<p>The last one is '居'. 富贵居.</p>

<p>I don't how to translate it, but not everyone's home can be called 居. Usually belong to an educated man.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-19T17:39:18.043Z
2016-05-19T17:39:18.043Z
sfy
<p>The left two should be 壽富, from top to down. The right ones, from top to down again, are likely to be 富貴X. I am sure about the last character, 屋?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-19T10:36:24.313Z
In the left: It's 福 (示 at the top and 畐 at the bottom), not 富.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-19T10:44:14.850Z
May be you are right.
velut luna
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-19T09:14:43.813Z
2016-04-19T09:14:43.813Z
velut luna
<p>As @Jacob mentioned, the last character is「居」, and is quite tricky to identify.</p>

<p>「居」(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_(2014)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baxter-Sagart</a>: <strong>/*k(r)a/, /*k(r)a-s/</strong>, <em>to dwell/reside</em>) is composed of semantic「尸」(<em>squatting person</em> > <em>body</em>) and phonetic「古」(Baxter-Sagart: <strong>/*kˤaʔ/</strong>). In turn,「古」was originally composed of semantic「盾」(<em>shield</em>) and a distinguishing mark「口」. The word originally represented by「古」is now written as「固」(<em>solid, sturdy</em>). For reference:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Glyph evolution of「古」</p>

<p><H1><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">商</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/bD5Bu.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bD5Bu.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a>475<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=21242&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集21242</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西周</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/pJbvL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/pJbvL.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>大盂鼎<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2837&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成2837</a></kbd><Kbd>現代<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/1zr2x.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1zr2x.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></H1></p></li>
<li><p>Glyph evolution of「盾」</p>

<p><H1><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/D1jaF.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/D1jaF.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">林</a>2.24.6<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=16347&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集16347</a></kbd><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/83xQ0.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/83xQ0.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>小臣宅簋<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4201&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成4201</a></kbd><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3j61Y.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3j61Y.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>五年師⿸㫃史<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4216&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成4216</a></kbd><kbd>現代<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/sS52L.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/sS52L.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></H1></p>

<p>In the third form, the shield is reduced to a side view, and「目」(<em>eye</em>) was added, representing a person peeking out from under the full-body cover of a shield.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>In the question photo, the「古」in「居」takes the form where the distinguishing mark「口」has not been added and the full frontal form of the shield has not yet been reduced to a shape like「十」.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-21T00:46:52.923Z
2018-11-21T00:46:52.923Z
dROOOze
<p>from upper left to bottom right. first one is富, second one is 贵, 3-己丑, not sure? 4-寿, 5-福</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-19T01:47:49.610Z
2016-04-19T01:47:49.610Z
ada
<p>I recently bought an old wooden item that shows 5 traditional (?) Chinese characters. I tried my very best to translate them by researching all kind of pages, but cannot find some parts I need. Can someone help me translate? And now that I learned a little bit about how signs work I would also be very curious about the meaning of the single parts of them.</p>

<p>Here are the pictures (I believe the signs are mirrored, as with stamps for cookies.)</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/A4KGsm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/A4KGsm.jpg" alt="number 1 and 2"></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/nyroPm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/nyroPm.jpg" alt="numbers 3 to 5"></a></p>

<translation>
Help with translating old signs
# Help with translating old signs

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-02-18)

I recently bought an old wooden item that shows 5 traditional (?) Chinese characters. I tried my very best to translate them by researching all kind of pages, but cannot find some parts I need. Can someone help me translate? And now that I learned a little bit about how signs work I would also be very curious about the meaning of the single parts of them.

Here are the pictures (I believe the signs are mirrored, as with stamps for cookies.)

[![number 1 and 2](https://i.sstatic.net/A4KGsm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/A4KGsm.jpg)
[![numbers 3 to 5](https://i.sstatic.net/nyroPm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/nyroPm.jpg)

**Tags:** translation

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-05-19. Score: 2

The last one is '居'. 富贵居.

I don't how to translate it, but not everyone's home can be called 居. Usually belong to an educated man.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2016-04-19. Score: 2

The left two should be 壽富, from top to down. The right ones, from top to down again, are likely to be 富貴X. I am sure about the last character, 屋?

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: In the left: It's 福 (示 at the top and 畐 at the bottom), not 富.  
> **username_2**: May be you are right.  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2018-11-21. Score: 0

As @Jacob mentioned, the last character is「居」, and is quite tricky to identify.

「居」([Baxter-Sagart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_(2014)): **/\*k(r)a/, /\*k(r)a-s/**, *to dwell/reside*) is composed of semantic「尸」(*squatting person* > *body*) and phonetic「古」(Baxter-Sagart: **/\*kˤaʔ/**). In turn,「古」was originally composed of semantic「盾」(*shield*) and a distinguishing mark「口」. The word originally represented by「古」is now written as「固」(*solid, sturdy*). For reference:

* Glyph evolution of「古」

  # `商 甲 enter image description here 甲475 合集21242``西周 金 enter image description here 大盂鼎 集成2837``現代 楷 enter image description here`
* Glyph evolution of「盾」

  # `商 甲 enter image description here 林2.24.6 合集16347``西周 金 enter image description here 小臣宅簋 集成4201``西周 金 enter image description here 五年師⿸㫃史 集成4216``現代 楷 enter image description here`

  In the third form, the shield is reduced to a side view, and「目」(*eye*) was added, representing a person peeking out from under the full-body cover of a shield.

In the question photo, the「古」in「居」takes the form where the distinguishing mark「口」has not been added and the full frontal form of the shield has not yet been reduced to a shape like「十」.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2016-04-19. Score: -1

from upper left to bottom right. first one is富, second one is 贵, 3-己丑, not sure? 4-寿, 5-福


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