Posted on 11/04/2005 3:06:15 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
My mother bought this big clay pot years ago at an antique store somewhere. She said it was an urn. The top, which was once sealed, has been cut open, and she put decorative grass in it.
I was dusting it off today, and became interested in finding out what the writing on it says. I don't know its origin or what it might say. I have often thought perhaps it is the name or information about it's original occupant. I don't know its age or country of origin, I only guess that it appears to be Asian lettering.
Anyone have any idea what it says?
Thank you for these translations! They're very similar.
Is this Japanese then?
I think knowing more about what it says, I'm less inclined to think it was an urn.
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Its Chinese language characters.
Thank you :~D
Are the characters similar to Japanese? I ask because people who reported here to have been able to read it, at least in part, speak Japanese.
Yes...the Japanese 'alphabet' was taken directly from the Chinese character alphabet. The characters have different meanings but they look very similiar. This is one of the reasons that your friends may see something that looks familiar, but just doesn't make sense to them.
My wife, who did the translation, speaks, reads and writes Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Taiwanese and English. She learned 'Classical" Chinese at home as well as in her schooling. She also was taught Taiwanese from her youth.I throw Japanese text at her sometimes just to play a joke on her - I always pay for it later..;-)
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