Numbers were important to the ancient Chinese. They often used lucky numbers in their buildings and designs, while avoiding unlucky numbers.
The number two is lucky. A Chinese saying goes, "Good things come in pairs." The number three is considered lucky because it sounds like the Chinese word for "birth". Six, pronounced as "liu" in Chinese, means "everything goes smoothly". Eight is considered the luckiest number because the word for eight in Chinese sounds similar to the word "fd,, which means to make a lot of money, so all businessmen like it very much. Moreover, in some areas of China, people prefer to pay for a telephone number with 8 in it. The number nine is lucky because it sounds like the word for "long life". The rulers in ancient China wore nine-dragon clothes.
The number four is unlucky because it sounds like the word for "death". It is still avoided today in China. People avoid the number "four" for their phone numbers and addresses. Many buildings skip (跳过)all the floors with the number in them including 4， 14, and 24. Some high building won't even have the floors 40-49. The number fourteen is very unlucky because it sounds like "want to die" in Chinese.
Title: Numbers in China | ||
| What | Why |
Lucky numbers | Two | Good things come in(81) . |
Three | It sounds like the Chinese word for "(82) ". | |
(83) | It means "(84) goes smoothly". | |
Eight | It means "making a lot of(85) ". Some people even pay for a (86) number with 8 in it. | |
Nine | It sounds like the word for "long(87) ". | |
(88) numbers | Four, fourteen, twenty-four... | They sound like the word for "(89) ，， and are by people. |