中国人为什么怕数字四？
Why is 4 unlucky in China?
Name: ________________ Date: ________
在中国坐电梯，你可能会发现一件怪事：按钮上有一、二、三，接着就是五，偏偏没有四。有的楼连十四层、二十四层也一起不见了。四楼去哪儿了？其实它一直都在，只是换了个名字，叫“五楼”。
原因就在发音上。“四”听起来很像“死”，一个是第四声，一个是第三声，只差一个声调。很多人可不想每天下班回到“死楼”，所以有些楼干脆把这个数字跳了过去。
有人怕四，就有人爱八。“八”听起来像“发财”的“发”，而发财就是赚大钱。2003年，成都拍卖了一个电话号码，一共八个数字，每一个都是八。结果，四川航空花了两百三十三万元，把它买了下来。车牌也是一样。在广东东莞，像“一六八”这样的车牌很受欢迎，因为听起来像“一路发”，也就是一路发财。
北京奥运会更有意思，开幕式定在2008年8月8日晚上8点，到处都是八。据报道，光北京就有一万多对情侣在这一天结婚。
六和九也是好数字。有一种说法是，“六”听起来像“流水”的“流”，事情就像流水一样顺。人们常说六六大顺，意思是事事顺利。“九”和“久”同音。有人表白时会送九十九朵玫瑰，就是希望两个人的爱天长地久。
数字还会说话。“五二零”听起来像“我爱你”，于是五月二十日成了“网络情人节”。2016年的这一天，微信专门把红包上限从两百元提高到五百二十元，让大家都能把“我爱你”发出去。商店也会用这一招。有研究发现，中文广告里以八结尾的价格特别多，比如八十八元，以四结尾的却很少见。
最后提醒一句：如果有一天中国朋友在网上发给你一句“八八”，先别高兴得太早。对方不是祝你发财，只是在说：拜拜！
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 接着 | jiēzhe | next; then; after that |
| 原因 | yuányīn | cause; reason |
| 死 | sǐ | to die; dead |
| 数字 | shùzì | number; digit; figure |
| 赚 | zhuàn | to earn; to make a profit; profit |
| 结果 | jiéguǒ | as a result; in the end; result; outcome |
| 光 | guāng | light; ray |
| 说法 | shuōfǎ | version; account; view |
| 流 | liú | to flow; current; stream |
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly; successfully; smooth; without a hitch |
| 专门 | zhuānmén | specially; especially; specialized; special |
| 红包 | hóngbāo | red envelope (gift of money); digital red packet (on apps) |
English (for the teacher)
Take a lift in China and you might notice something odd: the buttons go one, two, three, then straight to five, with no four. In some buildings, the 14th and 24th floors have vanished too. So where did the fourth floor go? It never left; it just goes by another name: “the fifth floor”.
The reason is all in the sound. Sì, “four”, sounds a lot like sǐ, “death”: one is fourth tone, the other third tone, and only the tone differs. Plenty of people would rather not come home from work to the “death floor” every day, so some buildings simply skip the number.
Where some people fear four, others love eight. Bā, “eight”, sounds like the fā in fācái, and fācái means making a fortune. In 2003, Chengdu auctioned a phone number: eight digits, and every one of them an eight. In the end, Sichuan Airlines paid 2.33 million yuan for it. Licence plates are no different. In Dongguan, in Guangdong, plates like 168 are popular, because it sounds like yí lù fā, in other words “getting rich all the way”.
The Beijing Olympics went further: the opening ceremony was set for 8 August 2008 at 8 in the evening, with eights everywhere. According to reports, more than ten thousand couples got married that day in Beijing alone.
Six and nine are good numbers too. One explanation goes that liù, “six”, sounds like liú, as in liúshuǐ, “flowing water”, so things go as smoothly as flowing water. People often say liù liù dà shùn, meaning “may everything go smoothly”. Jiǔ, “nine”, sounds exactly like jiǔ, “long-lasting”. Some people give 99 roses when they declare their love, hoping it will last forever.
Numbers can talk, too. 520, wǔ èr líng, sounds like wǒ ài nǐ, “I love you”, so 20 May became “Internet Valentine’s Day”. On that day in 2016, WeChat raised its red-packet limit from 200 yuan to 520, just so everyone could send an “I love you”. Shops use the trick too. One study found that prices in Chinese adverts end in eight remarkably often, like 88 yuan, and rarely in four.
One last tip: if a Chinese friend ever messages you “88”, don’t get excited too soon. They aren’t wishing you a fortune, just saying “bye-bye”!