Help a brother out

[matthew254]

Okay so this is in my apartment and for all I know it says "Matthew Smells Funny". Anyone want to help me out? It was purchased two years ago by my ex-fiance in one of those Korean Folk Villages that have local artisans. I'm assuming it's hanja. If I were to guess I would think that the top character is the number "2" but that's just a guess.

Sorry for the flash glare. Thanks in advance!

[manyakumi]

仁 : 어질 인
者 : 사람 자
無 : 없을 무
敵 : 원수 적


仁者無敵(인자무적)

어진 사람에게는 적이 없다.
A gentle person has no enemy.

[matthew254]

어진 사람에게는 적이 없다.
A gentle person has no enemy.

성수씨
Thanks so much for taking the time! You even gave me the break down ~

You, my friend, have just been added to my skype list. 감사합니다

[manyakumi]

You're welcome, Matthew.

It was a big pleasure to me.

[usakorjb03]

어진 사람에게는 적이 없다. would make a nice tattoo

[matthew254]

here's another one, anyone want to give this one a try?

[shanshanchua]

I assume this is to be read in Korean (Hanja), so I won't try.

But let me try and explain how it reads in Chinese. Then we can compare the difference in meaning (if any) between the Korean and the Chinese reading.

To me, the first 3 words seem to be someone's name. In hanyu pinyin, this would be
"Shi Yun Qi". The 4th word is "Ji", which roughly means to mark out or remember. The 5th word is "Ji" (same sound, but different tone), which means something like to trace someone's footsteps. And the last word is "Bei", which means a stone tablet or monument.

So in Chinese, (if I interpreted it correctly), it essentially means that this stone tablet was erected to mark the steps of this person called "Shi Yun Qi", that he had been to that place...

[manyakumi]

詩 : 시 시
雲 : 구름 운
契 : 계약 계
紀 : 벼리 기
蹟 : 자취 적
碑 : 돌기둥 비

As shanshanchua said,

기적비(紀蹟碑) means a stone tablet which was made to mark the steps of someone or some kinds of achievements.
This word was from North Korea and it would be 기념비(紀念碑) in South Korea.
So we can guess that person probably had lived in a Province of North Korea.
But I have no idea who that is.

I don't think those all three characters mean a name.
I guess 詩 was used for a sort of prefix or something.
And 雲契 would be a pen name of that person, I guess.
It might be 운계 or 운결 or 운설.
I don't know which would be correct.

[matthew254]

very insightful guys!

this might be useful. I'm starting to think that it's not a grave marker but more of a monument at this particular park. The marker was within clear view of a walkway.

Does this help clarify the meaning any? I love a good mystery!

[manyakumi]

Oh, there were some more texts on the side of that stone!
But I can hardly see them since the photo is too small to recognize them.

Could you enlarge that part?

[matthew254]

Could you enlarge that part?

I'm afraid this is the best I can do here. I'll direct link it
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m166 ... arker3.jpg
any help?

[manyakumi]

詩雲契紀績碑序

靑山綠水는 萬古에 찬 빛인데 人生百年은 苦海에서 벗어나지 못하니 어찌 ?嘆할 일이 아니겠는가
詩雲契?公은 ?友??으로서 登?相?하여 春花?月????에 山水風景을 찾아 ??道遠하여 ?亭古事와 彷彿하니 世人으로 하여금 吾心?凉을 느끼게 한다


This is my best...
But it seems to be someone's monumental stone.
The front words of 2nd line make me think like that.

[matthew254]

詩雲契紀績碑序
靑山綠水는 萬古에 찬 빛인데 人生百年은 苦海에서 벗어나지 못하니 어찌 ?嘆할 일이 아니겠는가
詩雲契?公은 ?友??으로서 登?相?하여 春花?月????에 山水風景을 찾아 ??道遠하여 ?亭古事와 彷彿하니 世人으로 하여금 吾心?凉을 느끼게 한다
This is my best...
But it seems to be someone's monumental stone.
The front words of 2nd line make me think like that.

How interesting!
I don't know much about the difference between Hanja and Chinese (other than Hanja has influenced Mandarin). Is the marker written in Chinese or Hanja?

[manyakumi]

詩雲契紀績碑序
靑山綠水는 萬古에 찬 빛인데 人生百年은 苦海에서 벗어나지 못하니 어찌 ?嘆할 일이 아니겠는가
詩雲契?公은 ?友??으로서 登?相?하여 春花?月????에 山水風景을 찾아 ??道遠하여 ?亭古事와 彷彿하니 世人으로 하여금 吾心?凉을 느끼게 한다
This is my best...
But it seems to be someone's monumental stone.
The front words of 2nd line make me think like that.

How interesting!
I don't know much about the difference between Hanja and Chinese (other than Hanja has influenced Mandarin). Is the marker written in Chinese or Hanja?

Of course it is written in Hanja and Hangeul mixed.

청산녹수는 만고에 찬 빛인데 인생백년은 고해에서 벗어나지 못하니 어찌 ?탄할 일이 아니겠는가
시운계?공은 ?우??으로서 등?상?하여 춘화?월????에 산수풍경을 찾아 ??도원하여 ?정고사와 방불하니 세인으로 하여금 오심?량을 느끼게 한다

->
푸른 산과 녹색 강은 오래 전부터 있던 색인데 사람의 인생 백 년은 고통의 바다에서 벗어나지 못하니 깊은 한숨이 나올 일이다
시운계?공(sir)은 ???한 친구로서 ???의 관직에 올라(I suppose) 꽃 피는 봄 ????에 산과 강의 풍경을 찾아 멀리 ??까지 와서 옛 일을 뒤로 하고 가는 듯 하니(I suppose) 세상 사람들이 슬퍼한다

I'm not sure about translation because so many letters are unknown.

[shanshanchua]

Actually I'm very interested in how Hanja was used in the past. Was it used exactly the same way as it would be used in Chinese? or did the Koreans adapt the words for their own usage?

And when did Korea switch to Hangul? Did they use a mix of Hangul and Hanja until a certain legislation was passed which made Hangul the "official" script?