|
 all
those reign marks
mean? How to write them properly?It helps if you can write a little Chinese. You'll be able to pick out bad fakes, but some will of course be of quality and hard to catch. Since I've been out of the habit of collecting with so many fakes now in circulation, I decided to add a little to my site in the way of calligraphy. I've separated the first and last names of the 17 reigns of the Ming dynasty below. Pinyin Romanization only uses one word to identify an emperor. The Wade-Giles transliteration I feel is better, giving the emperors a little more respect in the name callout. Pass your mouse cursor over the first and last name of any particular emperor to see how their name is correctly written, and what it means. Now you know. |
Hung - First name in the reign name Hongwu.
It means vast, or large.
Wu - Last name in the reign name Hongwu.
It means military, weapons, arms, or army.
Jian - First name in the reign name
Jainwen.
It means to establish, to build, to construct.
Wen - Last name in the reign name Jianwen.
It means strokes, lines, stylish, scholarly.
Yung - First name in the reign name Yongle.
It means continuous, forever, always, perpetual.
Le - Last name in the reign name Yongle.
It means music, enjoyment, harmony.
Xi - Last name in the reign name Hongxi.
It means prosperous, splendid.
Xuan - First name in the reign name Xuande.
It means to declare, to announce.
De - Last name in the reign name Xuande.
It means rightious, virtue, goodness, morality. 
Zheng - First name in the reign name
Zhengtong.
It means to arrive, correct, straight.
Tong - Last name in the reign name
Zhengtong.
It means governance, system, to rule.
Jing - First name in the reign name
Jingtai.
It can mean esteem, revere.
Tai - Last name in the reign name Jingtai.
Aside from a surname, it can mean circumstance, view.
Tian - First name in the reign name
Tianshun.
It means heavenly, towards heaven.
Shun - Last name in the reign name Tianshun.
Aside from surname, it can mean life, generation, worldly.
Cheng - First name in the reign name
Chenghua.
It means to finish, complete, accomplish, to succeed.
Hua - Last name in the reign name Chenghua.
It means to change, to transform.
Hung - First name in the reign name
Hongzhi.
It means grand, or greatness.
Zhi - Last name in the reign name Hongzhi.
It means to govern, to rule, or manage.
Zheng - First name in the reign name
Zhengde.
It means to arrive, correct, straight.
De - Last name in the reign name Zhengde.
It means rightous, virtue, goodness, morality. 
Jai - First name in the reign name Jaijing.
It means of quality, or excellent.
Jing - Last name in the reign name
Jaijing.
It means peaceful, calm, to quiet.
Long - First name in the reign name
Longqing.
It means grand, intensen, to ignite.
Qing - Last name in the reign name
Longqing.
It means to rejoice, to celebrate.
Wan- First name in the reign name Wanli.
It means a great number, innumerable, ten thousand.
Li - Last name in the reign name Wanli.
It means era, period, or calendar.
Chang - Last name in the reign name
Taichang.
It means good, proper, prosperous, or flourishing.
Qi - Last name in the reign name Tianqi.
It means open, begin, to commence.
Chong - First name in the reign name
Chongzhen.
It means esteem, honor, to revere.
Zhen - Last name in the reign name
Chongzhen.
It means lucky, auspicious, good omen.