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I am a ten-year student of Chinese calligraphy and am thinking of creating a calligraphy piece that would mean "dedicated craftsman". I have not been able to find such a phrase in idioms or chengyu sources that I have.

Can someone suggest a short phrase (no more than five or six characters, not a sentence), that would work for this idea? This piece will be given to a professional film editor who refers to himself as a “dedicated craftsman”. He means that he has high standards for the quality of his work. He is not a hobbyist.

Thanks for help.

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  • As a matter of interest, can we know which you chose, or none at all? And can we see your work in this regard? Dec 13, 2021 at 10:19
  • I'd like to show you but I can find no way to upload an image of my work to this site. However, here is a link to my shikishi: app.box.com/s/hpbzqaejob4jj5dgzwsz7oep5ku27fxh
    – CTurner
    Dec 14, 2021 at 20:54
  • Thanks.That's really good. Keep it up. @Betty should be pleased :) Is this the 1st calligraphic representation of an answer from a Contributor? Dec 15, 2021 at 2:37
  • Also, how about getting your "Seal" read here? I am sure we have Contributors itching for a go? Dec 15, 2021 at 2:40

3 Answers 3

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獨具匠心

It means exquisite workmanship with an ingenious design.

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精益求精: already very good, but still endeavor to do even better

This chengyu is often used to describe craftsmen and technicians who have very high standards for their techniques and works.

匠人精神 or 工匠精神, literally "craftsman’s spirit". It describes craftsmen who are dedicated and have high standards. This phrase is very close to what OP says. However, this is not a chengyu, but a rather modern coinage.

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八字評語 (eight-character comments) is very common in Chinese literature

You can use both idioms below

敬業樂業 - respect and dedicated to one's job

精益求精 - always seek improvement

you can combine the two and write: 敬業求精

or simply, 敬業匠人 - dedicated craftsman

Edit:

Another suggestion: 大匠風範 (great craftsman's model)

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