**Today is Friday the 13th**, a date often associated with bad luck in Western culture. But **have you ever wondered how other cultures view numbers and luck?**

As a lifelong student and teacher of Chinese philosophy, spirituality, history, and martial arts, who lived for 15 years in Taiwan, I've developed a deep appreciation for Chinese culture.

These traditions are an integral part of my life, and now, as a mother of two half-Taiwanese teenagers, they've become part of my family's heritage.

One fascinating aspect is their intricate system of lucky and unlucky numbers. Let's explore this:

#### Lucky and Unlucky Chinese Numbers

The Chinese are very superstitious about certain numbers due to how they sound similar to other words (homophones). This impacts many aspects of daily life, from phone numbers to building floors.

#### Unlucky Numbers:

1. **4 (四, sì)** - Most unlucky, sounds like 死 (sǐ), meaning "death"
   - Often omitted in building floors, addresses, phone numbers
   - Can lower property values if present in an address
   - Giving gifts in sets of 4 can be seen as offensive
   - In Hong Kong, some high-rise buildings omit all floor numbers containing 4

#### Lucky/Unlucky - The Number 13:

1. **13 (十三, shí sān)** - Has mixed connotations
   - Traditionally considered lucky in Chinese culture, meaning 'assured growth' or 'definitely vibrant'
   - The phrase "十三點" (shí sān diǎn) can mean "very lucky" or "just perfect"
   - However, in modern times:
     - Some consider it unlucky due to Western influence
     - Others, particularly feng shui practitioners, view it negatively because 1 + 3 = 4, and 4 is unlucky
   - In Taiwan and some Chinese-influenced areas:
     - Some buildings may omit the 13th floor, especially in newer or Western-style constructions
     - Traditional buildings or those adhering to Chinese numerology might include the 13th floor
   - Perception often depends on individual beliefs, Western influence, and specific context

#### Elevator Example:

In many Chinese-speaking regions (mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong), an elevator's "50th floor" button might actually take you to the physical 35th floor. Buildings often omit floors containing 4 (四, sì), sometimes 13 and 14 too. You might find:

- No 4th, 14th, 24th, 34th floors
- 40-49 entirely missing
- Sometimes skipping from 39th to 50th floor

This practice is widespread in areas with significant Chinese cultural influence, affecting not just residential buildings but also hotels and offices.

#### Lucky Numbers:

1. **8 (八, bā)** - Luckiest, sounds like 發 (fā), meaning "wealth" or "prosper"
   - Highly sought after in phone numbers, license plates
   - 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony started at 8:08:08 PM on 8/8/08

2. **6 (六, liù)** - Lucky, sounds like 流 (liú), meaning "flow"
   - Associated with things going smoothly
   - **666 is considered very lucky, unlike in Western culture***

3. **9 (九, jiǔ)** - Lucky, sounds like 久 (jiǔ), meaning "long-lasting"
   - Associated with the emperor in ancient China
   - Forbidden City has 9,999 rooms

4. **2 (二, èr)** - Lucky, associated with pairs and good things coming in doubles
   - Gifts often given in pairs

5. **3 (三, sān)** - Lucky, sounds like 生 (shēng), meaning "life"
   - Significant in Buddhism (Three Jewels)

#### More Lucky/Unlucky Numbers:

1. **5 (五, wǔ)** - Can be both lucky and unlucky
   - Unlucky: Sounds similar to 無 (wú), meaning "not" or "without"
   - Lucky: Associated with the Five Elements (五行, wǔ xíng) in Chinese philosophy

2. **7 (七, qī)** - Has both positive and negative connotations
   - Positive: Sounds like 起 (qǐ), meaning "start" or "rise", and 氣 (qì), meaning "vital energy"
   - Negative: The 7th month is known as the "ghost month"
   - Lucky for relationships (Chinese Valentine's Day is on the 7th day of the 7th month)

#### Some Number Combinations in Internet Slang:

- 520 (我愛你, wǒ ài nǐ) - "I love you"
- 88 (八八, bābā) - "Bye bye"
- 1314 (一生一世, yīshēng yīshì) - "Forever"
- 5201314 - "I love you forever"

These beliefs can influence major decisions, from choosing wedding dates to purchasing homes or vehicles. Some people will pay premium prices for lucky number combinations.

Learn more about Chinese numerology here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_numerology

**What's your take on numerical superstitions? Do you have any in your culture? Have you encountered these beliefs in your interactions with Chinese people or culture?** 

 Very interesting, never heard about this! 

 Friday the 13th’s reputation as an unlucky day stems from a tragic event in 1307, when King Philip IV of France, in league with Pope Clement V, ordered the arrest and execution of thousands of Knights Templar, a powerful and wealthy Christian military order.

