Sake in Chinese / Japanese...

斗 is how to express the act of fighting in Chinese.

Generally, this means fighting against someone or some force whether physically or metaphorically.

Note: There is more than one way to write this character. You will notice variations on the next page after you click “Select and Customize.” If you have a preference, please let us know when you place your order.

Please note that there is a secondary pronunciation and meaning of this character. It can also mean “measuring cup” or in Japanese “sake dipper” or even “The Big Dipper.” In Japanese and Korean, this does not have the fighting meaning associated with it. You should, therefore, select this character only if your audience is Chinese, or you are a big fan of sake dippers or The Big Dipper (as that is how it will be read by Japanese and Korean people).

葡萄酒 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for wine.

Very specifically, this is for grape wine (an important distinction in Asia where most wines were rice-based until western influences came into play).

The first word, 葡萄 literally means grape (or grapevine), and 酒 means alcohol (generic term for alcohol, sake, wine, liquor).

不为五斗米折腰 is a Chinese idiom/proverb that speaks of being above bribes and not losing face or honor for short-term gain.

Some may also translate the perceived meaning as “high-hearted” or “integrity beyond reproach.”

The more literal meaning is “Do not bow down for the sake of five pecks of rice.”

酒 is the Chinese character, Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji which means alcohol.

This can refer to wine (esp. rice wine), liquor, spirits, sake, or to alcoholic beverages in general.

In the west, we tend to say “sake” to mean Japanese rice wine, however, this character is a little ambiguous in Japanese. It literally just means alcohol and is often pronounced “shu” in Japanese. Specifically, in Japanese, you might want to ask for “seishu” or 清酒 to get the sake that you are used to in the west. Seishu literally means “clear alcohol.”