idiom – Calligraphy by Vicky

温故知新（おんこちしん）”learning from the past to gain new knowledge”

4 Japanese calligraphy characters. The meaning is "learning from the past".

The kanji: 温 = warm 故 = circumstance 知 = knowledge 新 = new This 4-character idiom means “learning from the past to gain new knowledge”. “Knowledge” is represented by the third kanji 知, as in the Japanese verb 知る (shiru) “to know”. “New” is represented by the fourth kanji 新, as in the JapaneseContinueContinue reading “温故知新（おんこちしん）”learning from the past to gain new knowledge””

以心伝心（i-shin-den-shin）“communication without words”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "communication without words".

The kanji: 以 = by 心 = heart 伝 = to communicate 心 = heart This idiom refers to heart-to-heart communication; speaking without words. It is often said that the typical Japanese communication style has a tendency to leave certain things unsaid, to not say every word, and to read between the lines. “i-shin-den-shin” capturesContinueContinue reading “以心伝心（i-shin-den-shin）“communication without words””

夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "summer clouds shaped like strange mountains".

Some seasonal calligraphy specially for summertime! The kanji are: 夏 = summer 雲 = cloud(s) 奇 = strange 峰 = peak It references the white fluffy clouds of summer which take many different shapes, including strange mountains! This phrase is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. AsContinueContinue reading “夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains””