1 yi lu ping an yilupingan | i lu p`ing an ilupingan i lu ping an |
Construction Crane | 起重機 起重机 | kijuuki / kijuki | qǐ zhòng jī qi3 zhong4 ji1 qi zhong ji qizhongji | ch`i chung chi chichungchi chi chung chi |
Daoism Taoism | 道 | michi / -do | dào / dao4 / dao | tao |
God of Zion God of Abraham | 上帝 | joutei / jotei | shàng dì / shang4 di4 / shang di / shangdi | shang ti / shangti |
Islam | 伊斯蘭教 伊斯兰教 | yī sī lán jiào yi1 si1 lan2 jiao4 yi si lan jiao yisilanjiao | i ssu lan chiao issulanchiao |
|
Jew Jewish | 猶太 犹太 | yóu tài / you2 tai4 / you tai / youtai | yu t`ai / yutai / yu tai | |
A Journey of 1000 Miles Begins with a Single Step | 千里の道も一歩から | sen ri no michi mo i-ppo ka ra senrinomichimoi-ppokara sen ri no michi mo i-po ka ra | ||
Journey of Life | 人生行路 | jinseikouro jinseikoro | ||
Marco Polo | 馬可波羅 马可波罗 | mǎ kě bō luó ma3 ke3 bo1 luo2 ma ke bo luo makeboluo | ma k`o po lo makopolo ma ko po lo |
|
The Middle Way | 中道 | chuu dou / chuudou / chu do | zhōng dào zhong1 dao4 zhong dao zhongdao | chung tao chungtao |
Fear not long roads; Fear only short ambition | 不怕路遠隻怕志短 不怕路远只怕志短 | bú pà lù yuǎn zhǐ pà zhì duǎn bu2 pa4 lu4 yuan3 zhi3 pa4 zhi4 duan3 bu pa lu yuan zhi pa zhi duan bupaluyuanzhipazhiduan | pu p`a lu yüan chih p`a chih tuan pu pa lu yüan chih pa chih tuan |
|
There is No Royal Road to Learning | 求學無坦途 求学无坦途 | qiú xué wú tǎn tú qiu2 xue2 wu2 tan3 tu2 qiu xue wu tan tu qiuxuewutantu | ch`iu hsüeh wu t`an t`u chiuhsüehwutantu chiu hsüeh wu tan tu |
|
The Old Way Old School | 古道 | kodou / kodo | ||
Push or Knock | 反復推敲 反复推敲 | fǎn fù tuī qiāo fan3 fu4 tui1 qiao1 fan fu tui qiao fanfutuiqiao | fan fu t`ui ch`iao fanfutuichiao fan fu tui chiao |
|
Tibet | 西藏 | seizou / chibetto seizo / chibetto | xī zàng / xi1 zang4 / xi zang / xizang | hsi tsang / hsitsang |
Meet the Buddha, Kill the Buddha | 佛に逢っては佛を殺す | butsu ni atte wa butsu o korosu | ||
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. |
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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.
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.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
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