A Clear Mirror and Still Water 明鏡止水
meikyō shisui4 characters35 strokes
明鏡止水 (meikyō shisui) describes a mind like a spotless mirror and still water: clear, calm and free of wavering thoughts.
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Meaning 意味
What 明鏡止水 means
A Japanese four-character idiom, yojijukugo, read meikyō shisui.
LiterallyA bright mirror, still water.
Like a mirror with no clouding and water lying perfectly still, the heart is clear and settled, with nothing to unsettle it. The phrase describes a calm, pure state of mind.
Where it comes from. It is based on passages in the Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese classic.
“Before the big game, our coach told us to play with meikyō shisui, calm and clear.”
When people write it in Japan. It makes a good motto before a match, a performance or a presentation, when you want to face it with a calm mind.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 4th grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 明鏡止水
Regular script (kaisho)
- In 鏡, keep the metal radical on the left (kanehen) narrow. On the right, bend the 19th stroke to the right and flick it up.
- In 止, make the 1st stroke, a vertical, tall and the 4th stroke, a horizontal, long. This gives the character a solid, stable base.
- In 水, bring the 1st stroke straight down and flick it up to the upper left. Sweep the 4th stroke long down to the right.
Semi-cursive script (gyōsho)
- In 明, both 日 and 月 join a middle horizontal to the next one with a slanting move of the brush. Linked strokes like these are typical of semi-cursive.
- In 水, bring the center vertical straight down and long, hooking it to the left at the bottom. Let the sweep on the lower right open out freely.
- In 鏡, keep the metal radical on the left (kanehen) narrow and give 竟 on the right more room. Flick the curving stroke at the bottom up in a big motion.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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