Chinese Numbers by Chang Pat Foh
Numbers and their meaning in Chinese
1. One is always a good number because it is the first number; can mean loneliness or single
2. Two means meet; good things come in pairs
3. Three means alive; one of three essential stages, birth, marriage and death
4. Four means death
5. Five means fish; associated with the Emperor of China
6. Six means prosperous in food; a good number for business
7. Seven means straight; a good number for relationships
8. Eight means prosperous in money or rich
9. Nine means eternity or forever; long-lasting like in weddings
0 Zero means empty.
Number Combinations
4-death; if at all possible, the Chinese will avoid this number
44-Death Death, but intelligent people interpret it as no man can die twice.
48-any number ending in 48 is good:748 means you will be lucky for 7 lifetimes
124-Once you meet, you die
167-penis
168-good fortune
184-once you prosper you die
448-wealthy on death
514-I want to die
518-I am going to prosper
520-I love you
548-no need to be wealthy
1314-forever; used romantically
2424-Jumpa Mati, Jumpa Mati; to meet death
3040-Hidup kosong; empty life
5354-Neither alive nor dead; miserable
3278-in Heng Hua dialect it means to assault the private parts of a girl
7456-to make one angry
9413-close escape from death
9974-death forever
5201314-I love you forever
The Number 13
One story says a beautiful young girl fell in love with a young man. She left home with him and stayed in room 13 in a hotel. The young man did not really love her and after a few days with her, he left and never returned. The girl, while waiting for him to return, later died in room 13. After her death, her soul still remained in the room. Every time when a guest was put up in the room, they were disturbed throughout the night until a cock crowed. The Chinese believe that when the cock crows, it signifies dawn and the ghost cannot remain in the human world after dawn, or else it could not go back to the ghost’s world because the gate would be closed as soon as dawn begins. From then onwards, any hotel room with the No. 13 will have no peace. To be on the safe side, no hotel will have the #13 room.
Among Christians, the #13 is bad because it was the number of people in the room where Jesus was betrayed was 13, and it was also Friday, hence Friday the 13th. In short, #13 is not only an unwelcoming figure among the Chinese and Christians, it is also considered to be a dangerous and bad omen number.
Gambling
In many countries, there is a lottery where four, five or six numbers are selected. These numbers can be obtained by:
To buy the plate number of vehicles which met in an accident. If the vehicle is overturned, the number has to be reversed.
To buy the telephone number, bank account number of a person they think is lucky.
To buy the numbers, they dream of.
To pray at temples or tombs for good numbers.
Kong Hee Fatt Choy
Happy Year of the Rabbit
Sarawak Gazette 1985
