About the Antithesis (3)

There are more on the gate:

福如东海，

寿比南山。

The luck likes East Sea.

The life matches South Mountain.

It means that ‘the luck’ is unlimited and the life is endless. Note, east opposite south, sea opposite mountain.

忠厚传家久，

诗书继世长。

Loyal and kindness inherit family durable.

Language and book succeed generations longer.

Between two lines of characters there may have some characters in a horizontal line, or horizontal scroll bearing called 横批. It is a summary of both sentences:

The Chinese antithesis normally have two sentences writing from top to bottom. They are regarded as a whole piece of work. The old tradition is the right one called 上半阙 or ‘the upper half 阙’ the left one called 下半阙 or ‘the lower half 阙’. Now let’s talk about what is 阙 [que]. It were two ornamental buildings in ancient time, as two towers flanked at both sides of a building in front. At that time, without any words on it, people will know that was a government building or emperor’s dwelling.