Custom Good Luck Chinese & Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

福 is pronounced “fu” in Chinese.

The character “fu” is posted by virtually all Chinese people on the doors of their homes during the Spring Festival (closely associated with the Chinese New Year).

One tradition from the Zhou Dynasty (beginning in 256 B.C.) holds that putting a fu symbol on your front door will keep the goddess of poverty away.

福 literally means good fortune, prosperity, blessed, blessedness, happiness, and fulfillment.

You'll also see this character in Vietnam (where Chinese characters were the written form until a romanization reform) where it is pronounced Phúc - a word commonly used in Vietnamese names because of its good meaning.

See Also:  Lucky

幸運 can be translated as “good luck,” fortunate, lucky, and/or “good fortune” in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

Occasionally, this is also translated as a type of happiness or a short way to write serendipity.

機遇 is the kind of opportunity that comes via good luck or good fortune.

This word is sometimes translated as “stroke of good luck.”

While there are other ways to express “opportunity,” I think this version is best for a calligraphy wall scroll or portrait.

Note: In Korean Hanja, this would also mean “Meeting someone under strange circumstances.”

See Also:  Good Luck

瑞 is a Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean word that means: lucky; auspicious; propitious; freshness; purity; luster; a good omen.

In Japanese, this can be the following female given names: Yutaka; Midzuho; Mizuho; Mizuki; Mizue; Mizu; Mio; Tamami. It can also be a Japanese surname, Zui or Shirushi.

In the Buddhist context, this can represent an auspicious jade token or good omen.

吉 is a simple way to express the state of being lucky.

Also used in conversation to hope that all is well with someone. 吉 is more often seen as part of a compound word with a lucky association (especially in Korean).

Not as often used in Japanese but still means "good luck" but can also mean "joy" in Japanese.

See Also:  Good Luck

百年好合 is a wish or greeting, often heard at Chinese weddings, for a couple to have 100 good years together.

Some will translate this more naturally into English as: “May you live a long and happy life together.”

The character breakdown:
百 = 100
年 = Years
好 = Good (Happy)
合 = Together

千慮一得 means “1000 tries, one success,” or “[a] thousand tries [leads to] one success.”

This proverb is a humble way to express your success, ideas, or accomplishments. As if you are a fool who just got lucky in inventing or creating something.

Translations for this proverb include:
Even without any notable ability on my part, I may still get it right sometimes by good luck.
Even a fool may sometimes come up with a good idea.

Compare this to the English idiom, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”

年年有餘 is a common proverb or wish of prosperity you'll hear around the time of Chinese New Year.

Directly translated character by character, it means “Year Year Have Surplus.” A more natural English translation including the deeper meaning would be “Every Year may you Have Abundance in your life.”

On a side note, this phrase often goes with a gift of something related to fish. This is because the last character, “yu” which means surplus or abundance, has exactly the same pronunciation in Mandarin as the word for “fish.”

This is also one of the most common titles for traditional paintings that feature koi fish.

In China, this phrase might make an odd wall scroll - a customer asked especially for this common phrase which is why it appears here. See my other abundance-related words if you want a wall scroll that will seem more comfortable in Chinese culture.

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used term.

See Also:  Prosperity | Good Fortune

富裕 means prosperous, having an abundance, well-to-do, or well-off.

It's a simple word that suggests “you have made it” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.

See Also:  Good Fortune

繁榮富裕 is a proverb about “Prosperity and Abundance.”

This presents and reinforces the ideas of being prosperous, a booming economy, well-to-do, well-off, wealthy, riches, and opulence.

While this is the ancient/traditional Chinese way to write this, most Japanese can fully read and understand it. It's also the correct form of old Korean Hanja (though few Koreans of the current generation will be able to read this).

See Also:  Good Fortune

不怕千招会只怕一招熟 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: Do not worry about making a thousand clever moves; what [one has to] fear is one bad move.

Figuratively, this means: Even if you have made many clever moves before, one wrong move will ruin the whole game.

I compare this to the English saying, “It takes only one Aw-shit to wipe out a thousand Attaboys.”

美 is often used to describe the beauty of a woman.

However, when applied to a man, it can mean handsome. It's also the first character in the word for “beauty salon” which you will see all over China and Japan.

This can be used as the given name for a girl (spell it or say it as “Mei” or “May”).

For a bit of trivia: The title for the “USA” in Chinese is “Mei Guo” which literally means “Beautiful Country.” This name was bestowed at a time before Chairman Mao came to power and decided that China didn't like the USA anymore (even though we fought together against the Japanese in WWII). But these days, Chinese people love Americans (but have a distaste for American politics and policy). But I digress...

美 is also how “Beautiful” is written in Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja. 美 can also mean: very satisfactory; good; to be pleased with oneself; abbreviation for the USA; fine; handsome; admirable; madhura; sweet; and/or pleasant.

See Also:  Beautiful Woman | Beautiful Girl

莫逆の友 is Japanese expressing meaning “excellent friends” or “best friends.”

祝福 is a nice way to give good wishes to someone.

It can be a general blessing or used to congratulate someone for a special occasion or graduation.

This has a good meaning in Japanese but is more appropriate when expressed orally. 祝福 is not a natural selection for a wall scroll if your audience is Japanese.

This proverb, 志于道据于德依于仁游于艺, from the Analects of Confucius translates as:

Resolve yourself in the Dao/Tao/Way.
Rely on Virtue.
Reside in benevolence.
Revel in the arts.

According to Confucius, these are the tenets of good and proper conduct.

This was written over 2500 years ago. The composition is in ancient Chinese grammar and phrasing. A modern Chinese person would need a background in Chinese literature to understand this without the aid of a reference.

見義勇為 means the courage to do what is right in Chinese.

This could also be translated as “Never hesitate to do what is right.”

This comes from Confucian thought:
Your courage should head in an honorable direction. For example, you should take action when the goal is to attain a just result as, without honorable intent, a person’s gutsy fervor can easily lead them astray.

One who flaunts courage but disregards justice is bound to do wrong; someone who possesses courage and morality is destined to become a hero.

Some text above paraphrased from The World of Chinese - The Character of 勇

See Also:  Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Justice | Bravery

命 is often translated as “destiny.”

Sometimes this character is simply translated as “life” but more in terms of one's lot in life. In a certain context, this can mean command or decree (generally from a king or emperor). Of course, such a decree is part of fate and leads you to fulfill your destiny.

In Chinese, this word leans toward the fate or destiny definition.
In Korean, it is usually read simply as “life.”
In Japanese, it can mean all definitions shown above, depending on context.

See Also:  Good Fortune

緣份 specifically represents the fate or destiny that brings two people together.

This is like the chance meeting of two people that leads sometime later to marriage.

This could also be the chance meeting of two business people who become partners and build a huge and successful company.

This idea is often associated with a fateful meeting leading to good fortune.

Some will define this word as “Destiny brings you two together” or “Meant to be.”

Note: The second character can also be written without the left radical, as shown to the right. If you have a preference, please let use know in the special instructions for your project. There is no difference in meaning or pronunciation, just two (alternate) ways to write the same character.

See Also:  Soulmates | Good Fortune

These two characters contain the ideas of fate, destiny, fortune, and luck in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

運命 is often defined as “a person's fate” or “personal fate” in various dictionaries.

These two characters can be reversed (written in either order) and yield roughly the same meaning.

This particular character order is more common in old Korean and less common in modern Chinese.

See Also:  Good Fortune | Good Luck

龍鳳呈祥 is often seen at weddings and other celebrations in China.

It suggests that the dragon and phoenix will bring you auspicious tidings.

The first character is a dragon.
The second is a phoenix.
The third is presents or brings.
And the last means auspicious, propitious, or luck.

Throughout China, the dragon and phoenix are symbols of good fortune. You will see these auspicious figures as decorative symbols on everything from buildings, furniture, wedding costumes, and sculptures in public parks to caskets and items used in ceremonies.

香 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja that means: fragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic; savory; appetizing; perfume; incense; aroma; fragrance; scent; good smell.

Fragrance or incense is known to be one of the Buddha's messengers to stimulate faith and devotion.

溫厚 is a Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean word for gentle or gentleness.

This can also mean “kindness” (more as an adjective like “kind person”).

The modern Japanese version of the first character looks like the one to the right. If you want this modern Japanese form, just click on that Kanji instead of the button above.

See Also:  Kindness | Caring

神真美好 means “God is good,” in Chinese.

You can also translate this as “God is really good” or “God is so good.”

The last two characters are a version of good that suggests very strong goodness. The characters read, “beautifully good.”

神は善である means “God is Good,” in Japanese.

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

再見 is the most common “goodbye” in Mandarin Chinese.

It literally/directly translates, “again see” or more naturally, “See you again.” It's a lot like the English, “See you later.”

Theoretically, this can be used in Japanese, but in Japanese, it's seen as the Chinese way to say goodbye. It's like English people saying ciao! or ¡adiós!

This is a strange title for a wall scroll. I guess it’s best if you plan to put this by the door where people will see it when they leave your home or business.

一日一善 is a Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja phrase that suggests doing a good deed each day or doing one good turn a day.

It literally reads, “One Day, One Good (Deed).”

善悪不二 is a Japanese Buddhist expression that states, “Good [and] evil [are], not two [separate things].”

