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3. Grand Master / Great Teacher
4. We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity?
5. Fatherly Master / Sifu / Shi Fu / Shifu
6. Sensei / Master / Teacher / Mister
7. There is No Royal Road to Learning
8. The Sea of Knowledge Has No Limits
9. Past experience is the teacher for the future
11. River of Literacy, Sea of Learning
13. Teach / Instruct
14. Teacher / Master / Old Sage
手不釋卷 is a Chinese proverb that literally means “always with a book in hand.”
It's a proverb said of a hardworking scholar or student.
This may refer to a student or scholar who is diligent and hardworking. It's a great gift for a student or scholar who loves books.
大師 is a way to title a great master, grand master, or great teacher.
This can be used in the context of martial arts or a Buddhist teacher. Thus, it can be used to title a living Buddha, Bodhisattva, or high-ranking monk.
This figuratively means “Without a teacher, how can we learn/mature?”
人非生而知之者熟能無惑 is a philosophic pondering by Han Yu, a Tang Dynasty essayist, and philosopher (618-907 A.D.). This is a Chinese proverb that can be translated as “Knowledge is not innate to man, how can we overcome doubt?” or, “We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity?.”
This infers that we need the guidance of a teacher if we wish to learn, mature, and become better.
Martial Arts Teacher
師父 means master in Chinese (occasionally used in Korean Hanja and Japanese). In the context of Martial Arts, this is the master and teacher who instructs students.
The second character by itself means father. Thus, you get the “Fatherly Master” translation. There's an old Chinese saying that goes something like, “One who is your teacher for one day is your father for life.”
Language notes: I've often seen this romanized as “sifu,” this is actually the Cantonese romanization. In Mandarin Chinese, it's “Shifu.” The pronunciation in Mandarin is actually like “sure foo” (using typical English pronunciation). There's an “R-sound” in there, which is not obvious from the romanization. Many martial arts studios incorrectly pronounce this like “she foo” (which is actually the Japanese pronunciation). In Cantonese, it sounds like “Sea foo” (almost like “seafood,” minus the “d” at the end).
師父 is kind of a weird selection for a calligraphy wall scroll; this entry is more for educational purposes. But you are welcome to buy it if it suits your circumstances.
先生 is sensei, which is associated in the west with a master or instructor of karate, aikido, judo, and other Japanese martial arts.
In reality, this is a term of respect for almost any professional or skilled person (doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc.). Sometimes, it is used for musicians and artists who have achieved a certain level of fame, skill, or accomplishment.
It should be noted that this is also a courtesy title in Chinese but more like calling someone “mister” or “gentleman.” It doesn't have the “master” or “teacher” meaning in Chinese - see our Chinese “Master / Sifu / Shi Fu” entry if your audience is Chinese.
In Korean Hanja, this means teacher, instructor, schoolmaster, or schoolmistress.
This entry is for educational purposes. 先生 is kind of a strange thing to put on a wall scroll. It's a title that is used more orally to show respect rather than something written in calligraphy. If you feel it is appropriate in your circumstances, we will create a piece of sensei Japanese calligraphy artwork for you.
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
學海無涯 is a Chinese proverb that reads, “sea of learning, no horizon.”
Colloquially, it means there are no limits to what one still has left to learn.
This would be the Chinese equivalent to the quote from Hippocrates, “ars longa, vita brevis,” meaning “it takes a long time to acquire and perfect one's expertise.”
See Also: Learning is Eternal
Past events not forgotten serve as teachers for later events.
The most literal translation to English of this ancient 前事不忘后事之师 Chinese proverb is:
“Past events not forgotten serve as teachers for later events.”
However, it's been translated several ways:
Don't forget past events, they can guide you in the future.
Benefit from past experience.
Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.
Past calamity is my teacher.
A good memory for the past is a teacher for the future.
The remembrance of the past is the teacher of the future.
If one remembers the lessons of the past; They will serve as a guide to avoid mistakes in the future.
The origin:
This proverb comes from the 5th century B.C., just before the Warring States Period in the territory now known as China.
The head of the State of Jin, Zhi Bo, seized power in a coup. He did this with help from the armies of the State of Han and Wei. Instead of being grateful for the help from Han and Wei, he treacherously took the land of Han and Wei. Never satisfied, Zhi Bo employed the armies of Han and Wei to attack and seize the State of Zhao.
The king of Zhao took advice from his minister Zhang Mengtan and secretly contacted the Han and Wei armies to reverse their plans and attack the army of Zhi Bo instead. The plan was successful, and the State of Zhao was not only saved but was set to become a powerful kingdom in the region.
Zhang Mengtan immediately submitted his resignation to a confused king of Zhao. When asked why, Zhang Mengtan said, “I've done my duty to save my kingdom, but looking back at past experience, I know sovereign kings are never satisfied with the power or land at hand. They will join others and fight for more power and more land. I must learn from past experiences, as those experiences are the teachers of future events.”
The king could not dispute the logic in that statement and accepted Zhang Mengtan's resignation.
For generations, the State of Zhao continued to fight for power and land until finally defeated and decimated by the State of Qin (which led to the birth of the Qin Dynasty in 221 B.C.).
