Body in Chinese / Japanese...

身 is how to write “body” as in your human body, in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.

Depending on the context and certain language issues, this character can also mean: main part, hull, oneself, somebody, person, I, me, sword, lifetime, one's station in life, etc.

While this written word is universal in three languages, it still makes a rather odd selection for a wall scroll. Also, they tend to use 体 (karada) in Japanese for the body (depending on context).

See Also:  Karada

身心 means “body and mind” or “mental and physical” in Chinese and Japanese.

In the Buddhist context, body and mind encompass the five elements (skandha) of a sentient being.
The body is the physical material (rūpa) of life. The mind embraces the other four skandhas, which are consciousness, perception, action, and knowledge.

身心霊 means “body mind spirit” in Japanese.

This refers to your physical, mental, and spiritual presence.

This can also be translated as “body heart spirit” as 心 can mean mind or heart.

Note that this is a "word list" and not a proper phrase (with a subject, verb, and object) nor a typical title in Japanese. So it's not too commonly seen in Japan. However, the term 身心霊整合性医療 that refers to holistic medicine is gaining popularity.

身心靈 is probably the best way to express the idea of “Body, Mind, and Spirit” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word “heart” here because, for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings, and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say “warm-hearted” or “I love you with all of my heart.” In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.

The very literal translation of these three characters is “body, heart & spirit,” which could also be interpreted as “body, mind & soul.”

We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply “feels” like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we must be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).

In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.

Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.

体 is used in Japanese to mean “body.”

体 can also refer to the form, style, corporeal existence, appearance, identity, or state of something or someone. 體 is also used in Buddhism in regard to the corporeal existence of someone (their earthy vessel). It's kind of a broad term that can be used in a lot of different ways.

As a single character, it's usually pronounced “karada” but it can also be pronounced “tai” or “te” (Japanese pronunciation borrowed from the original Chinese).

體 is not a common Kanji to use for a wall scroll. Only select this if you have a personal and meaningful reason to do so. Also, consider this version to be “Japanese only” - see below...

In Chinese and old Korean Hanja, this character is written in the traditional form shown to the right. If you want this version, click on the character to the right instead of the button above.

身土不二 (Shindofuni) is originally a Buddhist concept or proverb referring to the inseparability of body-mind and geographical circumstances.

This reads, “Body [and] earth [are] not two.”

Other translations or matching ideas include:
Body and land are one.
Body and earth can not be separated.
Body earth sensory curation.
You are what you eat.
Indivisibility of the body and the land (because the body is made from food and food is made from the land).

Going further, this speaks of our human bodies and the land from which we get our food being closely connected. This phrase is often used when talking about natural and organic vegetables coming directly from the farm to provide the healthiest foods in Japan.

Character notes: 身(shin) in this context does not just mean your physical body but a concept including both body and mind.
土 (do) refers to the soil, earth, clay, land, or in some cases, locality. It's not the proper name of Earth, the planet. However, it can refer to the land or realm we live in.

Japanese note: This has been used in Japan, on and off, since 1907 as a slogan for a governmental healthy eating campaign (usually pronounced as shindofuji instead of the original shindofuni in this context). It may have been hijacked from Buddhism for this propaganda purpose, but at least this is “healthy propaganda.”

Korean note: The phrase 身土不二 was in use by 1610 A.D. in Korea, where it can be found in an early medical journal.
In modern South Korea, it's written in Hangul as 신토불이. Korea used Chinese characters (same source as Japanese Kanji) as their only written standard form of the language until about a hundred years ago. Therefore, many Koreans will recognize this as a native phrase and concept.

See Also:  Strength and Love in Unity

气剑体一致 often gets translated as “Mind Sword Body,” or “Spirit, Sword, and Body as One.” But I think these translations don't tell you enough about what this is really saying.

In this context, 気, which is the modern Japanese version of 氣, means spiritual and unseen energy or “life energy.” In some cases, 気 can be translated as spirit, feeling, or nature. If defined as the mind, it's more about the invisible or intangible parts of one's mind (or soul).

剣 is the Japanese version of 劍 meaning sword.

体 is the modern Japanese version of 體 meaning body.

The Kanji 一 means one, and in this case, suggests “all in one.” The Kanji 到 means to send, deliver, or convey. But together, 一到 suggests all these things in agreement, union cooperation, or in concert.

Note: Arguments exist as to whether this should be romanized as Kikentaiitchi, Kikentaiicchi, or kikentaiichi. Technically, if you drop the last character, you get 気剣体一 and kikentaiichi (ki ken tai ichi), which is also a valid phrase.

痛みは体から抜ける弱さ is how to write “pain is weakness leaving the body” in Japanese.

I remember this being shouted a lot during U.S. Marine Corps boot camp.

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

I remember this being shouted a lot during U.S. Marine Corps boot camp. 疼痛就是衰弱離你而去的時候 is how to write that phrase in Chinese. At least, this is as close as we could compose/translate it, and hold the full original meaning and connotations.

The version shown here is really, “Pain is weakness leaving your body.” Although it's said in English both ways (the or your), it works better in Chinese with “your.”

強い体強い心 is a way to write “strong mind, strong body” in Japanese.

Each of the two lines starts with 強い (tsuyoi) which means: strong; powerful; mighty; potent; resistant; resilient; durable; tough; stiff; hard; inflexible.

The body is represented with 体 (the ancient version is 體, romanized as karada), which means: body; build; physique; posture; torso; trunk; health.

Mind is represented with 心 (kokoro), which can mean heart, mind, or soul, depending on context.

強い體強い心 is not a common phrase in Japanese, so it's not the most natural title for calligraphy. In English, you might want to write it, “strong mind, strong body” but, “strong mind, strong body,” is more natural in Japanese.

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

強壯的身體堅強的心態 is the Chinese phrase for “Strong Mind, Strong Body,” however, the character order is actually “Strong Body, Strong Mind,” as that's the more natural word order in Chinese.

鍛煉/鍛鍊 means to exercise in much the same way we use the word exercise in English.

This can be exercising your body at the gym or exercising your mind in studies. Most of the time, this refers to physical exercise.

This can also be translated as to temper, to toughen, to train, to drill, to forge, or simply discipline.

不怕人老只怕心老 literally translates as: Do not be concerned about being old; be concerned about a mind which is old.

Figuratively, this means: You are not as old as you look, you are only as old as you think you are.