1*Ifnow Sysdate Sleep15 0 in Chinese / Japanese...

Here is 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 (just the first sentence of verse 8) in Japanese.

In the familiar NIV, this would read:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails...

The Japanese text is from the 新改訳聖書 (Shinkaiyaku) or New Japanese Bible. Popular among most Protestant denominations in modern Japan.

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

Here is 1 Corinthians 13:5 in Chinese.

The text with punctuation:
不作害羞的事。不求自己的益处。不轻易发怒。不计算人的恶。

Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.

This translation is from the Chinese Union Bible.

You may know it from the KJV as:
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.

Here is 1 Corinthians 14:22 in Chinese.

The text with punctuation:
这样看来，说方言，不是为信的人作证据，乃是为不信的人。作先知讲道，不是为不信的人作证据，乃是为信的人。

Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.

This translation is from the Chinese Union Bible.

You may know it from the KJV as:
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

一日千秋 is a Japanese and Chinese proverb about missing someone.

一日千秋 is often used to express how hard it is to wait for someone's return or to be away from someone.

Some will translate this as “one day feels like a very long time” or “waiting for someone (something) is hard.”

You might see this romanized as a single word, Ichijitsusenshuu, or as “Ichijitsu Senshuu” from Japanese.
If you break down the characters one-by-one, we get:
一 = one/a
日 = day/sun (can also represent time or date)
千 = 1000/thousand
秋 = autumn/fall

Together, 千秋 can mean “autumn comes thousand times” (or 1000 years). It can also be read as 1000 periods of time.
However, it relays the idea of heartache as you wait for someone you miss.

Here is 1 Peter 3:13 in Chinese.

The text with punctuation:
你们若是热心行善，有谁害你们呢？

Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.

This translation is from the Chinese Union Bible.

You may know it from the KJV as:
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

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

十七 is the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean for the number seventeen (17).

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.”

愛是恆久忍耐又有恩慈愛是不嫉妒愛是不自誇不張狂 is 1st Corinthians 13:4 in Chinese.

With large “love” character added.

In English, this reads:

1st Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...

1st Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

1st Corinthians 13:4 (Basic English) Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride.

The Chinese translation follows the love meaning, rather than the King James' use of “charity.” I was a little confused when writing this description with the significant differences between the NIV vs. KJV translations. After speaking to a Greek scholar about this, it would seem that the KJV has an almost errant translation with the use of “charity” in place of “love.”

We used the most popular Christian Chinese Bible, which is the Chinese Union Version (CUV). The CUV was first published in 1919. We use this so that the Chinese translation would be as accurate and standard as possible. Any Chinese Christian worth their salt will easily be able to identify this verse when they see these characters.

If you want a big “love” character written above the verse on your artwork, just make a note in the “special instructions” tab when you are customizing your artwork. There is no extra charge for that service on this special verse.

愛は忍耐強い。愛は情け深い。ねたまない。愛は自慢せず、高ぶらない。is 1st Corinthians 13:4 in Japanese.

In English, this reads:

1st Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...

1st Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

1st Corinthians 13:4 (Basic English) Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride.

If you want a big “love” character written above the verse on your artwork, just make a note in the “special instructions” tab when you are customizing your artwork. There is no extra charge for that service on this special verse.

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

有緣千里來相會 means that fate or destiny has caused us to meet from a thousand miles away.

The 有緣 part suggests something that is connected as if by a thread due to fate, destiny, or karma.

This romantic phrase is seen in Chinese greeting cards. It relays the idea that your love was meant to be and that you were destined to meet (regardless of what distance or obstacles might have made such a meeting unlikely).

See Also:  Red Thread

This means eighteen (18).

This can be pronounced seipai, toya, or jūhachi in Japanese. It can also be a Japanese personal name, Toya.

This would be the way to write the Buddhist Sanskrit word aṣṭādaśa (meaning 18) in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

五十步笑百步 is a Chinese proverb that means the one who retreats 50 paces mocks the one who retreats 100 paces.

During the Warring States Period of what is now China (475 - 221 B.C.), the King of Wei was in love with war. He often fought with other kingdoms just for spite or fun.

One day, the King of Wei asked the philosopher Mencius, “I love my people, and all say I do the best for them. I move the people from famine-stricken areas to places of plenty and transport grains from rich areas to the poor. Nobody goes hungry in my kingdom, and I treat my people far better than other kings. But why does the population of my kingdom not increase, and why does the population of other kingdoms not decrease?”