A more natural way to express this in English is, “Good and evil are but two faces of the same coin.”

好好學習天天向上 is a famous proverb by Chairman Mao Zedong that sounds really strange when directly translated into English.

I include it in our database of phrases to illustrate how different the construction and grammar can be between Chinese and English. The direct translation is “Good Good Study, Day Day Up.” In Chinese, a repeated character/word can often serve to reinforce the idea (like saying “very” or suggesting “a lot of”). So “good good” really means “a lot of good.” While “day day” can be better translated as “day in day out.” The idea of “up” has a meaning in China of “rising above” or “improving.”

After understanding all of this, we come up with a slightly better translation of “With a lot of good study, day in and day out, we raise above.”

The more natural translation of this proverb would be something like, “study hard, and keep improving.”

健康 is the best way to express good health in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

健康 also suggests the ideas of being solid, strong, sound, wholesome, and at peace.

Can also be used to express healthy, vitality, or well-being.

See Also:  Health | Vitality | Wellness

康 is a single character that means good health or vigor in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

康 can also mean peaceful, at ease, or abundant in some contexts.

Please note that this is rarely seen alone in Japanese Kanji. In Japanese, it is used both for health-related compound words and to denote the kouhou through koushou eras of Japan.

In Korean, this can also be the family name “Kang” (caution: not the only family name romanized as Kang in Korean).

See Also:  Health | Vitality | Wellness

善心 literally reads “Good Heart” but is used to refer to the ideas of kindness, benevolence, philanthropy, virtuous intentions, moral sense, and conscience.

Some will also translate this as the morality of mind (as the character for the heart is often used to mean mind).

In Japanese, this can be the given name Yoshinaka.

好意 is how to write good intentions in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also be translated as kindness, goodwill, favor/favour, courtesy, good wishes, friendliness, and/or amity.

善意 is a word that means good intentions, goodwill, or to things done in good faith in Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean Hanja.

It's the reason you do good deeds or the desire you have inside yourself to do the right thing.

This can also be translated as benevolence, kindness, virtuous mind, positive mindset, or favorable sense.

善意 is also used in the legal context for things done in good faith (regardless of outcome).

In Japanese, this can be the personal name Yoshi or Yoshii.

In Chinese, 美好的生活 means “Beautiful Life,” or “The Good Life.”

福宅 is perhaps the Chinese equivalent of “This blessed house” or perhaps “home sweet home.”

This phrase literally means “Good fortune house” or “Good luck household.” It makes any Chinese person who sees it feel that good things happen in the home in which this calligraphy is hung.

晚安 is how to write “good night” in Chinese.

This literally is a wish for an “evening of peace” or “night of calm.”

晚安 is not a normal title for a calligraphy wall scroll. It might be appropriate for a hotel front desk if anything.

お休み is how to write “good night” in Japanese.

It literally means “taking a rest.”

お休み is not a normal title for a calligraphy wall scroll. It might be appropriate for a hotel front desk, if anything.

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

整 is a single Chinese character that can mean: in good order, whole, complete, entire, in order, orderly, to repair, to mend, to renovate, and/or to fix something or somebody.

This was added for a customer who wanted a single character that meant orderly. It's kind of unusual for a wall scroll.

My Korean Hanja dictionary defines it as orderly, neat, tidy, and/or whole.

Note: In Japanese, this Kanji is usually understood as a male given name Hitoshi (other Kanji can also be Hitoshi). It is used in combination with other Kanji or Hiragana to create words about orderliness. Unless your name is Hitoshi, this single character is best if your audience is Chinese.

整然 is orderly, systematic, well-organized, trim, neat, tidy, and accurate in Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja.

This would be understood but is not used in Chinese languages.

為善最樂 can be translated as “Doing good is the greatest source of happiness” or “doing good deeds brings the greatest joy.”

The origin is not known but is sometimes used in the context of Buddhism. However, this Chinese proverb or philosophy is a relatively mainstream idea of benevolence.

善 means goodness, virtue, good deed, charitable, benevolent, well-disposed, nice, pleasant, kind, or simply, “good.”

善 is the kind of good that applies to someone's good character, or a good person in general.

Referring to someone with this word means that they have a well-aimed moral compass, and are charitable, giving, wise, and honest. Basically, this is a blanket statement for every good trait a human can have or all the things that make someone good.

In another context, it can mean to improve or perfect something or refer to someone who is good at something.

人生は素晴らしい means “life is good,” “life is great,” or “life is beautiful” in Japanese.

The first two characters mean “life” (as in your or a human lifespan).

The third character kind of means “is.”

The last five characters are a long adjective that means wonderful, splendid, and/or magnificent. In the context of life, it reads more like good or beautiful.

