In fact, at the winter Olympics in Turin, the 17th curve on the bobsled track was referred to as “Senza Nome” (without name) instead of referring to it with the unlucky number 17. unlucky translate: 不幸的，不走运的，倒霉的. Here's an image of the elevator for even-numbered floors where number 4 is not mentioned at all. 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. A popular Chinese idiom, 六六大顺 (liù liù dà shùn), means that things will go smoothly. In China, the fourth of the month is considered unlucky as the word for four in Chinese sounds similar to death. Her other interests include reading, sewing, and educational outreach. Attractions, China (八面来財 '8 sides coming wealth'), for example, means wealth coming from all corners of the world. Number 8 holds huge significance as a lucky number. Where East Asian and Western cultures blend, such as in Hong Kong, it is possible in some buildings that th… While we have covered all the Chinese Zodiac signs in more detail, in this piece, we want to leave you with the numeric significance for each sign - read on and see which are your lucky colors and which aren't. 12 is a perfect number, so 13 must be unlucky. 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. Contact us to know more!! In 2008, there were 170 million new-borns, 5 million more than 2007, making a record since early 1990s. Most of the babies were born around August (the 8th month). Learn more in the Cambridge English-Chinese simplified Dictionary. While ghosts may be seen as omens, the ghost festival in the 7th month is widely celebrated. The Chinese have many superstitions about numbers, often related to similar-sounding words in the Chinese language, which are called homophones. In China, lucky numbers have pronunciations that are similar to words with lucky meanings. Interestingly, you will notice this in building elevators which usually omit this number. Additionally, this number represents the three stages in the life of humans - birth, marriage, death - that adds to its importance in Chinese culture. The number 13 has been known for centuries to be “unlucky” but why? However, the number is also associated with positivity because many Chinese traditional philosophical concepts revolve around the number 5, such as the five elements 五行 (wǔ xíng), which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui, martial arts, and even music. The 7th month is also known as the “ghost month” in China, where ghosts and spirits are believed to rise from hell to visit earth. facai 发财), meaning "well-off" or "getting rich in a short time". 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. This fact was very amusing to me, when I first came to know about this. 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. 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. According to I Ching (易经), the bagua (八卦), or the eight trigrams, are the foundation that generates everything. For example, an apartment on the eighth floor will be most coveted in that entire building. People will go to extremes based on superstitions of the number 4. 4 is the most unlucky number in China. The above captures all you should know about lucky numbers. Chinese culture puts emphasis on family and strong, healthy children, so 生 has a positive connotation. But in other countries, different numbers are thought to be just as unlucky. 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture because 八 sounds like 發 (fa), which means “wealth”, “fortune”, and “prosper” in Chinese. Do you avoid unlucky numbers? While the Chinese will go to great lengths to avoid 4 in daily life, they will try to incorporate 8 wherever they can. Either you say yi or yao. In 2014, two number plates with "8888" were sold for RMB 12 million and RMB 17.2 million separately in Zhengzhou and Shenzhen, an amazingly high price. The number 3 can be unlucky as well depending on the situation and use. Many decorations for celebrations come in pairs, and gifts are also given in even numbers. TutorGroup offers TutorMing for Chinese learning. China Highlights tailor-makes China tours to help travelers discover China There are two ways of pronouncing the number one in Chinese. Unlike in western culture where 666 is associated with the devil, multiples of 6 is good in Chinese culture. © 1998-2020 China Highlights — Discovery Your Way! This factor cascades down to the way products are priced in China as opposed to other countries and the cash amounts presented in red envelopes and other forms of gifting. 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 … So if you … 10. How can a number be attached to so much superstition and meaning. 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. It is common to gift your beloved 99 roses on Valentine's Day in China. Since the number 8 is believed to bring good luck, many airlines in Chinese-speaking countries will use combinations of 8 as flight numbers. As many of you know, 13 is a dangerous number in the U.S. 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. Three is pronounced 'san' which is similar to the word that means 'to part ways'. Car number plates containing 8 would be sold at higher prices than regular ones. Chinese is a tonal language with a comparatively small inventory of permitted syllables, resulting in an exceptionally large number of homophone words. At birthday and wedding celebrations, the number 9 is welcome as it represents longevity. 三 sounds similar to 生, which means “life” or “to give birth” in Chinese. 4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. 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. She decided to go to University of California, Berkeley to get her degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. So, gifts are given in even numbers for the celebration of all occasions. 4 is well known to be an unlucky number because 四 sounds similar to 死 (sǐ), which means "death" in Chinese. In business, 6 is considered lucky. In Chinese mythology, it is said that the Dragon has 9 children. The number 5 is associated with both good luck and bad luck depending on context. An instance is the Tiananmen Gate which is the main entry to the Forbidden City. In China, it is customary to regard even numbers as being more auspicious than odd ones. People will go to extremes based on superstitions of the number 4. Meanwhile, Spanish people find Tuesday the 13th unlucky … The Chinese have a long-standing animosity towards the number 4, which, in Chinese, sounds like the word for "death". If a person is to celebrate their 66th birthday, that is a grand occasion. Sometimes Chinese people prefer texting this to each other as opposed to saying the phrase, "I love you.". No. & Referral Program. However, we should be mindful of some unlucky numbers as well when in China. Copyright © 2017 TutorMing Chinese Language and Culture Blog. This is observed in repeated characters in some brand names or gifts. Let's consider the number 14 first. The number 250 is another set of digits that is used as an insult to call someone foolish or mock their intelligence in informal language. For English learning, it offers VIPABC, TutorABC, and TutorABCJr. This is usually because it has the same pronunciation as the word for death in Chinese. 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