Lucky and Unlucky Numbers in Chinese Culture
Why did the Beijing 2008 Olympics start at exactly 8:08 p.m. on 08/08/08? Why do many buildings in China skip straight from the 3rd floor to the 5th? Why do some phone numbers in China sell for thousands of dollars?
The answer lies in how each number sounds, and in what that sound evokes. Chinese numerology isn't fringe superstition: it's built into the everyday behavior of hundreds of millions of people, from wedding dates to apartment prices.
In this article:
- Why numbers carry meaning in China
- Lucky numbers
- Unlucky numbers
- Number combinations
- Numbers in everyday life
Why Numbers Carry Meaning in China
The origin of Chinese numerology is linguistic, not mystical. In Mandarin, and especially in Cantonese, several numbers sound very similar to other words with very different meanings. This phonetic coincidence, called a homophone (谐音, xiéyīn), is the basis for almost all the symbolic meaning numbers have in China.
The principle is simple: if a number sounds like a word that means something good, the number is considered lucky. If it sounds like something negative, the number is avoided. There's no complex philosophy behind it, just sound association, but the association is so consistent and so widely shared that it has real economic and social effects.
Lucky Numbers
8: 八 (Bā)
The luckiest number in Chinese culture, hands down. 八 (bā) sounds like 发 (fā), which means "to prosper" or "to get rich", the first character of 发财 (fācái), the expression for wishing someone wealth and fortune.
The love of 8 in China is everywhere: license plates with strings of eights are auctioned for outrageous prices, phone numbers full of eights command significant premiums, and dates with lots of eights are the most sought-after for weddings and business openings. The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics began on 08/08/2008 at 8:08 p.m., a chain of eights that was no coincidence.
In business, a price of 888 RMB is much more appealing than 900 RMB, not because of the discount but because of what the number communicates.
6: 六 (Liù)
六 (liù) sounds like 顺 (shùn), which means "smooth", "unobstructed" or "things going well". It's a number of quiet prosperity: not the explosive wealth of 8, but success that moves forward without friction.
It's very popular in professional and business settings. Prices ending in 6, business numbers with lots of sixes, dates chosen for their sixes. The expression 六六大顺 (liù liù dà shùn), "may everything go smoothly in every way", repeats the six to emphasize the wish for complete smoothness.
9: 九 (Jiǔ)
九 (jiǔ) sounds like 久 (jiǔ), which means "lasting", "forever", "a long time". That's why 9 is the number of enduring love, and one of the strongest associations with romance and marriage.
Marriage proposals with 99 roses are iconic in China, and bouquets of 99 or even 999 roses are common engagement gifts. The 9 also appears often in Chinese imperial culture (the emperor's dragon has 9 attributes, and the number 9 recurs throughout the architecture of the Forbidden City) because "lasting" applied to imperial power had a direct political meaning.
2: 二 (Èr)
Two is associated with couples, balance and the idea that "good things come in pairs", expressed in the saying 好事成双 (hǎo shì chéng shuāng), "good things happen in pairs". That's why 2 appears often in celebrations and in contexts related to couples.
Unlucky Numbers
4: 四 (Sì)
The most avoided number in China. 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ), which means "death". The aversion to 4 is so strong it has its own name: tetraphobia, the fear of the number four.
Its consequences are completely tangible:
- Many residential and office buildings in China skip the 4th floor entirely, going from 3 to 5, just as many Western buildings skip the 13th floor
- Hospital room numbers especially avoid 4, given its direct association with death in that setting
- Apartment prices drop noticeably when the floor number or building number contains a 4
- Phone numbers with lots of fours are cheaper than average
The phenomenon is stronger in Cantonese than in Mandarin (in Cantonese, "four" and "death" sound even more alike), but the aversion to 4 is widespread throughout China.
7: 七 (Qī)
Seven has a more complex, context-dependent relationship with bad luck. In many contexts it's neutral or even positive: the Qixi Festival falls on the seventh night of the seventh month. But in others it's strongly associated with ghosts and the spirit world.
The seventh month of the lunar calendar is called 鬼月 (Guǐ yuè), Ghost Month. According to tradition, during this month the gates between the world of the living and the world of the dead are open and spirits roam freely. People avoid weddings, moving house, big purchases and important decisions during this period.
That doesn't make 7 a universally negative number, but it gives it a ghostly side that makes it a less desirable choice than 6, 8 or 9 for any important date or number.
Number Combinations
Chinese numerology isn't limited to single numbers: combinations have their own language, especially in WeChat messages and business numbers:
168 (yī liù bā): Sounds like "一路发" (yī lù fā): "prosper every step of the way". A very popular combination in company names and product prices.
520 (wǔ èr líng): Sounds like "我爱你" (wǒ ài nǐ): "I love you". China has an unofficial day of love on May 20 (5/20) based on exactly this homophone. One of the most modern and widespread ways to express love digitally.
1314 (yī sān yī sì): Sounds like "一生一世" (yī shēng yī shì): "for a whole lifetime, for all eternity". It shows up in wedding gifts, romantic messages and jewelry prices.
888: Three eights. Prosperity concentrated. The most attractive price possible in a Chinese context, more so than any number ending in 9 as in Western marketing.
250 (èr bǎi wǔ): One to avoid. In colloquial Mandarin, 二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) means "idiot" or "half-wit". Ending a price or an important number in 250 can come across as offensive.
Numbers in Everyday Life
Once you know this, a lot of things in China start to make sense:
Floors and buildings. Skipping the 4th floor (and sometimes the 14th, 24th, 34th or any floor containing a 4) is common practice in Chinese residential construction. It isn't illegal or regulated; it's simply what buyers expect. An apartment with lots of fours in its address can cost 10–20% less than an equivalent one without them.
License plates. License plates in China are partly assigned by lottery, but there are secondary markets where numbers with strings of eights sell for far more than the standard fee.
Weddings. The dates people choose to get married in China are dominated by lucky numbers. Chinese marriage registry offices publish the most requested dates every year, and they're almost always dates with lots of sixes, eights or nines.
Digital payments and transfers. On WeChat Pay it's very common to send symbolic amounts with numerical meaning: 66 RMB as a wish for smooth prosperity, 99 RMB as a symbol of lasting love, 520 RMB on May 20.
Understanding Chinese numerology doesn't require believing in it, just recognizing that it really does shape the decisions of millions of people. When a colleague picks their wedding date, when a partner suggests a contract price, when someone asks you to change a meeting number: chances are the number matters more than you'd imagine.
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