you could also just take the code of zexy's [symbol2list] object. it does exactly what you describe.
You can also use [splitfilename] with [fromsymbol] for that. my Click
Tracker (http://code.google.com/p/clicktracker/) uses exactly the 4/4,
7/8, etc. format. If you look for the subpatch [pd x/y-konv], the 4/4 to
"4 4" conversion is isolated there.
of course, a more efficient/intuitive solution would also be desirable -
as for complex manipulation of symbols in general, there is Pd still a bit
too limited.
João