Ash24 Posted August 30, 2010 at 08:08 PM Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 at 08:08 PM Hello all, A friend of mine who collects WW2 era items has come across a pin that seems to have Chinese characters across it. We've run into a couple of walls trying to find someone who can translate the front and I was referred here by someone saying this is the place to be. http://yfrog.com/jc001dmj Sorry for the large size of the pic, but it was blown up so that you could read it. Any help would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbradfor Posted August 31, 2010 at 01:54 PM Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 at 01:54 PM We like big pictures B) I think it says 贈祺安劉令司?軍陸 Not sure of the translation. 贈 can mean to give as a gift; it can (apparently) also mean to "to bestow an honorary title after death". If this is a WWII pin, that might be appropriate. 劉 is typically a name 軍 means military Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylee Posted August 31, 2010 at 02:07 PM Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 at 02:07 PM 贈祺安劉令司?軍陸 Almost. Well done. It is 贈祺安劉令司總軍陸, to be read from right to left - Presented by the Army Chief Commander Liu Anqi. The Chief Commander Liu was a general of the Kuomintang (the Nationalist Party). A bit more information -> http://www.paradoxia...eaders#Liu_Anqi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma3zi1 Posted August 31, 2010 at 03:28 PM Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 at 03:28 PM So to clarify for the poster: The text on the pin says: "贈祺安劉令司總軍陸" Where a variant of "總" is written. The text is to be read from right-to-left: 陸軍總司令劉安祺贈 陸軍 = "army" 總司令 = "commander-in-chief" 劉安祺 = (a name, 劉 is the surname Liu, 安祺 is a given name Anqi) 贈 = "to give as a present" 陸軍 總司令 劉安祺 贈 So as skylee said: Presented by the Army Chief Commander Liu Anqi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbradfor Posted August 31, 2010 at 04:16 PM Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 at 04:16 PM I feel so stupid. WHY WHY WHY was I reading that left-to-right? I should know better. I was even looking for the given name after the 劉, and was thinking "祺安 sounds like it could be a given name, but why would they put the given name first?". Sigh. I don't feel too bad for missing the 總, if it was a variant. I have enough trouble with all the "standard" forms, I'll leave learning all the (common) variants to another decade... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma3zi1 Posted August 31, 2010 at 04:39 PM Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 at 04:39 PM @jbradfor Haha, don't be so hard on yourself! I've been more than impressed with your work in the past Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbradfor Posted August 31, 2010 at 04:42 PM Report Share Posted August 31, 2010 at 04:42 PM Like my reading of 口? Another one of my highlights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.