中国人为什么怕数字四?
Why is 4 unlucky in China?
Name: ________________ Date: ________
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”!