China stops issuing license plates with 'unlucky' number '4' Man goes naked at Obama rally for $1 million SpO2 is an early indicator of COVID 19, and now you can wear it … We focused on the number 4 because 4 is pronounced as si in Chinese, which sounds like si (死, death) and many people try to avoid this unlucky number. '8' is the most favored number in modern China due to its association with wealth and luck. Or an address with the number 8 in it will be considered lucky. Learn more in the Cambridge English-Chinese simplified Dictionary. (Photo by Stephan Schulz/picture alliance via Getty Images) In the strangest of years, today marks the last Friday the 13th of 2020. So, gifts are given in even numbers for the celebration of all occasions. To add, gifting money or any object that has the digit 4 (40 or 14 RMB) associated with it is considered inauspicious. It is similar to the word that means everlasting. We focused on the number 4 because 4 is pronounced si 四 in Chinese, which sounds like si (死, death) and many people try to avoid this unlucky number. The number 4 (四, pinyin: sì; Cantonese Yale: sei) is considered an unlucky number in Chinese because it is nearly homophonous to the word "death" (死 pinyin: sǐ; Cantonese Yale: séi). 12 is a perfect number, so 13 must be unlucky. We're a passionate team of one hundred avid travelers who love to share our knowledge People will go to extremes based on superstitions of the number 4. To a lesser extent 2, 6, and 9 are considered lucky. Thus, some buildings in East Asia omit floors and room numbers containing 4, similar to the Western practice of some buildings not having a 13th floor because 13 is considered unlucky. Because eight is a lucky number in China, we fly eights to China. In case 13 makes you nervous, here are five other numbers to avoid. Seven is also seen as a lucky number for relationships. 二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) is the literal way to say 250 in Chinese but people instead say 'lǐang bǎi wǔ'. For traditional Chinese weddings, decorations often include the word 囍 (shuāng xǐ), which is a combination of two of the word 喜 (xǐ) , meaning “happiness”. 10. In China, the fourth of the month is considered unlucky as the word for four in chinese sounds similar to death. Meanwhile, Spanish people find Tuesday the 13th unlucky … This is often combined with 520 to get 5201314, or “I love you forever”. While ghosts may be seen as omens, the ghost festival in the 7th month is widely celebrated. Let us know in the comments! This gate contains 5 arches. is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. In China, the presence of the number 4 is avoided in most public settings; in addition to elevator buttons, addresses, ID numbers, phone numbers, license plates, and product names will usually omit the number 4 for fear of being attached to bad luck. “The number eight is lucky for China,” says Quayle at United. This is because many buildings in China not only omit the 13th floor, but are also missing any floor containing the number 4, which is considered to be the unluckiest number in Chinese culture. "Bamian chunfeng" (八面春风 '8 sides spring wind'), i.e. There are two ways of pronouncing the number one in Chinese. In the Beijing summer Olympics, the opening ceremony began at 8:08 pm on 8/8/08. 4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. Similarly in Spain, Friday the 13th isn’t feared but instead, Tuesday the 13th is seen as an unlucky date. Number 8 holds huge significance as a lucky number. These eight directions are also used to explain individual destiny, as in Bazi (八字), a Chinese fortune-telling method that depicts one's life course according to the trigram of one's date of birth. The number 2The Chinese strongly believe in harmony and balance, hence even numbers naturally gain preference over odd numbers. 555 (wǔ wǔ wǔ) - 555 represents 呜呜呜 (wū wū wū), which is the sound of crying. Most Asian countries do not consider 13 to be an unlucky number, but rather China, Japan, and Korea traditionally see the number 4 as being a very unlucky number. 4 is the most unlucky number in China. It's 4 that's unlucky in China: In Asia, 13 is just another number. A popular Chinese idiom, 六六大顺 (liù liù dà shùn), means that things will go smoothly. Unlike in western culture where 666 is associated with the devil, multiples of 6 is good in Chinese culture. Loyalty Mobile numbers are preferred if they contain one or more 8s. their way. In 2008, there were 170 million new-borns, 5 million more than 2007, making a record since early 1990s. But in other countries, different numbers are thought to be just as unlucky. For the positive side, 七 sounds like both 起 (qǐ), which means “start” or “rise”, and also 气 (qì), which means “vital energy”. For good fengshui, you can read more about China's Five Element Philosophy and the significant numbers associated with each element: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. As well as these general number superstitions, fengshui and the Chinese