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

生活美好 means “life is good” in Chinese.

The first two characters mean “life” or “living.”

The last two characters mean “good” or “beautiful.”

人生良好 means “life is good” in Japanese.

The first two characters mean “life” (as in your or a human lifespan).

The last two characters mean “good.”

This also makes sense in Chinese but it reads more like, “life is all right.”

生活是美好的 is “Life is Good” in Mandarin Chinese.

百万买宅千万买邻 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as:
[It may cost a] million to buy a house, [but] ten million to find [good] neighbors.

Figuratively, this means:
Good neighbors are hard to find.
Good neighbors are even more important than the quality of one's house.

安康 means just what it says. It's a word that expresses both the idea of being at peace and healthy at the same time.

Note: 安康 is a bonafide word in Chinese and Korean, and the characters will at least make sense in Japanese.

平復 is a Chinese and Japanese expression that means “to be cured,” “to be healed,” “restoration to health,” or “recovery from illness.”

In some contexts, it can mean “to pacify” or “to calm down.”

百聞は一見に如かず is the Japanese version of an ancient Chinese proverb that means “Seeing once is better than hearing one hundred times.”

It is the rough equivalent of “seeing is believing,” “one eye-witness is better than many hearsays,” or “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Sometimes it's simply more prudent to verify with your own eyes.

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

See Also:  Hearing a Hundred Times is Not as Good as Seeing Once

大公無私 is a Chinese proverb that comes from an old story from some time before 476 BC. About a man named Qi Huangyang, who was commissioned by the king to select the best person for a certain job in the Imperial Court.

Qi Huangyang selected his enemy for the job. The king was very confused by the selection, but Qi Huangyang explained that he was asked to find the best person for the job, not necessarily someone that he liked or had a friendship with.

Later, Confucius commented on how unselfish and impartial Qi Huangyang was by saying, “Da Gong Wu Si” which, if you look it up in a Chinese dictionary, is generally translated as “Unselfish” or “Just and Fair.”

If you translate each character, you'd have something like

“Big/Deep Justice Without Self.”

Direct translations like this leave out a lot of what the Chinese characters really say. Use your imagination, and suddenly you realize that “without self” means “without thinking about yourself in the decision” - together, these two words mean “unselfish.” The first two characters serve to drive the point home that we are talking about a concept that is similar to “blind justice.”

One of my Chinese-English dictionaries translates this simply as “just and fair.” So that is the short and simple version.

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used term.

See Also:  Selflessness | Work Unselfishly for the Common Good | Altruism

彰善癉惡 is a Chinese proverb that means “distinguish good and evil,” “uphold virtue and condemn evil,” “praise good and expose vice,” or “uphold good condemn evil.”

克己奉公 is a Chinese proverb that is often used to express how one should act as a government official. Most of us wish our public officials would hold themselves to higher standards. I wish I could send this scroll, along with the meaning to every member of Congress, and the President (or if I was from the UK, all the members of Parliament, and the PM)

This can also mean: “Place Strict Standards on Oneself in Public Service.”
The story behind this ancient Chinese idiom:
Cai Zun was born in China a little over 2000 years ago. In 24 AD, he joined an uprising led by Liu Xiu, who later became the emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Later, the new emperor put Cai Zun in charge of the military court. Cai Zun exercised his power in strict accordance with military law, regardless of the offender's rank or background. He even ordered the execution of one of the emperor's close servants after the servant committed a serious crime.

Cai Zun led a simple life but put great demands on himself to do all things honorably. The emperor rewarded him for his honest character and honorable nature by promoting him to the rank of General and granting him the title of Marquis.

Whenever Cai Zun would receive an award, he would give credit to his men and share the reward with them.
Cai Zun was always praised by historians who found many examples of his selfless acts that served the public interest.
Sometime long ago in history, people began to refer to Cai Zun as “ke ji feng gong.”

See Also:  Unselfish | Selflessness | Altruism

善行 means good actions, good deeds, good conduct, or benevolence.

This can be the given name Yoshiyuki in Japanese.

日日是好日 is an old Chinese and Japanese Buddhist proverb.

日日是好日 means “every day is a good day.”

In Japanese, it can be pronounced or romanized as “nichinichi kore koujitsu” or “hibi kore kōjitsu.”

百聞不如一見 is a Chinese proverb that means “Seeing once is better than hearing one hundred times” which is similar to the idea of “Seeing is believing.”

You can also get the idea, “Seeing for oneself is better than hearing from many others.”

If you break it down directly, you get “100 hears/listens (is) not as-good (as) one sight.”

良善 means good or goodness.

This can also be the name Ryōzen in Japanese.