Numbers and Their Meanings in the Chinese Culture

People around the world have been fascinated with numbers from the earliest time. “The ancient Babylonians observed the movements of the planets, recorded them as numbers, and used them to predict eclipses and other astronomical phenomena. The priesthood of ancient Egypt used numbers to predict the flooding of the Nile.” (Ian Stewart, Britannica)

Numbers are also associated with beliefs, religions, and language. The biblical “number of the beast,” 666, is probably a good example of this practice. 666 is an equivalent of faithlessness to Christians. However, if you ask a Chinese speaker what this number means, you will be surprised to find that 666 is a popular “number word” among Chinese-speaking Internet users. It is used to show respect to someone who is highly skilled in playing games or anything else.

Their love for the number comes from the fact that “six” sounds the same as “happiness”, “smoothly”, and “skillfully”. Therefore, a reply of this number is like typing out “skillfully” three times, which shows highest degree of recognition and respect.

By understanding the meaning of this special number, you have opened the door to the meanings of the numbers in the Chinese language and culture. Their meanings lie in their homophones or similar sounds of other Chinese characters. It is especially true for Cantonese, a dialect of Chinese used in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. 0 sounds like the respectful way of saying “you”, 1 sounds almost the same as “certainly, will”; 2 is “easy” (in Cantonese) and “stupid or love”(in Mandarin Chinese),” 3 sounds like “life, birth or to do business,” 4 is a homophone for “death,” 5 sounds like “I” in ancient Chinese, 6 sounds like “happiness”, “smoothly”, and “skillfully”; 8 is similar to “prosperity,” and 9 is a homophone for “eternity or long lasting.”

The most notorious of the numbers is 4. Some buildings, such as the Bank of Trade building in Chinatown, Monterey Park, CA, have no fourth floor just because of the connotation of death (Ian Stewart, Britannica). A cell phone number that ends with 4 will probably not be liked by Chinese speakers; one that ends with 514 will sound like “I will die,” so nobody will choose it. Similarly, if you are a real estate agent, you certainly want to avoid finding a condo, an apartment, or a house with a number or address that ends with 4, such 414.

On the contrary, 6, 8, and 9 are considered auspicious. People of Chinese descent will try their best to pick these numbers for almost anything in life: stock codes, car plate numbers, telephone or cell phone numbers, room numbers, important dates (marriage date, moving date, and new business opening date, etc., on both the lunar calendar and solar calendar). You would not be surprised to find many people get married on June 6th on the lunar calendar.

Now, if you would like to know more about numbers in Chinese Culture, go ahead and check the meaning of these in the sentences below:

1) He’s really 2. / He’s too 2.

2) I love you! 5-2-0! I love you 1-3-1-4!

3) I’m not a 250. Don’t you even try to trick me!