A man in Hangzhou listed his license plate, A8888, for $140,000 online. Chinese culture puts emphasis on family and strong, healthy children, so 生 has a positive connotation. When a couple gets engaged, the man customarily offers a gift to the girl's family which is usually money (RMB 6,666 and such) and this gift signifies a harmonious life for the couple. red envelopes and other forms of gifting. (Photo by Stephan Schulz/picture alliance via Getty Images) In the strangest of years, today marks the last Friday the 13th of 2020. Many businesses display the number 6 to bring good fortune. Here's an image of the elevator for even-numbered floors where number 4 is not mentioned at all. People will go to extremes based on superstitions of the number 4. An instance is the Tiananmen Gate which is the main entry to the Forbidden City. The number 6 is generally considered to be lucky in China because 六 sounds like 流 (liú), which means "flow" in Chinese. Unlike in western culture where 666 is associated with the devil, multiples of 6 is good in Chinese culture. The Chinese have a long-standing animosity towards the number 4, which, in Chinese, sounds like the word for "death". TutorGroup offers TutorMing for Chinese learning. We have flight 8 which is San Francisco to Chengdu. Most of the babies were born around August (the 8th month). The Chinese have many superstitions about numbers, often related to similar-sounding words in the Chinese language, which are called, texting this to each other as opposed to saying the phrase, "I love you. Broadly speaking, the number 8 is associated with wealth, success, and status. The Qixi Festival (七夕節), also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the 7th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar. As well as these general number superstitions, fengshui and the Chinese zodiac dictate different number luck for different places/people. 250 is half a jin so is equated with 'half brain'. China Highlights tailor-makes China tours to help travelers discover China 4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. 9 (久), pronounced jiu, is a popular number, much like 6 and 8. 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. there is a high preference for numbers with 8 in them. It is common to gift your beloved 99 roses on Valentine's Day in China. ", TutorMing Chinese Language and Culture Blog. '8' is the most favored number in modern China due to its association with wealth and luck. 4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. Several buildings either don’t have a 13 th floor or 13 th room. Sometimes Chinese people prefer texting this to each other as opposed to saying the phrase, "I love you.". It also means well-off. 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture because 八 sounds like 發 (fa), which means “wealth”, “fortune”, and “prosper” in Chinese. In business, 6 is considered lucky. Let us know in the comments! As well as these general number superstitions, fengshui and the Chinese zodiac dictate different number luck for different places/people. 7 may also be considered unlucky because 七 sounds like 欺 , meaning “cheat”. For example, an apartment on the eighth floor will be most coveted in that entire building. "Bamian laicai." At the same time, the number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese culture because it sounds like the Chinese word for death. Meanwhile, Spanish people find Tuesday the … 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. This was in expectation of winning the most out of this global competition and gain success for the country. Let’s explore some of the most common, and see just why those numbers came to be so unlucky. The world is filled with “unlucky” numbers. People will go to extremes based on superstitions of the number 4. 7 (七), pronounced qi/ chi, is a number that symbolizes togetherness and harmony as its is considered to be the union of yin, yang and the five elements (described above) in Confucianism. In the Beijing summer Olympics, the opening ceremony began at 8:08 pm on 8/8/08. For example: Maybe the best example that shows how Chinese love the number 8 is the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In fact, the Chinese are so superstitious about numbers, that they will often spend big money for "lucky numbers" in their life. London (CNN)Two hapless burglars have been arrested in the UK after accidentally pocket-dialing the police during their crime. facai 发财), meaning "well-off" or "getting rich in a short time". 發, i.e. 9 is the highest single digit number and hence represents completeness. In China, the fourth of the month is considered unlucky as the word for four in Chinese sounds similar to death. Thus 8 is said to invite great wealth. This is usually because it has the same pronunciation as the word for death in Chinese. 'Eight' (八) in Chinese is pronounced 'ba' and sounds similar to fa (发, trad. 3 (三), pronounced san, is considered lucky due to its similarity in sound to the word that means birth. Businesses will also repeat words in names and slogans, hoping to bring good luck. (八面来財 '8 sides coming wealth'), for example, means wealth coming from all corners of the world. spring wind from eight directions, expresses the wish that one gets luck wherever s/he goes, or whatever s/he is working on. For lucky numbers, even if the numbers are a combination of the lucky digits stated below, it is deemed to be lucky for the respective zodiac. Because eight is a lucky number in China, we fly eights to China. Like 5, 7 has both positive and negative connotations in Chinese culture. The Eight Directions (Bafang 八方) represent the whole universe in Taoist spatial conception. But in other countries, different numbers are thought to be just as unlucky. But four is an unlucky number, so we make a point not to do that. Not only is that the case, but Chinese people will specifically avoid unlucky numbers during big holidays, such as Chinese New Year, or before a big exam like the SAT or Gaokao. 9 was also traditionally associated with the Chinese emperor. Celebrations come in pairs, and TutorABCJr things will go to extremes based on of! Month ) 三 sounds similar to death. and have therefore acquired superstitious meanings harmony and balance, hence numbers. 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