铁骨生春

[kirsitn]

A colleague asked me to translate a piece of Chinese calligraphy since he knows that I'm learning Mandarin, but unfortunately I'm not able to read calligraphy yet... I believe there's a 生 and a 日 in there, but otherwise I have no clue...

Can anyone help me decipher the text?

 

[BODYholic]

The first column from the right should be '铁骨生春'. The last character of this column, '春', is almost distorted beyond recognition.

 

[kirsitn]

Thank you. I tried translating those characters one by one, but it doesn't make much sense to me. (iron/strong - bones - life/give birth - spring ?)

Is it part of an old poem?

 

[BODYholic]

You are right. It won't make sense if the phrase is translated word by word.
铁骨生春 is commonly used to title Chinese painting.
铁骨 (lit: steel bone) is used to represent the trunk of a tree which is, supposedly, as strong as steel rod.
生春(lit: give birth to spring) indicates blooming or arrival of spring time. It also signifies the present of hope.

There is a painting here with the same title.
http://www.21wh.com/UploadFile/2008-8/2008841512964815.jpg
Credit goes to the rightful owner.

 

[Dublabla]

You should read this calligraphy right to left.
And I think this calligraphy is something written on the picture
describing "an ume梅花(prunus mume, Japanese apricot)

鐵骨 indicates "梅花" (an ume, or Prunus mume, Japanese apricot)
生春 means "The spring comes"
辛巳年 秋日= year of 2001, in the autumn

於 洛淸江畔 = at the riverside of 洛淸江 (name of river)
少林畵 = 少林 paint this picture. paint this. (I suppose 少林 is the name of the painter)

"there comes the spring on an ume" (subject of the picture)
"2001 year, in the autumn, at the riverside of 洛淸江, 少林 painted this.
(supplementary information about the date and the painter of the picture)

鐵骨 生春 辛巳年 秋日 於 洛淸江畔少林畵

Please let me know whether or not this calligraphy is written on the painting.

Hope this helps

(Above, I'm using unsimplified Chinese character)

 

[BODYholic]

Omg, the '畵' was like a '鱼'!

Thanks for deciphering.

 

[kirsitn]

Thanks to both of you. The calligraphy was indeed written on a painting of trees in blossom. My colleague said it was a painting of cherry trees, but he's not a botanical expert, so it could probably be more or less any type of tree with pink flowers.

 

[Dublabla]

It's not at all. Actually what you asked intriqued me.

 

[BODYholic]

Thanks to both of you. The calligraphy was indeed written on a painting of trees in blossom. My colleague said it was a painting of cherry trees, but he's not a botanical expert, so it could probably be more or less any type of tree with pink flowers.

And no. It can't be any type of pink flowers.

It has to be a type of flower that withstand winter chill and blossom during spring. Traditional, Chinese loves to paint prunus mei because it signifies hope (blossom during spring time) and strength (its ability to survive through winter). This give rises to the meaning of '生春'.

Prunus Mei is also the national flower of Taiwan.