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Numbers in Chinese Culture
Numbers in Chinese Cultures
China is believed to
have attached a special meaning to the arithmetic numbers. In fact,
in Chinese culture, every number has its own connotation. While some
of them are considered to be auspicious, the rest are considered to
be inauspicious to be used anywhere, on the basis of the Chinese
words that corresponds with the number name. Not every Chinese
believes in this game of superstition. The rules of numbers in
Chinese cultures cannot be applied in every case, as the
pronunciation and vocabulary often varies in different Chinese
dialects.
Chinese people who
believe in the auspiciousness of certain numbers, often attempt to
do things based on numbers considered favourable for them, such as
paying large amount of money to arrive at an auspicious number for
their phone numbers, home addresses, street addresses, floor of a
multi-storeyed building, vehicle plate number, bank account number
and so on.
Like said earlier,
each number has its own perceived quality. Number one means unity,
number two denotes easy and number three shows liveliness. However,
number four is considered a bad omen, as it denotes the fourth stage
of human existence according to the Chinese and Buddhist worldviews.
In certain parts of China, number four is considered lucky though.
Number five symbolizes the self, me and nothing. Number six stands
for easy and smooth; often used in context of salary and wages. The
Seven number represents togetherness, Eight represents sudden
fortune and Nine denotes Long period.
In China, lucky
numbers are based on Chinese words which sound analogous to other
Chinese words. All number names sounding similar to words with
positive connotations are considered auspicious, such as numbers 6,
8 and 9. Numbers like 4, 5, 6 and 7 are considered unlucky or
inauspicious in Chinese numbers. Number Seven, for example, means
spiritual or ghostly. Also, the seventh month of the Chinese
calendar is called the Ghost month. In this month, all the gates
of hell are opened for ghosts and spirits to visit the living realm.
Similarly, in case of Chinese number gestures, one
hand is used to represent natural numbers from one to ten. This
method was established in China to connect with different dialects
in spoken Chinese. For instance, numbers 4 and 10 are difficult to
differentiate in a few Chinese dialects. Many Chinese business
people also used it during the bargaining process while seeking for
privacy in a public place.
Copyright 2008, BB Automacao Inc.,
New York, USA. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any format is expressly
prohibited unless our written authorization is obtained upfront.
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