Origins of Some of the Terms

Origins of Some of the Terms

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 opens a new browser window which presents 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 are presented below.

<Dates shown thus are when the term is believed to have been in use in that language.>

[Dates shown thus are of the earliest known usage in print in English, in order of oldest spelling first, most current last.
Citation details can be found elswhere on this website.]

Calligraphy by Hong Song Tu, Phoenix, Arizona.

If you know of any additions or corrections, please contact us at rjb@phoenixbonsai.com .

This Page Last Updated: June 27, 2007
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Character	Literal Translation	Chinese (Romanized)	Japanese (Romanized)	English
	tray, basin, pot, tub	pan <before B.C.E. 1000> pen	bon	tray; pot
	great mountain (incense) heater	po-shan [hsiang-]lu <item c. B.C.E. 2nd century; this name 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?> [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]	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> [1990, Stein, The World in Miniature, p. 39]	bonzan <c.1582> [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]; bonsan	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]; ku shu [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 [1900, Blight, "Among the Plants," p. 258]	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> [1900, Blight, "Among the Plants," p. 258]	dwarf potted tree; artistic pot plant; table culture plant; living ming tree
	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
	tray picture		bon-e <before 1939> [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, inside back cover]; moyogi	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> [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]	cascade; overhanging from a cliff
	_____ planting		yose uye [c.1929, Encyc. Brit., Vol. 3, p. 854]; 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, 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 [1900, Bedford, "Elfin Trees,"p. 916]	raised exposed root style (popular at the turn 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

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