文江學海 is a Chinese proverb that reads, “river of literacy, a sea of learning”
This suggests that there is a lot to learn in the world, with an eternal amount of reading and things to study.
文江學海 is one way to translate the quote from Hippocrates, “ars longa, vita brevis,” meaning “it takes a long time to acquire and perfect one's expertise.”
See Also: Learning is Eternal
老師 directly translates as “old teacher,” “old master,” or “old sage.”
Together, they are understood as “teacher.” When you think about that, also realize that with age comes respect in Asian cultures. So calling someone old is a term of respect (not like the way we mean it in English). You could replace “old” with “respected” and be closer to how this is meant in Chinese.
Teachers, in general, are more respected by their students and the population in China. When I was a teacher in China, I certainly felt that.
This term is also used for masters of certain fields. For instance, a master calligrapher would respectfully be addressed as a “teacher.” In this case, “master” and “teacher” are synonymous.
Other artists (especially those who are famous or accomplished) should be addressed with this term. Also, some martial arts schools use this term of respect for their masters/teachers/instructors.
This title is recognized in Japanese as "roushi" with the same meaning but it’s rarely used in Japan.
三人行必有我师 means “when three people meet, one becomes the teacher.”
This famous Chinese philosophy suggests that when people come together, they can always learn from each other.
One person must be the teacher and others learn. And in turn, the others become the teachers of the knowledge they possess.
It is important to remember that we all have something to teach, and we all have something to learn as well.
These search terms might be related to Teach:
If You Cannot Bite, Do Not Show Your Teeth
Practice / Train / Drill
Retro / Old School
School of Happiness
Study / Learn / School
Teach / Instruct
The Eagle Claw School
The Old Way / Old School
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Always with a Book in Hand | 手不釋卷 手不释卷 | shǒu bù shì juàn shou3 bu4 shi4 juan4 shou bu shi juan shoubushijuan | shou pu shih chüan shoupushihchüan |
|
Teach Education | 教育 | kyouiku / kyoiku | jiào yù / jiao4 yu4 / jiao yu / jiaoyu | chiao yü / chiaoyü |
Grand Master Great Teacher | 大師 大师 | daishi | dà shī / da4 shi1 / da shi / dashi | ta shih / tashih |
We are not born with knowledge, how does one achieve maturity? | 人非生而知之者熟能無惑 | rén fēi shēng ér zhī zhī zhě shú néng wú huò ren2 fei1 sheng1 er2 zhi1 zhi1 zhe3 shu2 neng2 wu2 huo4 ren fei sheng er zhi zhi zhe shu neng wu huo | jen fei sheng erh chih chih che shu neng wu huo | |
Fatherly Master Sifu Shi Fu Shifu | 師父 师父 | shi fu / shifu | shī fù / shi1 fu4 / shi fu / shifu | shih fu / shihfu |
Sensei Master Teacher Mister | 先生 | sen sei / sensei | xiān shēng xian1 sheng1 xian sheng xiansheng | hsien sheng hsiensheng |
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 Sea of Knowledge Has No Limits | 學海無涯 学海无涯 | xué hǎi wú yá xue2 hai3 wu2 ya2 xue hai wu ya xuehaiwuya | hsüeh hai wu ya hsüehhaiwuya |
|
Past experience is the teacher for the future | 前事不忘后事之師 前事不忘后事之师 | qián shì bú wàng hòu shí zhī shī qian2 shi4 bu2 wang4 hou4 shi2 zhi1 shi1 qian shi bu wang hou shi zhi shi | ch`ien shih pu wang hou shih chih shih chien shih pu wang hou shih chih shih |
|
Respected Teacher | 尊師 尊师 | son shi / sonshi | zūn shī / zun1 shi1 / zun shi / zunshi | tsun shih / tsunshih |
River of Literacy, Sea of Learning | 文江學海 文江学海 | wén jiāng xué hǎi wen2 jiang1 xue2 hai3 wen jiang xue hai wenjiangxuehai | wen chiang hsüeh hai wenchianghsüehhai |
|
Teach A Man To Fish | 授人以魚不如授人以漁 授人以鱼不如授人以渔 | shòu rén yǐ yú bù rú shòu rén yǐ yú shou4 ren2 yi3 yu2 bu4 ru2 shou4 ren2 yi3 yu2 shou ren yi yu bu ru shou ren yi yu | shou jen i yü pu ju shou jen i yü | |
Teach Instruct | 教導 教导 | kyoudou / kyodo | jiào dǎo / jiao4 dao3 / jiao dao / jiaodao | chiao tao / chiaotao |
Teacher Master Old Sage | 老師 老师 | lǎo shī / lao3 shi1 / lao shi / laoshi | lao shih / laoshih | |
When Three People Gather, One Becomes a Teacher | 三人行必有我師 三人行必有我师 | sān rén xíng bì yǒu wǒ shī san1 ren2 xing2 bi4 you3 wo3 shi1 san ren xing bi you wo shi sanrenxingbiyouwoshi | san jen hsing pi yu wo shih sanjenhsingpiyuwoshih |
|
Mentor: Teacher and Friend | 良師益友 良师益友 | liáng shī yì yǒu liang2 shi1 yi4 you3 liang shi yi you liangshiyiyou | liang shih i yu liangshihiyu |
|
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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