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Can someone please tell me what it says on this dish. The other character is under a chair I'm keeping an eye on to purchase.

Your brass tray is stylistically Chinese and looks to be late 20th century, perhaps 3rd quarter. Its center depicts Shoulao, the God of Longevity", standing with his staff against a stylized "shou" (long life) character, with a red "lei" (lightning) fret circling within the outer rim. Between the fret and shou character are two idiomatic blessings, each written in four hollow red characters. The one at the right reads to its right as "Fu ru Dong-hai" (福如東海) - literally "May your happiness have the capacity of the Eastern Sea", while the one at left reads to its left as "Shou bi Nan-shan" (壽比南山" - literally "May your longevity match that of the Southern Mountains", or simply "Long may you live".

In the view shown, that single brushed-on character looks something like a calligraphic 字 (Zi - meaning word or character), but in a bit discombobulated form. As such, my guess here may be wrong. Other contributors perhaps can make the call.

Best regards,

Bill H.

As always, thank you very much for the responses.

壽比南山、福如東海
May you live to be as old as the Southern Mountain, and your happiness be as vast as the Eastern Sea (Birthday congratulations to an elderly person)
宇　－　Yu 　（House. Building)

With regards,
I.Nagy

This is the chair with the character on the bottom.

The chair has the form of some 19th century "Qing Chairs", but yours looks like it might have been refinished (or perhaps the gleam is just a fresh rubbing down with oil?).

Bill H.

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