oh, my turn: seal script

[mungouk]

My work colleagues just gave me a seal as a leaving present, but I'm struggling to read the seal script.

 

 

I think it says 奎士收... is that right?  (not sure if seals are read L-R or R-L).

 

If so does this mean they've translated my name to something like crotch - scholar - receive? (!)

 

Somebody please tell me it has a more poetic meaning. ? 

 

[roddy]

3 minutes ago, mungouk said:

Somebody please tell me it has a more poetic meaning.

Please nobody do.

[mungouk]

Have I been stitched up by probably well-meaning Singaporeans with a limited grasp of Hanzi?

[889]

A name: 汉奎士.

[mungouk]

5 minutes ago, 889 said:

A name: 汉奎士.

 

Oh, it is Han  汉... I did wonder.

 

How would you assess it as a name?  I'm not really sure how 奎士 would be perceived as a given name. 

 

 

[889]

汉 isn't a usual surname, so it doesn't look quite like a traditional Chinese name.

 

Maybe 韩奎？

[Publius]

It's very weird to see 汉 in seal script. This simplified form of 漢 didn't exist when seal script was dominant.

I think the third character is probably 之.

Does any of the combinations resemble your Chinese name or the Chinese pronunciation of your English name?

[mungouk]

汉 or 韩 are very close to my English family name.

 

Not sure where 之 comes in?

奎士 is vaguely close phonetically to my English given name, but given it was cooked up by colleagues, I'm not married to it. 

 

I'd be happy to choose 韩  as a family name if appropriate, and something more sensible (and not necessarily similar to my given name) as a new Chinese given name. 

 

This has suddenly got a bit more complicated than expected ? 

 

[Luxi]

1 hour ago, mungouk said:

not sure if seals are read L-R or R-L

You probably figured it out already, but for the record: top to bottom and R-L.

 

The simplified 汉 does look weird. Maybe you can start from your name and find the right seal. This is a nice tool:

https://www.purpleculture.net/chinese-seal-generator/

(I got a gorgeous seal through them, in case you're tempted)

 

[889]

Yes, rhat's 之:

 

http://dict.iguci.cn/dictionary/dcontent

 

(Can't link direct to inside page, so search 之.)

[mungouk]

24 minutes ago, 889 said:

Yes, rhat's 之:

 

Website is not working for me for some reason.

Isn't this character 士?

 

 

 

[roddy]

I wouldn’t get too hung up on it. Unless you know otherwise, this has probably been done by a colleague telling your name to someone at the seal place, who then took a flying guess at what to do with it. 

[889]

Not sure why you can't open that dictionary site. Here're the 之 and 士 extracts:

 

 

 

 

[Tomsima]

That is 之 without a doubt, it is a form specific to 繆篆 which became popular in 漢, forming the most common form of 之 used in all 漢印 style seals. It is usually followed by a 印 or 璽 character. Sorry @mungouk, but I don't mind sticking my neck out and saying your seal is pretty bad, done by someone without much practice.  Perhaps they're trying to write 奎之漢 (if you're a man that is), as if to say "Man of...Kui" (?) but they're writing in the wrong direction. Would love it if you could get them to explain it!

[889]

Usually there's a relationship between the quality of the sealstone and the quality of the engraving: a first-quality stone deserves a first-quality engraving, etc.

 

Agree this engraving suggests it's probably not a first-quality stone. That it's engraved 阴刻 intaglio not 阳雕 relief is another hint, since intaglio is much easier and quicker to carve than relief. Ditto the choice of 汉 over 漢.

 

If you'd like, post photos of the seal itself and we'll tell you how generous your colleagues were.

 

But it is of course the thought that counts.

 

(And Google 韩奎: you'll see it is a name used in China; works especially well if you're a Hank.)

[mungouk]

OK so it looks like it's not really a useable name, or a useable seal.  Ah well, never mind.

 

2 hours ago, 889 said:

But it is of course the thought that counts

 

Absolutely.

 

Thanks all.

 

[Bibu]

@Publius@Tomsima

 

agree with you two: is it an amateur seal. 

 

I guess he give you the name of 汉奎之.  check the script here: https://www.dullr.com/zhuanke.php

[889]

Actually, a good possibility is that one of your colleagues is an amateur seal-carver and did this himself for you. So maybe use it when you write your thank-you notes on your return home.

[mungouk]

10 minutes ago, 889 said:

possibility is that one of your colleagues is an amateur seal-carver and did this himself

 

No he went to a seal-carving place in Chinatown — he showed me some photos.