<p>picture 5 should be preceding picture 4</p>
<p>the text is in seal script, read as:</p>
<p>子子孫萬年永用</p>
<p>roughly means: [my] descendants used [this caved item] cherishly for ten thousand years</p>
<p>the original verse used in ancient era, most of the time, should be “子子孫孫萬年永保用”; that, the maker had incorrect knowledge of seal script, missed the “=“ after the character “孫”; then, the character “寶” was not carved </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-14T08:22:31.060Z
Thank you, I appreciate the explanation of seal script text and how it differs from the original verse very much! I have now switched the order of the pictures as you indicated.
circa1762
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-14T21:17:22.783Z
Excellent. Do you have the answer for another question https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/53309/individual-character-identification-for-cursive-script ?
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-14T22:30:29.617Z
@r13, no lah  this cursive script character is, . . . imo, a textbook sample of “鬼劃符” lah 
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-14T22:33:41.163Z
:), thanks, my guess was wrong.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-14T07:43:06.837Z
2022-12-14T07:43:06.837Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>I have no skill in reading Chinese characters (hopefully someday) and would be grateful if anyone can help me decipher the writing on this object, which belonged to my grandparents. They traveled to China in 1985 or so, but I don't know that they picked it up then. They could have obtained it in the US, I suppose, or received it from one of their relatives. I have no idea how old it might be. There is writing on both sides of the vase, though one side might just be pictures rather than characters. For the writing on the bottom of the vase and inside the top of it, I unfortunately don't even know which way is rightside-up. I apologize if I have it the wrong way. Let me know if so, and I can replace it with a rightside-up image. Thanks very much for any help provided.<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/bpwsu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/bpwsu.jpg" alt="characters on side of vase (complete)" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jC9xL.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jC9xL.jpg" alt="characters of side of vase (left portion)" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mTfkf.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mTfkf.jpg" alt="characters on side of vase (right portion)" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oaFmp.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oaFmp.jpg" alt="pictures or characters on the other side (right portion)" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Hoadr.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Hoadr.jpg" alt="pictures or characters on the other side (left portion)" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/mYdPU.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/mYdPU.jpg" alt="characters on vase bottom" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/m5yaD.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/m5yaD.jpg" alt="characters inside vase top" /></a><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/9AE0J.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/9AE0J.jpg" alt="vase and teapot disassembled" /></a></p>

<characters><character-identification><writing>
Seeking Help Deciphering Characters on Small (Lead?) Vase with Teapot Enclosed
# Seeking Help Deciphering Characters on Small (Lead?) Vase with Teapot Enclosed

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-12-14)

I have no skill in reading Chinese characters (hopefully someday) and would be grateful if anyone can help me decipher the writing on this object, which belonged to my grandparents. They traveled to China in 1985 or so, but I don't know that they picked it up then. They could have obtained it in the US, I suppose, or received it from one of their relatives. I have no idea how old it might be. There is writing on both sides of the vase, though one side might just be pictures rather than characters. For the writing on the bottom of the vase and inside the top of it, I unfortunately don't even know which way is rightside-up. I apologize if I have it the wrong way. Let me know if so, and I can replace it with a rightside-up image. Thanks very much for any help provided.[![characters on side of vase (complete)](https://i.sstatic.net/bpwsu.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/bpwsu.jpg)[![characters of side of vase (left portion)](https://i.sstatic.net/jC9xL.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/jC9xL.jpg)[![characters on side of vase (right portion)](https://i.sstatic.net/mTfkf.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/mTfkf.jpg)[![pictures or characters on the other side (right portion)](https://i.sstatic.net/oaFmp.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/oaFmp.jpg)[![pictures or characters on the other side (left portion)](https://i.sstatic.net/Hoadr.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/Hoadr.jpg)[![characters on vase bottom](https://i.sstatic.net/mYdPU.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/mYdPU.jpg)[![characters inside vase top](https://i.sstatic.net/m5yaD.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/m5yaD.jpg)[![vase and teapot disassembled](https://i.sstatic.net/9AE0J.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/9AE0J.jpg)

**Tags:** characters, character-identification, writing


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-12-14. Score: 2

picture 5 should be preceding picture 4

the text is in seal script, read as:

子子孫萬年永用

roughly means: [my] descendants used [this caved item] cherishly for ten thousand years

the original verse used in ancient era, most of the time, should be “子子孫孫萬年永保用”; that, the maker had incorrect knowledge of seal script, missed the “=“ after the character “孫”; then, the character “寶” was not carved

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you, I appreciate the explanation of seal script text and how it differs from the original verse very much! I have now switched the order of the pictures as you indicated.  
> **username_2**: Excellent. Do you have the answer for another question https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/53309/individual-character-identification-for-cursive-script ?  
> **username_1**: @username_2, no lah  this cursive script character is, . . . imo, a textbook sample of “鬼劃符” lah   
> **username_2**: :), thanks, my guess was wrong.  

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