What does it say?

J

Jeremy D. Ledford

PCS Volunteer Chapter President
What does it say?:confused2: I don't know, that's why I'm askin!:pat: This was a name plate made for a Funeral Home in Chinatown New York (so I was told about 10 years back) in the mid 1960's that I've just acquired. This was a plate that had an imperfection that wasn't used or finished. From the research I've done I haven't figure out a name for it. Any ideas!?!?!?!'s:confused:

FYI, This is what a name plate looks like just after being broke from the mold!:flame2:
 

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I'll try to make a copy of the photo & take it into work Jeremy... maybe one of the Japanese employees can recognize some of the characters. It looks like the jibberish they write all the time!
 
Good idea, but beware, there is a big difference between Japanese and Chinese. Makes me think of a movie I watched a while back where there was an Asian detective listening intently to an Asian woman as she was talking to him very excitedly about what had just happened at a crime scene. Another detective asked him what she was saying. The Asian detective said, "How the {bleep} should I know, I told you, I speak Japanese not Chinese"--to which the other detective said, "Well how much difference can there be for {bleep} sake!!" Too funny....hope you get it figured out, though.
 
Ok Jeremy, Caprice (my daughter) & I went to our favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner tonight. It's owned & ran by a young Chinese couple. After we ate the place had cleared out, so I pulled up the website on my phone & showed her that picture. She looked at it intently & then gave me a funny look...
(her English is very broken but understandable)
I said "What does it say?" She said "Dying".
Then she said "Death". So I asked her to translate it better, but she said her English isn't good enough.

She said that every symbol is a word, not just one word and it is not a family name or funeral home name. Her best attempt was "Dying... sad... loss"

She had NO problem reading it so it must be a common written language...
 
it says what?

Jeremy,
Have you thought of contacting a university near you to see if they could help translate your plaque?
Go to Google and ask for translators in your area. It might work. It may come back with a southern accent but you will know what it says.
Good luck,
Mike
 
Last edited:
Dwayne Brooks said:
...She said that every symbol is a word, not just one word and it is not a family name or funeral home name. Her best attempt was "Dying... sad... loss"

She had NO problem reading it so it must be a common written language...
Click to expand...
That actually makes sense. Probably close to the definition of "mourning".

Dwayne Brooks said:
... It looks like the jibberish they write all the time!
Click to expand...
They probably said the same thing about what you write (English) until they learned the language.....
:respect:
 
More light to shed on subject!

Got a little bit more information this morning about this name plate. Turns out it was cast for the Wah Wing Sang Funeral Corporation located at 26 Mulberry Street in New York which is called "funeral row" in Chinatown. Wonder if I could get an answer from them or not? And no I haven't tried yet!
 
Your earlier post said

that you had acquired the funeral home, so you can just ask one of your employees. (Hehehe...go back and read your post, dude.)
 
Keith is King

Please do not tell us what the translation to the Jeremy sign is. This thread is getting too entertaining to find out the real meaning. We have taken a vote and Keith is (for now King) in the 'it could say translations'.
Mike
 
I emailed one of those "100% FREE" translators with the photo and got this reply:
Our team has studied the image, and we can get this job done for a small fee of $7.99 within 24 hours.

If you would like us to proceed, all you need to do is to click the following link to make the payment using a card or paypal
Click to expand...

So much for 100% free... :drama:
 
Wah Wing Sang

Jeremy,
According to Google this last day of July 2011 this FH is still at 26 Mulberry St #1 in New York, New York.
Looks like a store front type operation.
Mike
 
Now you need one of those fancy Chinese hearses to go with it. You know the really ornate golden temple ones. There has to be Chinese hearse collectors. Is there any interest in a PCS China Chapter?
 
I have a friend in Taiwan that I have been tutoring his English for several years - so I called on him now for a little assistance with Mandarin. His response to the hearse name plate is:

totally 6 mandarin words in that stone.



華 永 生 殯 儀 館 (in the picture, these 6 words are carved from right to left. but for convenient typing, i present it from left to right)

first above, 殯 儀 館 means Funeral Home.
for 華 永 生: it could have several meanings. for instance:
1. these 3 words can simply mean a mandarin name. in that case, 華 is the last name; 永生 is the first name.
2. these 3 words can also mean this Funeral home is mainly for Chinese people(華); and (永生) means forever live.
in other words, it implies the deceased one in this Funeral Home will be blessed and live in their family's heart forever.

in my opinion, i think both instances all make sense. it can be coincidentally be the name of the Funeral Home Owner and also implies deceased person in this Funeral Home will be blessed and remembered forever.


Pretty cool meaning, I think. I might have to get a name plate like that for my hearse - What a conversation starter that would be!!!
 
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