[Qnnoshxj]

Anyone able to put this into English? I kind of get the meaning, but I'm not exactly sure.

黙守知存道

[MormefWrarebe]

Edit: Never mind, I suck at kanbun.

[t78VPkdO]

Some form of MA? Where did you come across this? The only thing I found was this site

[Arratherimi]

Some form of MA? Where did you come across this? The only thing I found was this site

I've been practicing these characters in calligraphy class recently. I didn't ask my teacher the exact meaning. It's something about realisation through keeping quiet. Maybe like those who know dont speak?

Don't worry Oroshi, the Japanese teacher that sits next to me at school said exactly the same thing...

[miel]

As for what I can know, the kanjis mean "Silence", "Protection", "Knowledge", "Existence", "Path". A try to the meaning could be "The path to the silent protection of the intelectual existance". For what I can figure out, it is just a nice message to wirte (shodo). But, again, I'm not sure of it.

[aceriscoolon]

Don't worry Oroshi, the Japanese teacher that sits next to me at school said exactly the same thing...

Ok, I might as well put it back in the thread, as we seem to be thinking along the same lines

I think it means something like 「黙って守り、道の存在を知る」. "Obey silently, and you will know the existence of the way" (terrible translation. If you wanted to sound like someone out of a cheesy martial arts movie I guess it could be 'obey silently, and the way will be revealed to you').

The grammar is different, obviously, but my reasoning comes from thinking of the word 存知 (literally 存在を知ること) and then reorganising the characters per my extremely rudimentary understanding of Chinese grammar.

I imagine a kanbun reader/Chinese speaker will come along in a moment and point out that I've got it all wrong. At least with 和漢混淆文 the words are usually in the 'right' order!

[attackDoold]

I've been practicing these characters in calligraphy class recently. I didn't ask my teacher the exact meaning. It's something about realisation through keeping quiet. Maybe like those who know dont speak?

Don't worry Oroshi, the Japanese teacher that sits next to me at school said exactly the same thing...

Ah good, so I did find the right thing.

From what Oroshi wrote I'd say it means something like "sit down, shut up and pay attention"

Modern day zen

[KneefeZes]

If you click on the image in Kagerou's link, the explanation is given:

黙守道を存するを知る　（モクシュミチヲソンスルヲシル）
※黙して守り、道のあることを悟る「黄溜」

I'd put it, "Silently observe and learn knowledge of the Way." (With the note that it's a description, not an imperative.)

Oroshi, a couple pointers. 守 only means "obey" in idiomatic translation. The actual sense in Japanese (and Chinese) is to guard, protect, watch, and conserve. And the compound 存知 is already kanbun (verb+object, so it's 知を存する - "keep knowledge", thus "to know"), so you can't just switch the characters in this case.

[finnmontserrat]

Thanks Josh.

I got the same explanation from my teacher today...

"口をきかずして心の中で守り。そこに自然に道の存ることを知る。"

Nice to know what I'm writing hundreds of times over