Chinese Numerology

In Chinese tradition, certain numbers are believed by some to be auspicious (吉利, pinyin: jílì; Cantonese Yale: gātleih) or inauspicious (不利, pinyin: bùlì; Cantonese Yale: bātleih) based on the Chinese word that the number sounds similar to. The numbers 6, 8 and 9 are generally considered to be auspicious, while 4 and 7 are considered inauspicious.

Zero

The number 0 (零, pinyin: líng) is the beginning of all things and is generally considered a good number.

One

The number 1 (一, pinyin: yī; Cantonese Yale: yāt) is neither auspicious nor inauspicious. It is a number given to winners to indicate the first place. But it can also symbolize loneliness or being single. For example: November 11th is the Singles' Day in China, as the date has four ‘1’ which stand for singles.

Two

The number 2 (二 or 兩, pinyin: èr or liăng) is most often considered a good number in Chinese culture. There is a Chinese saying: "good things come in pairs". It is common to repeat characters in product brand names, such as the character 喜 (pinyin: xĭ; Cantonese Yale: héi; literally: "joy"), can be repeated to form the character 囍 (pinyin: shuāng xĭ; Cantonese Yale: sēung héi; literally: "double joy"). In Cantonese, 2 (二 or 兩, Cantonese Yale: yih or léuhng) is homophone with the characters for "easy" (易, Cantonese Yale: yih) and "bright" (亮, Cantonese Yale: leuhng).

Three

The number 3 (三, pinyin: sān; Cantonese Yale: sāam) sounds like 生 (pinyin: shēng; Cantonese Yale: sāang), which means "to live" or "life" so it's considered a good number. It is significant since it is one of three important stages in a person’s life (birth, marriage and death).

Four

Numbers 4, 13 and 14 are omitted in some Chinese buildings.

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). 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.) Where East Asian and Western cultures blend, such as in Hong Kong, it is possible in some buildings that the thirteenth floor along with all the floors with 4s to be omitted. Thus a building whose top floor is numbered 100 would in fact have just seventy-nine floors.

Five

The number 5 (五, pinyin: wǔ; Cantonese Yale: ńg) sounds like "not" in Mandarin (無, pinyin: wú; literally: "not") and Cantonese (唔, Cantonese Yale: m̀; literally: "not").

Five is also associated with the five elements (Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, and Metal) in Chinese philosophy, and in turn was historically associated with the Emperor of China. For example, the Tiananmen gate, being the main thoroughfare to the Forbidden City, has five arches.

Six

The number 6 (六, pinyin: liù) in Mandarin sounds like "to flow" (流, pinyin: liú), therefore six is considered a good number for business. But in Cantonese, 6 (Cantonese Yale: luhk) sounds like "to go down" or "decline" (落, Cantonese Yale: lohk).

Seven

The number 7 (七, pinyin: qī) in Mandarin sounds like "even" in Mandarin (齊, pinyin: qí), so it is a good number for relationships. It also sounds like "arise" (起, pinyin: qǐ) and "life essence" (氣, pinyin: qì) in Mandarin. Seven can also be considered an unlucky number since the 7th month (July) is a "ghost month". It also sounds like "to deceive" (欺, pinyin: qī) in Mandarin. In Cantonese, 7 (Cantonese Yale: chāt) sounds like 𨳍 (Cantonese Yale: chat), which is a vuger word of saying "penis".

Eight

The number 8 (八, pinyin: bā; Cantonese Yale: baat) sounds like "發" (pinyin: fā; Cantonese Yale: faat; literally: "to prosper"). There is also a visual resemblance between 88 and 囍 (pinyin: shuāng xĭ; Cantonese Yale: sēung héi; literally: "double joy"), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters 喜 (pinyin: xĭ; Cantonese Yale: héi; literally: "joy").

The number 8 is viewed as such an auspicious number that even being assigned a number with several eights is considered very lucky.

Nine

The number 9 (九, pinyin: jiŭ; Cantonese Yale: gáu) was historically associated with the Emperor of China, and the number was frequently used in matters relating to the Emperor, before the establishment of the imperial examinations officials were organized in the nine-rank system, the nine bestowments were rewards the Emperor made for officials of extraordinary capacity and loyalty, while the nine familial exterminations was one of the harshest punishments the Emperor sentenced; the Emperor's robes often had nine dragons, and Chinese mythology held that the dragon has nine children. Also, the number 9 sounds like "long lasting" (久, pinyin: jiŭ; Cantonese Yale: gáu), so it is often used in weddings.

Combinations

See also

References

  1. ↑ "China's 'lucky' phone number". BBC News. 2003-08-13. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Patriot games: China makes its point with greatest show" by Richard Williams, The Guardian, published August 9, 2008
  3. ↑ Chang, Andrew (25 May 2015). "Treasury Has a Hit With 'Prosperity Notes'". ABC News. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Boeing, Xiamen Airlines Celebrate Milestone 8,888th 737 Delivery". Boeing. 28 Jan 2016.
  5. ↑ "Dragon Fish Industry Photo Gallery 13". Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Arowana King & Platinium Xback". Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Moy, Patsy; Yiu, Derek (22 October 2009). "Raising the roof over developer's tall story". The Standard.
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