zodiac dictate different number luck for different places/people. The opening ceremony commenced exactly at 8 minutes and 8 seconds past 8 pm on the 8th August, the 8th month of the 8th year of the 21st century. Number 8 holds huge significance as a lucky number. But four is an unlucky number, so we make a point not to do that. Did you know that if you press a Chinese elevator button to go to the 50th floor of a building, you may actually only be going to the 35th floor? Strings of numbers are used to represent different phrases: 520 (wǔ èr líng) - 520 is used for 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ), which means " I love you" in Chinese. The Chinese love this number both in trivial matters and in big moments. Many of the numbers are homophones or near-homophones of other words and have therefore acquired superstitious meanings. "Bamian laicai." © 1998-2020 China Highlights — Discovery Your Way! Many businesses display the number 6 to bring good fortune. Car number plates containing 8 would be sold at higher prices than regular ones. Within that, revenue coming from China is now nearly 10% of the pie, Yahoo Finance has learned. In Chinese mythology, it is said that the Dragon has 9 children. We have flight 8 which is San Francisco to Chengdu. Especially in Chinese culture. In Chinese history, the number 5 is used in many classifications, such as five flavors (pungent, sweet, sour, salty, bitter), five sacred mountains (Huashan, Hengshan in Hunan, Hengshan in Shanxi, Songshan and Taishan) and so on. The Chinese also use numbers with homophones for internet slang. New ventures or contracts are signed on dates that have 6 in them. No. The most-visited Great Wall section is called, The word "pagoda" means '8-sided tower' (八角塔 bajiaota) and there are many to see in China, including the very old. Several buildings either don’t have a 13 th floor or 13 th room. In modern China, '8' is associated with wealth. China Highlights tailor-makes China tours to help travelers discover China 'Eight' (八) in Chinese is pronounced 'ba' and sounds similar to fa (发, trad. While the Chinese will go to great lengths to avoid 4 in daily life, they will try to incorporate 8 wherever they can. This was in expectation of winning the most out of this global competition and gain success for the country. No. Three is pronounced 'san' which is similar to the word that means 'to part ways'. Sometimes Chinese people prefer texting this to each other as opposed to saying the phrase, "I love you.". 6 (六), pronounced liu, is considered lucky as it sounds like the word that means 'to flow', and can indicate smooth progress in life. The emperor's robes had nine dragons on them, officials were organized in nine ranks, and the Forbidden City is known to have a total of 9,999 and a half rooms. Houses and apartments that have 4 in the address number will sell for much less than ones without. Let’s explore some of the most common, and see just why those numbers came to be so unlucky. How can a number be attached to so much superstition and meaning. According to I Ching (易经), the bagua (八卦), or the eight trigrams, are the foundation that generates everything. This is observed in repeated characters in some brand names or gifts. She is fully fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and has always been fascinated with exploring her Taiwanese heritage. 250 is half a jin so is equated with 'half brain'. The above captures all you should know about lucky numbers. It also means well-off. red envelopes and other forms of gifting. In business, 6 is considered lucky. 88 (bā bā) - 88 is commonly used when signing off, to represent “bye bye”. Chinese New Year Food: Top 7 Lucky Foods and Symbolism. In China, the number four is considered to be unlucky as … Many decorations for celebrations come in pairs, and gifts are also given in even numbers. Chinese' fondness for 8 can be seen even in small things such as number plates. 4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. Forget Unlucky 13. The characters 發春 (发春 fachun /faa chwnn/ 'to develop (wealth) + spring') are popularly displayed at Chinese New Year, expressing wishes for increasing wealth in the coming year. Meanwhile, Spanish people find Tuesday the … Chinese couples also want to catch this number for their babies. Alternatively, you can check out a great feature on our site that lets you create your own trip. (Eight is a particularly auspicious number in Chinese culture.) 4: In China, … 9 is the highest single digit number and hence represents completeness. Since 五 sounds similar to 无 (wú), which means “not” or “without” in Chinese, it can be viewed as bad luck. Historians believe superstition surrounding the number 13 began in the 17th century, though they can't identify one singular event that sparked its bad reputation. ", TutorMing Chinese Language and Culture Blog. This fact was very amusing to me, when I first came to know about this. 4 is the most unlucky number in China. 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