letters on our cabinet

[Anabel & Chris]

Hi,

We just got a new cabinet. The shopkeeper told us it's about 200 years old and from Shandong. It has some Chinese characters on it and we would very much like to know what they mean so we made a little webpage with some photo's . http://www.dickf.dds.nl/cabinet/index.htm

If anyone can help us translate the characters we would be gratefull forever.

Best Regards

Anabel & Chris from Amsterdam

[Gulao]

家庭气象新

？室春常满

These are the characters I could figure out. It appears to be saying:

In the family, the atmosphere is like new.　

The ? room is always full of joy.

Someone with better Chinese skill may be able to provide more help.

[skylee]

The right panel - 蘭室春常滿 (here 蘭室 means an elegant and fragrant room)

The left panel - 家庭氣象新

[Koneko]

蘭 is "orchid" and in ancient China, it was highly respected and regarded as 君子之花 (lit. the flower of fine gentleman)

Apart from Skylee's explanation, 蘭室 can also mean a room designed for fine gentlemen to discuss/ chat about the world's events, pretty much like the old Englishmen's club.

K.

[Anabel & Chris]

Wow, thank you so much Gulao, Skylee and Koneko.

In the family, the atmosphere is like new.

I suppose this could mean there is a new child in the family?

And 'the elegant (gentleman's) room is full of joy' Does that mean that the man is doing very well, bussiness is good?

I've looked up the individual letters on http://www.mandarintools.com/cgi-bin/wordlook.pl to see their own meaning

The left panel:

家 jiā -ist; -er; -ian; home; family; a person engaged in a certain art or profession; measure word for stores and schools

庭 tíng court; courtyard

氣 qì gas; air; smell; weather; vital breath; to make sb. angry; to get angry; to be enraged

象 xiàng shape; form; appearance; elephant; image under a map (math.)

新 xīn meso- (chem.); new; newly

The right panel:

蘭 lán orchid

室 shì room

春 chūn spring (time); gay; joyful; youthful; love; lust; life

常 cháng always; ever; often; frequently; common; general; constant

滿 mǎn Manchurian; to fill; to fulfill; filled; packed

You have to be quite a poet to make any sense of this! I will update the webpage tonight!

[Koneko]

My pleasure.

I suppose this could mean there is a new child in the family?

And 'the elegant (gentleman's) room is full of joy' Does that mean that the man is doing very well, bussiness is good?

Yes & Yes.

The saying is very general and it includes everything good, happy, joyful, etc.

K.

[Anabel & Chris]

Great, thanks again!

Do you think it could really be 200 years old?

[Koneko]

Ha ha... Now, that's a tough question.

I don't work for Christie's or Sotheby's.

K.

[Anabel & Chris]

Fair enough

well we will just hope it is