Mencius answered, “Since you love war, I will make this example: When going to war, and the drums beat to start the attack, some soldiers flee for their lives in fear. Some run 100 paces in retreat, and others run 50 steps. Then the ones who retreated 50 paces laugh and taunt those who retreated 100 paces, calling them cowards mortally afraid of death. Do you think this is reasonable?

The King of Wei answered, “Of course not! Those who run 50 paces are just as timid as those who run 100 paces.”

Mencius then said, “You are a king who treats his subjects better than other kings treat their people, but you are so fond of war that your people suffer from great losses in battle. Therefore, your population does not grow. While other kings allow their people to starve to death, you send your people to die in war. Is there any difference?”

This famous conversation led to the six-character proverb shown here. It serves as a warning to avoid hypocrisy. It goes hand-in-hand with the western phrase, “The pot calls the kettle black,” or the Biblical phrase, “Before trying to remove a splinter from your neighbor's eye, first remove the plank from your own eye.”

耶穌基督昨日今日一直到永遠是一樣的 is Hebrews 13:8 which reads, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

百尺竿头更进一步 is a proverb that literally translates as: [Even a] one-hundred foot [tall] bamboo [can] progress even one [more] step.

Figuratively, this means: After having achieved a fair degree of success, one should try to do still better.

你們若愛我就必遵守我的命令 is the translation of John 14:15 into Chinese.

This comes from the Chinese Union Bible which comes from a revised King James version. This Chinese Bible was originally translated and printed in 1919 (several revisions since then).

Because of the origin being the KJV, I'll say that in English, this would be, “If ye love me, keep my commandments...”

In basic English, this would be, “If you have love for me, you will keep my laws.”

我不撇下你們為孤兒我必到你們這里來 is the translation of John 14:18 into Chinese.

This comes from the Chinese Union Bible which comes from a revised version of the King James. This Chinese Bible was originally translated and printed in 1919 (several revisions since then).

Because of the origin being the KJV, I'll say that in English, this would be, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you...”

In basic English, this would be, “I will not let you be without a friend: I am coming to you.”

神愛世人甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們叫一切信他的不至滅亡反得永生 is the full translation of John 3:16 into Chinese.

This is from the Chinese Union Bible which comes from a revised version of the King James. This Chinese Bible was originally translated and printed in 1919 (several revisions since then).

Because of the origin being the KJV, I'll say that in English, this would be, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

As with any translation, there are interesting cultural and linguistic issues. For instance, the word used for “world” in Chinese can also mean “common people.” So you could say that it means “For God so loved the common people...”
This does not take away from the text, as it will be understood with the same meaning and connotation.

There is no direct Greek-to-Chinese translation in print (that I know of), so this is the best available. Of course, you can ask any Greek person of faith, and they will claim that a bit is lost from the original Greek of the New Testament to any of the English versions of the Bible in print.

Here is the full translation of John 3:16 into Japanese.

This translation comes from the Shinkaiyaku Bible (a preferred translation by many Japanese Christians).

Just for reference, from the KJV, this reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

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

神愛世人甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們 is the first half of John 3:16 in Chinese.

It reads roughly, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”

This came directly from the Chinese Union Bible first printed in 1919.

至於我和我家我們必定事奉耶和華 is the last sentence of Joshua 24:15 in Chinese.

What your
calligraphy
might look like
from our
Chinese Master
Calligrapher

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) ...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) ...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

We used the only official Christian Chinese Bible that I know of so that the translation would be as accurate and standard as possible. Any Chinese Christian worth their salt will easily be able to identify this verse from the Chinese words on this scroll.

I think it is a bit like having a secret code on your wall that quietly expresses to whom you are faithful.

A great gift for your devout Christian or Jewish friend if they happen to be fond of Asian art.

Or perhaps a wonderful “conversation starter” for your own home.

Note: If you are curious, the last three characters represent the way “LORD” is used in most English Bibles. In Chinese, this is actually the phonetic name from Mandarin Chinese for “Jehovah.”

私と私の家とは、主に仕える is the last bit of Joshua 24:15 in Japanese.

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) ...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) ...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.



This came from the Shinkaiyaku Japanese Bible. This is the most commonly-used Bible translation in Japan for both Protestants and Catholic Japanese folks.

