Meet Strength, Become Strength | Sabrina Qiu

Photo by Peter Stewart

Iremember walking through the market late at night, browsing what each small shop had to offer, when a man caught my eye. He was sitting on his stool with a straight posture, forearms leaning against the edge of the table, and eyes looking down extremely focused. Surrounding him were the walls of his makeshift shop decorated from top to bottom with a hundred different scrolls, each showcasing a beautiful piece of calligraphy or artwork.

When I stepped inside, the man didn’t immediately greet me or try to get me to purchase anything. He was busy working on another scroll, feathering the surface with the ink-dipped tip of his wooden brush. It was only after a minute or so of me walking around that he was able to spare me a glance. He asked me if I was looking to get anything specific. I replied I didn’t know yet.

After finishing up, the man carefully placed the scroll to the side and left it to dry. I noticed that with each one of his works, he signs and stamps it using red ink and a piece of wood that seemed customengraved with his signature mark. In a very warm but professional voice, he began to give his elevator speech on his services and showed me the different sizes and colors of scrolls I could choose from. He said with confidence that whatever I wanted, he could put on a scroll, whether it was a traditional Chinese poem or a painting of Iron Man. It took me a while to decide what I wanted, but after a bit, I finally narrowed my choices down to one that I liked. (yù qiáng yuè qiáng) roughly translates into “meet strength, become strength.” It is an idiom that embodies what it means for one to take on tough challenges. The harder the task, the more rewarding the prize. The tougher the opponent, the tougher you will be when you finally overcome them. In the piece, the second ‘qi ’ is written straighter, harsher, and with more pressure than the first. The artist told me it was meant to signify the toughness of the one who overcomes the challenge, as well as mimic the change in tone when people often present the phrase. This phrase is actually an example of a type of traditional Chinese idiomatic expression known as f (chéngyu). It typically consists of only four characters and can be heard in daily spoken language even in the modern-day. The thousands of 成語 have been recorded over history are considered to be the collected wisdom of Chinese culture. They are the experiences, lessons, and warnings of thousands of Chinese generations passed used to educate those of the present on morality and life virtues.

I have this scroll hanging right next to my bedroom door. Every day I wake up and pass by it before I start my day. It’s a beautiful and poetic reminder to not be afraid of the challenges that are thrown at me, and that there will always be something to be gained from every experience. Photo by Sabrina Qiu