Delicious. A laundry tag, perhaps the most familiar among things Chinese for MT. on 6/27/11 3:49 PM, Xilao Li at [log in to unmask] wrote: > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > This might well be a tag as Mark Twain saw it then, "pinned to the = > clothes," used as a shorthand note or reminder.=20 > =20 > --The middle three characters means "Mr. L--", apparently the customer.=20 > =20 > --The first character in a smaller size has to be rotate by 90% to the = > left and it is "Guang" which can mean: light; ray; honor; smooth, or = > shining, etc. So, it may be possible: "The item is to be ironed." > =20 > --The last character is an old-styled character "Sheng" which = > means:litre [volume]; arise;raise; advance; hoist, etc. So, it may be = > possible: "Hang it up."=20 > =20 > I am just guessing, but one thing is certain: all characters are = > genuinely Chinese words. =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > =20 > this=20 > > ________________________________ > > From: Mark Twain Forum on behalf of Harold Bush > Sent: Mon 6/27/2011 11:49 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Translation of Chinese characters in Roughing It = > illustration > > > > I'm looking at p. 392, with 5 characters: mostly nonsense, evidently; it > would be interesting to figure out where the heck they came from. Or = > why MT > would not take 5 minutes to find a Chinese person to put something real = > and > significant ... but I was just reading this morning about the horrible > treatment of the Chinese at that time, so I guess it amounts to a sort = > of > contempt/disinclination to take them seriously enough to use actual = > Chinese > characters, and to make up complete drivel. > > As a group they make zero sense. from top to bottom they are: > > a phony -- made up?? this one is the most suspect and clearly just = > scrawled > drivel > > row: as in a row of houses or of crops, or people, seats, or anything > > 3rd & 4th together =3D mister, Mr. > > 5th =3D more nonsense: illegible > > > ps: in case anyone has grand delusions about my Longfellow-like language > skills, these were analyzed by my dear wife; no I am not quite capable = > of > doing this alone, just got me curious so I called her over. > > here's a link in google books, FYI: > > books.google.com/books?id=3DBKgvAAAAMAAJ&pg=3DPR11&dq=3Dchapter+54+of+Rou= > ghing+It&hl=3Den&ei=3Dp7EIToPCOuGosAK66cnGDQ&sa=3DX&oi=3Dbook_result&ct=3D= > result&resnum=3D1&ved=3D0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=3Donepage&q&f=3Dfalse > > > > On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 12:25 PM, Scott Holmes = > <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > >> Just as a matter of curiosity, is there a translation of the >> illustration in chapter 54 of Roughing It? I had assumed that it >> represented a laundry tag. Mark notes that many Chinese, in Virginia >> City, were employed in the laundry business and always attached a tag = > or >> bill to cleaned clothing. >> >> I asked a friend, from mainland China, but she was unable to provide a >> clear translation. She did think that it probably represented or was >> possibly found as part of a shrine. Mark also spend some time in this >> chapter discussing how the Chinese deal with their dead. >> >> >> > -- > Harold K. Bush, Ph.D > Professor of English > Saint Louis University > St. Louis, MO 63108 > 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) > <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml> -- Linwood Cottage, Sheffield A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Thomas Jefferson http://fch-senseandnonsense.blogspot.com/