I think it is a bit like having a secret code on your wall that quietly expresses to whom you are faithful.

This will be a nice gift for a friend or a wonderful expression of faith for your own home.

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

千里之行始於足下 is a Chinese proverb that means “a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.”

This proverb figuratively means “big accomplishments come from an accumulation of little achievements made one by one.”

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.

一正压百邪 is an ancient Chinese proverb and idiom that means “One Justice Can Overpower a Hundred Evils.”

While this proverb is famous in China, it has been around so long that its origins have been forgotten.

It could be something that Confucius or one of his disciples said, but no one can say for sure.

敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからず is the longer/full Japanese version of this proverb. This means “Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will not fear a hundred battles.”

Others will translate this as “Know thy enemy, know thyself, yields victory in one hundred battles.”

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

Here is the Lord's Prayer in Chinese from Luke 11:2-4.

The Chinese text with punctuation is:
Part of 11:2 ...我们在天上的父，有古卷只作父阿愿人都尊你的名为圣。愿你的国降临。愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。有古卷无愿你的旨意云云。
11:3 我们日用的饮食，天天赐给我们。
11:4 赦免我们的罪，因为我们也赦免凡亏欠我们的人。不叫我们遇见试探。救我们脱离凶恶。有古卷无末句。
Note that punctuation is not included in traditional Chinese calligraphy artwork.

From KJV, this is:
Part of 11:2 ...Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Nothing could be more true. When I was in the Marine Corps, we trained for years for combat that often lasts only hours.

養兵千日用兵一時 is a Chinese proverb that, also reminds me of a common phrase used in the military to describe combat: “Weeks of total boredom, punctuated with five minutes of sheer terror.”

This may have some roots in Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Though I can not find this passage in his writings.

On the subject of the Art of War, if you have a favorite passage, we can create a custom calligraphy scroll with that phrase.

Here is the Lord's Prayer in Chinese from Mathew 6:9-13.

The Chinese text with punctuation is:
Part of 6:9 ...我们在天上的父，愿人都尊你的名为圣。
6:10 愿你的国降临，愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。
6:11 我们日用的饮食，今日赐给我们。
6:12 免我们的债，如同我们免了人的债。
6:13 不叫我们遇见试探，救我们脱离凶恶，因为国度，权柄，荣耀，全是你的，直到永远，阿们。
Note that punctuation is not included in traditional Chinese calligraphy artwork.

From KJV, this is:
Part of 6:9 ...Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

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.

讀萬卷書行萬里路 is a lifelong suggestion for expanding your horizons by gaining knowledge, experience, and seeing the world.

Of course, this was written long ago when it was hard to travel 10,000 miles (at least 1000 years before the invention of the airplane).
With air travel and the business I'm in, I often achieve that lifetime goal on a monthly basis.
However, I am a little behind in the book count.

Note: An ancient Chinese mile (里 or lǐ) referred to in this proverb is about a third of a British/American mile. However, at that time, this was a great distance to travel.

千里も一里 is a Japanese proverb that states “A journey of a thousand miles feels like only one mile.” It is understood that in the proverb, this applies when going to see the one you love.

Note that the “mile” or 里 used in this proverb is an old Chinese “li” (pronounced “ri” in Japanese). It's not actually a mile, as the measurement is really closer to 500 meters (it would take 3 of these to get close to a western mile). Still, 1000里 (333 miles) is a long way.

行万里路胜读万卷书 translates a few ways:
To travel ten thousand miles beats reading ten-thousand books.
Better to travel ten thousand li than to read ten thousand books. (a “li” is an ancient Chinese mile)
Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books.

No matter how you slice it, this Chinese proverb is claiming that experience is more profound and meaningful than what you can get from a book. Go do it! Don't just read about it.

行百里者半九十 is an old Chinese proverb that speaks to the act of giving up. This phrase suggests that no matter how close you are to finishing your task or journey, giving up just before you finish is just as bad as giving up halfway.

50% finished or 90% finished, the result is the same: “You are not finished.”

You can take what you want from this proverb, but I think it suggests that you should finish what you start, and especially finish that last 10% of your journey or project so that you can honestly say “it's finished.”

Some notes: The character, 里, that I am translating as “mile” is an ancient “Chinese mile” which is actually about half a kilometer - it just doesn't sound right to say “When walking 100 half-kilometers...”