Header

Header

Sunday 17 July 2016

Yojijukugo


Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you can not seem to find the right words to express what you are feeling, or that words do not seem to do justice to the depth of feeling ......

Recently when words failed me I took a few hours out to make a 木製 の 銘板,  mokusei no meiban  which translates to wooden plaque.
I selected a Yojijukugo 四字熟語 - 一刻千金 Ikkoku senkin, which means every moment is precious and added a few words underneath.



Typically in Japan a motto or saying may be represented as a four character ideogram called a Yojijukugo 四字熟語 these can be either idiomatic or non-idiomatic e.g. the kanji could directly represent the meaning of the saying or bear no relationship at all.
So a direct translation word for word would be pretty meaningless, and although there are over 20,000 Yojijukugo I have select a few and put them in a table below and also made a link to and extensive selection to a few thousand others.

Kanji Pronunciation Meaning
以心伝心 Ishin denshin Heart-to-heart communication
To have a tacit understanding
一期一会 Ichigo ichie Meeting only once in a lifetime
Every encounter is treasures, because there may be no reunion
一騎当千 Ikki tousen To have capability to be equal to 1000 persons
一刻千金 Ikkoku senkin Every moment is precious
一生懸命 Isshou kenmei All one's might
One's whole heart 
一心同体 Isshin doutai One flesh / to be one body and soul
一世風靡 Issei fuubi To attract people's mind
To dominate the world and have a lot of followers
花鳥風月 Kachou fugetsu The beauties of nature such as flowers, birds, wind, and moon
完全無欠 Kanzen muketsu Absolute perfection / impeccability
奇想天外 Kisou tengai Out-of-this-world
Fantastic things which cannot be expected at all
堅忍不抜 Kennin fubatsu to endure of firm volition and be not perturbed by anything
Fortitude
行雲流水 Kouun ryusui The free heart without tenacity of purpose
Takeing things as they are
山紫水明 Sanshi suimei Outstanding natural beauty
色即是空 Shikisoku zeku All are phenomena although everything is equipped with various shapes. There is no invariable eternity substance and essence is the empty. (Teaching of Buddhism)
順風満帆 Junpu manpan Smooth sailing
Everything is going well
自由奔放 Jiyu honpou Freewheeling
純真無垢 Junshin muku To be pure and innocent
森羅万象 Shinra banshou All the things which exist in the universe
All of creation
誠心誠意 Seishin seii Wholeheartedly
大器晩成 Taiki bansei Great talents mature late
天真爛漫 Tenshin ranman Simple, naive and innocent
独立自尊 Dokuritsu jison To be independent with self-respect
波瀾万丈 Haran banjou Many vicissitudes
Stormy
百戦錬磨 Hyakusen renma To have gained many experiences
風光明媚 Fuukou meibi To be beautiful view
To be scenic
不言実行 Fugen jikkou To practice before words
粉骨砕身 Funkotsu saishin To try hard at the sacrifice of self
無念無想 Munen musou To banish all other thoughts from one's mind
To be free from all distracting thoughts
無我夢中 Muga muchu Ecstasy / to forget self and be devoted to something
明鏡止水 Meikyou shisui Mind as serene as a polished mirror

Click on the button below to review the extensive selection of Yojijukugo  page

If you would like to order a 木製 の 銘板 - mokusei no meiban - to wooden plaque.
1. Select a Yojijukugo from the table or link above
2. E Mail - sotosabisu@btinternet.com with the details and any custom text that you would like to add and a delivery address.
3. We will E mail you a pro-forma invoice
4. Once payment is received your plaque should be with you in approx 2 to 3 weeks depending on volumes going through the shop.

Current costings can be found in the relevant shop page please click on the button below to view.


Top Tip
If you are accessing this site on your phone you may wish to view the "Web version" and access the menu in the side-bar to navigate. Just scroll down for the link.

No comments:

Post a Comment