# Chinese Character Help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988 "2009-01-26T00:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/1 "2009-01-26T00:40:16Z")
There is a [ship](http://www.ship-hunters.be/Images/Categorie/Combi/Fotopages/Hebei%20Treasure.htm)docked in Portland called the Hebei Treasure, but the characters for treasure don’t seem to match what I would think they should. The last character looks like “fu” and I don’t recognize the 3rd character. Help? ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/2 "2009-01-26T00:53:43Z")
The characters are: 河北幸福 Hébĕi Xìngfú Meaning: Hebei Happiness ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/3 "2009-01-26T00:59:27Z")
Damn, beaten to it. BUT, neat tip here. Whenever I get something like this, I use the awesome Flash Chinese character recognition application at [http://www.nciku.com/](http://www.nciku.com/) Bookmark that: it’s invaluable. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/4 "2009-01-26T01:44:29Z")
Thank you both. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/5 "2009-01-26T02:08:41Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Damn, beaten to it. > > BUT, neat tip here. Whenever I get something like this, I use the awesome Flash Chinese character recognition application at [http://www.nciku.com/](http://www.nciku.com/) > > Bookmark that: it’s invaluable. There’s a similar feature built into Windows if you have East Asian language support installed. When I’m faced with a problem character I usually prefer to use [WWWJDIC’s multiradical kanji search](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1R) instead, though. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/6 "2009-01-26T03:04:08Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Damn, beaten to it. > > BUT, neat tip here. Whenever I get something like this, I use the awesome Flash Chinese character recognition application at [http://www.nciku.com/](http://www.nciku.com/) > > Bookmark that: it’s invaluable. Jimm is literally correct. no one would argue that ‘treasure’ would be out of context for a translation to capture the spirit. A tradng ship represents treasure/wealth/happiness etc. In english, treasure is not out of context.. this is a japanese site and YMMV with Chinese meanings. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/7 "2009-01-26T03:10:25Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > this is a japanese site and YMMV with Chinese meanings. Looks like a Chinese site to me… ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-character-help/482988/8 "2009-01-27T08:14:17Z")
I stand corrected, man do I need new contacts or what. Not sure what I typed in but it wasn’t [LINE Dictionary : English-Thai, Chinese-English, English-Chinese Dictionary](http://www.nciku.com/:smack:)