数字里的吉凶密码 - The Auspicious and Inauspicious Codes in Numbers [HSK 4]

Unveiling the cultural reasons why Chinese people favor the number 8 and avoid the number 4.

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Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

小潘: Teacher Liu, my dorm building is strange. In the elevator there’s no 4th floor—it jumps from 3 to 5. Why is that?
刘娜: That’s very common in China! Because the pronunciation of 4 is similar to 'death' (死), people consider it unlucky, so many buildings avoid the number 4.
小潘: I see! Then why do I see so many shops using the number 8 in prices, like 88 yuan or 888 yuan?
刘娜: Because 8 sounds like 'fa' in 'facai' (发财, to get rich)! Chinese people believe 8 stands for wealth and good luck. For example, the 2008 Beijing Olympics opened on August 8.
小潘: Wow, even the Olympics chose that date! What about other numbers, like 6 and 9?
刘娜: 6 represents 'smooth going', and 9 represents 'long-lasting'. Online, young people say '666' to mean 'awesome', and '999' is often used to express lasting love. These cultural meanings come from similar pronunciations.
小潘: That’s so interesting! It seems learning Chinese means learning the culture behind the numbers too.
刘娜: Exactly! That’s the link between language and culture. Once you know this, you’ll understand why people care so much about number combinations in phone numbers and license plates.