The unlucky numbers you should avoid using in China

Numbers are probably first few things you will learn in Mandarin for beginners classes. In China, numbers are very important and are tied to every aspect of your life. They are taken so seriously that people will even go as far as avoiding apartments or giving birth on dates with unlucky numbers. 
                 
Chinese numbers are thought to be auspicious or inauspicious based on the Chinese word they sound similar to. Therefore 4 (Sì) and 7 (qī) are avoided at all costs because of their relationship with other words.

Four is regarded as the unluckiest number in Chinese as it’s associated with death (死 sǐ), they both have the same sound but with different tones.

The number 7 is also considered unlucky as it has the associated meaning of gone, and a similar pronunciation to ‘欺’ (qī), which means to cheat or deceive someone.

It makes sense, no one wants an early grave, and it’s not nice to be cheated, these are things we actively avoid, so why not avoid 4 and 7!

And in next post we are going to talk about some auspicious numbers!

What about you? do you have any inauspicious numbers linked to special events in your life? Which one?


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