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Number is an important tool in accessing Chinese culture. Knowing the implicit meanings behind numbers will not only help you explain some unique situations in Chinese society but will also lead you to the wellspring of ancient Chinese wisdom.
Chinese Lucky Numbers
Numbers in China range between auspicious and ominous mainly depending on the similarity between its pronunciation and that of another word which carries a positive or negative connotation. For example, the most commonly used Chinese New Year lucky numbers are 6 and 8, because 6 is similar to “溜 liu” in Chinese, meaning “smooth”, so 66 means “everything goes well”; 8 is lucky as well because its pronunciation is similar to that of the word “发 fa” in “发财” , which means to make a fortune. Chinese luckiest numbers are 2, 6, 8,9 .
| Number |
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese |
一
|
二
|
三
|
四
|
五
|
六
|
七
|
八
|
九
|
| Pronunciation |
yī
|
èr
|
sān
|
sì
|
wǔ
|
liù
|
qī
|
bā
|
jiǔ
|
| Lucky or Not |
Neutral
|
Lucky
|
Neutral
|
Unlucky
|
Neutral
|
Lucky
|
Unlucky
|
Lucky
|
Lucky
|
2 Uses in China
2, pronounced “er”, is considered lucky because “all good things come in pairs”. The theory of Chinese Feng Shui posits that the TWO features yin and yang are complementary forces of all things in the world. Among young people in China, the number two has become a popular adjective to describe frank, innocent, reckless personality. They believe “er” reflects a positive attitude towards life.
►In a traditional Chinese wedding, the new couple’s house and the restaurant will be decorated with 囍 paper-cuts, symbolizing double-luck.
►“Er bai wu” is Chinese for “two hundred and fifty”. On most occasions, it is not used to praise, but to refer to someone as stupid. This is unrelated, however, to the general luckiness of the number 2.
6 Uses in China
6 is pronounced “liu” in Mandarin Chinese, and this sounds like the Mandarin Chinese word meaning “flowing, smooth, or frictionless”. Therefore, the number 6 has the meaning of “everything will go smoothly” and is considered lucky especially where it occurs in multiples. In feng shui, the number 6 represents authority and power.
8 Uses in China
8 is considered the luckiest lucky in Chinese culture, because as mentioned above, in Mandarin Chinese, the pronunciation of “eight” is close to that of the phrase meaning “to make a fortune”. The number 8 is also uniquely symmetric, and when laid on its side, resembles the Greek symbol for infinity.
9 Uses in China
9 is considered especially propitious. This is partly due to the fact that the pronunciation of “nine” is close to that of the word “long-lasting” in Chinese. So the couples would be glad to get wedding gifts containing the number 9, like a bouquet of 99 roses, which has an auspicious meaning of “have a long-lasting happy life together”.
►In feng shui, 9 is highest on the number scale and represents the “ultimate masculinity”. It used to symbolize the supreme sovereignty of the emperor. So 9 or some multiple of 9 were often used in imperial house designs, like the 9,999 rooms in the Fobidden City.
Chinese Lucky Number Combinations
Chinese people love to use lucky number combinations to express their wishes or emotions.
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