Numbers and Meanings in Chinese Culture

Numbers play a significant role in Chinese culture. In China, whether a number is considered lucky or not, their special meanings are often related to the pronunciation of the numbers. If the number sounds similar to a positive word, then it is considered lucky and vice versa.

2 èr

Chinese people believe “Good things come in pairs.” The number 2 has the meaning of “double”, “pair”, so it is an auspicious number in Chinese culture.

However, the number 2 doesn’t always mean "good". In some parts of China, mostly in the north, 2, as well as the number 250 (èr bǎi wǔ) have the meaning of being stupidity. When you hear people call you “èr” or “èr bǎi wǔ”, it is never a praise. Having said that, 2 is not quite an insulting word. Close friends in China often use this word to make fun of each other.

4 sì

The number 4 is a number that every Chinese wants to get away from. Chinese people specially don’t like the number 4(sì), because it is a homophone of the Chinese character 死(sǐ), which means “to die” in Chinese. It is one of the top 8 Chinese taboos you must know.

6 liù

6 is a very lucky number in Chinese. It has the meaning of being “auspicious” in Chinese culture. In China, there is a Chinese idiom called “六六大顺 (liù liù dà shùn)”, which means “Everything comes in a smooth way.” And Chinese people will hold a very grand party to celebrate the 60th birthday of the old.

8 bā

The pronunciation of the number 8 is “bā”, very close to the Chinese character “发(fā)” as in “发财(fā cái)”, which means “to become wealthy.” People in China traditionally associate fortune with the number “Eight”. To illustrate how highly the number 8 is favored, the telephone number 8888-8888 was sold for a sum corresponding to USD $270,723 in Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan Province. And the Summer Olympics in Beijing opened its ceremony on the August 8th (08/08/08), at precisely 8 minutes and 8 seconds past 8 PM Beijing time!

9 jiǔ

The number 9 is yet another lucky number, because it has exactly the same pronunciation as the Chinese character “久(jiǔ)”, which has the meaning of “everlasting”. For example, on Valentine’s Day, a man would express his love by presenting 9999 roses to his girl to show that his love towards her is everlasting.

520 wǔ èr línɡ

Another romantic word is 520, in which 5 sounds close to “我(wǒ)” meaning “I”, 2 sounds close to “爱(ài)” meaning “love”, and 0 sounds close to “你(nǐ)” meaning “you”. And to express how much you love that person, you can add 1314, which has very similar pronunciation to “一生一世 (yì shēnɡ yí shì)” meaning “a lifetime”. So all together, 5201314 means “I love you for my whole life.”

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