The Templars were subjected to brutal torture, forced confessions, and eventually, execution by burning at the stake. This tragic event marked the beginning of the end for the Knights Templar, and its dark legacy has been linked to Friday the 13th’s reputation for bad luck. 

 Definitely Vibrant!! 

 **More fun with Chinese numbers** 

Spent nearly an hour researching, writing, and formatting the post above, and it really only scratches the surface of how pervasive homophonic number symbolism is in Chinese culture.

I quickly learned these Mandarin number combinations and meanings when I first moved to Taiwan, and picked up the Cantonese ones from books and my Hong Kong friends a little later on :)

***Pulled from Wikipedia, translated from Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese (what I learned and prefer). It is worth noting that some of these in Mandarin are mainly used by Mainland Chinese due to regional dialects.***

#### Number Combinations And Meanings

- **48**: Any 3 digit numbers that end with 48 sounds like "wealthy for X lifetimes", for example, 748 (pinyin: qī sì bā) sounds like "七世發" (pinyin: qī shì fā) **meaning "wealthy for 7 lifetimes**".
- **167** (Cantonese Yale: yāt luhk chāt) in Cantonese sounds like "一碌𨳍" (Cantonese Yale: yāt lūk chat), which is **a vulgar way of saying "a dick"**.
- **168** (pinyin: yī liù bā; Cantonese Yale: yāt luhk baat) sounds like "一路發" (pinyin: yī lù fā; Cantonese Yale: yāt louh faat) **meaning "fortune all the way"**.
- **250** (pinyin: èr bǎi wǔ) is usually **used to insult someone the speaker considers extremely foolish**. Alternative ways such as 兩百五 (lǐang bǎi wǔ) and 二百五十 (èr bǎi wǔ shí) do not have this meaning.
- **448** (pinyin: sì sì bā) sounds like "死先發" (pinyin: sǐ xiān fā) **meaning "wealthy on death"**.
- **514** (pinyin: wǔ yī sì) in Mandarin sounds like "我要死" (pinyin: wǒ yào sǐ; **lit. 'I want to die')**.
- **518** (pinyin: wǔ yāo bā) in Mandarin sounds like "我要發" (pinyin: wǒ yào fā) which **means "I am going to prosper"**.
- **520** (pinyin: wǔ èr líng) in Mandarin sounds similar to "我愛你" (pinyin: wǒ ài nǐ; **lit. 'I love you'**).
- **548** (Cantonese Yale: ńg sei baat) in Cantonese sounds like "唔使發"(Cantonese Yale: m̀ sái faat) **meaning "no need to be wealthy"**.
- **748** (pinyin: qī sì bā) in Mandarin sounds like "去死吧" (pinyin: qù sǐ ba; **lit. 'go die'**).
- **1314** (pinyin: yī sān yī sì; Cantonese Yale: yāt sāam yāt sei) sounds like "一生一世" (pinyin: yīshēngyīshì; Cantonese Yale: yāt sāng yāt sai; lit. 'one life one lifetime') **meaning "forever"** and is often used romantically.
- **5354** (Cantonese Yale: ńg sāam ńg sei) in Cantonese sounds like "唔生唔死" (Cantonese Yale: m̀ sāang m̀ séi) **meaning "not alive not dead"**, referring to being in a miserable state like one is almost dead.
- **7414** (七四一四, qī sì yī sì) in Mandarin is like "去死一死" (qù sǐ yī sǐ), **meaning "go die" or more literally "go die and die again"**
- **7456** (pinyin: qī sì wǔ liù) in Mandarin sounds like "氣死我了" (pinyin: qì sǐ wǒ le) **meaning "to make me angry" or "to piss me off"**.
- **9413** (pinyin: jiǔ sì yī sān; Cantonese Yale: gáu sei yāt sāam) sounds like "九死一生" (pinyin: jiǔ sǐ yī shēng; Cantonese Yale: gáu séi yāt sāang; **lit. 'nine die one live') meaning 90% chance of being dead and only 10% chance of being alive, or survived such situations (a narrow escape)**.
- **5201314** (pinyin: wǔ èr líng yī sān yī sì) in Mandarin sounds like "我愛你一生一世" (pinyin: wǒ ài nǐ yīshēngyīshì; **lit. 'I love you a lifetime'**). 

 As a Cantonese speaker, I approve of this content. 

 Best complement 🫡🙌💜 

 That is the phonetic sound of these numbers. Correct? 

 Yes, they sound similar to Chinese words 

 Love the note. Digits fascinate me seriously. 

 Thanks! That's cool. Same :) 

 This is fascinating! I didn't know about 4!!! 

nostr:nevent1qqsrk073ndwj5setp7k2g3an0pez24q6vd03q7m54wv3eg0eppwxhdgppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qgsyawyrzrttfmv4cmtx5w2m85702kdct7hv3amfrkhagpdf9cz46mgrqsqqqqqpsecpuv