To best appreciate a subject, it is helpful to know the source and derivation of the terms used therein. Below, we have a listing of some of the words/phrases relating to the evolution of Magical Miniature Landscapes. Clicking on some of the characters will show you the component breakdown for the origin of those characters. (We are in the process of adding further character origins.) Chinese characters were adopted or modified by the Japanese over the past fifteen centuries. The best understanding of the derivation of these Japanese characters is presented below. <Dates shown thus are when the term is believed to have been initially in use in that language.> Citation details can be found elsewheres on this website.] [Dates shown thus are of an earlier usage in print in another European language.] Calligraphy by Hong Song Tu, Phoenix, Arizona. If you know of any additions or corrections, please contact us at rjb@magiminiland.org . |
This Page Last Updated: February 18, 2018
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
tray, basin, pot, tub |
pan or p'an <before B.C.E.1000> pun or p'un pen or p'en |
bon [1892, Hoffmann, "Japanese-English Dictionary," Vol. III, pp. 85-86] |
tray; shallow basin or pot |
|
great mountain (incense) heater |
po-shan [hsiang-]lu <item c. B.C.E.2nd century; this term c. C.E. 6th century> [1909, Laufer, Chinese Pottery of the Han Dynasty, p. 183]; boshan (xiang)lu |
|
incense burner in the form of the sacred mountains |
|
tray plaything |
pun wan <c.700 C.E.> [1974, Wu, Man Lung Artistic Pot Plants, p. 62]; pen wan |
|
|
|
little child scene |
hsieh-tzu-ching <c.1300> [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 24]; shea tzu ching [1974, Wu, Man Lung Artistic Pot Plants, p. 62]; xiezi jing |
|
|
|
tray stone |
|
bonseki <c.600?> [1892, Hoffmann, "Japanese-English Dictionary," Vol. III, pg. 86] |
landscape on a tray with stone and sand |
|
water stone |
|
suiseki [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 855] |
viewing stone |
|
tray mountain |
pen shan <c.1103> [1961, Schafer, Edward H. Tu Wan's Stone Catalogue of Cloudy Forest, pg. in note 4] p'en shan [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 39] |
bonsan <c.1582> [1892, Hoffmann, "Japanese-English Dictionary," Vol. III, pp. 85-86] bonção [1598, quoting 1582, Frois, Cartas que os padres e irmãos da Companhia de Jesus, ff. 62-62v] bonzan [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]; |
a stone with sand and sometimes vegetation, arranged to suggest a landscape |
|
ancient tree |
koo shoo <c.17th century> [1822, Livingstone, "Account of the Method," p. 227]; koo shue [1933, McClure, "Methods and Materials," p. 125]; gu shu |
|
dwarfed tree; dwarfed woody plants of tree-like habit |
|
tray landscape |
p'an-ching <c.1630> [1955, Li, Chinese flower arrangement, p. 4]; pun-ching [1974, Wu, Man Lung Artistic Pot Plants, p. 62]; penjing <1127-1279> [2004, Hung, "'Penzai' or 'Penjing' That is The Question," p. 43] |
bonkei [1899, American Art Association, Auction Catalog, p. 12] |
landscape in a container |
|
the pot's tree | (bo mu) |
hachi no ki <1383?> [1906, Kakuzo Okakura, The Book of Tea, p. 132] |
dwarf potted tree (specifically in a deeper pot and not as refined as would be the shallow tray bonsai) |
|
tray plant |
p'oon tsui <by 1688> [1933, McClure, "Methods and Materials," p. 119]; p'an-tsai [1955, Li, Chinese flower arrangement, p. 4]; p'en tsai [1969, Behme, Bonsai, Saikei and Bonkei, p. 15]; pun-sai [1974, Wu, Man Lung Artistic Pot Plants, p. 63]; pen-sai [1984, Koreshoff, Bonsai, p. 4]; penzai pencai |
bonsai <c.1800> [1899, American Art Association, Auction Catalog, p. 12] |
dwarf potted tree; artistic pot plant; table culture plant; living ming tree; dish gardening |
|
box garden |
|
hachi-niwa <c.1850?> [1908, DuCane, The Flowers and Gardens of Japan, p. 65]; hako-niwa [1920, "Making Japanese Miniature Gardens," American Forestry, Vol. 26, p. 497] |
Japanese miniature garden; dish-garden |
|
pot planted | (bo zhi) |
hachi-uye <c.17th century> [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]; hachi-ue |
dwarf tree in a deep pot |
|
planted tree |
|
ueki <c.19th century> [1991, Yoshimura, "Modern Bonsai, Part I," International Bonsai, 1991/No. 3, p. 33] |
dwarf potted tree |
|
tray picture |
|
bon-e <before 1939> [1945, The Supplementary Japanese-English Dictionary, p. 16] [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 52] |
landscape on a tray made with fine sand and pebbles |
|
planted landscape |
|
saikei <before 1963> [1963, Kawamoto & Kurihara, Bonsai-Saikei] |
miniature living landscape (often using trees not yet developed enough to stand alone as bonsai, and without as many formal rules) |
|
correct trunk |
chih-kan <mid 17th century> [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 280, n. 49] |
chokkan <c.1800> [1957, Yoshimura & Halford, The Japanese Art of Miniature Trees, p. 65] |
formal upright; straight trunk |
|
model style tree | (mo yang mu) |
moyoki <before 1955> [1964, Murata, Bonsai: Miniature Potted Trees, inside back cover]; moyogi mikoshi [1899, American Art Association, Auction Catalog, p. 12] |
informal upright |
|
hanging over a cliff |
hsüan-yai <mid 17th century> [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 280, n. 49]; xuan yai |
kengai <c.1800> [1899, American Art Association, Auction Catalog, p. 12] kengaï [1902, Maumené, Les Arbres Nains Japonais, p. 19] |
cascade; overhanging from a cliff |
|
_____ planting |
|
yosewye [1899, Yamanaka & Co., Auction Catalog, p. 59] yose-uye [1899, American Art Association, Auction Catalog, p. 12] yose-ue [1957, Yoshimura & Halford, The Japanese Art of Miniature Trees, p. 66] |
group planting; forest planting; multiple tree |
|
stone attached |
|
ishitzuki [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]; ishitsuki [1953, Yashiroda, Handbook on Dwarfed Potted Trees, p. 15]; ishi-zuke / ishi-zuki [1964, Murata, Bonsai: Miniature Potted Trees, p. 51] |
stone-clasping style; clinging to rock |
|
root upward |
lou ken <mid 17th century> [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 280, n. 49]; gen shang |
neagari [1899, American Art Association, Auction Catalog, p. 12] |
raised exposed root style (popular at the beginning of the 20th century) |
|
literary man tree |
wen-jen-mu; wenren mu [1997, Zhao, Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment, p. 49] |
bunjingi <c.1800> [1957, Yoshimura & Halford, The Japanese Art of Miniature Trees, p. 65] |
literati style; Chinese scholar free-form or abstract |
Chinese Characters and Culture