Assalamualaikum

friends, my name
is Iffah Al Hikmah
MYTH IN
CHINA
 https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/lucky- 4
number4.htm

In the eyes of the Chinese, 4 is generally disliked by people just as 13 is in the western
world. This is because Four is pronounced Si in Chinese, the same as 死 (death). Therefore,
many buildings, especially hotels do not set the fourth, fourteenth and twenty-fourth floors and
other floors with 4. When choosing the telephone numbers and the vehicle identification
numbers, many people would avoid number 4. Anyway, Four sounds like the pronunciation of
“water” in Zhejiang area’s dialect, in which case it has neither the commendatory nor the
derogatory meaning.
Even though 4 has derogatory connotation in Chinese, it seems to be very popular in
Chinese myth, especially to express some religious ideology. For example, Four Greatness (the
greatest natural power that human should abide by) in Buddhism refers to Earth, Water, Fire
and Wind, while Tao, Heaven, Earth and Human are the Four Greatness of Taoism.
Furthermore, the ancient Chinese people took benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and
wisdom as Four Moral Criterions. Sometimes, the four moral criterions refer to fealty to parents,
loyalty to one’s own country, honesty to friends and respect to the seniors. For Chinese literati,
writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper are the Four Treasures in the Study.
 Because Eight (Ba in Chinese) has the similar pronunciation with 发
(Fa, meaning wealth or fortune), this number is very welcome among
Chinese people. The popularity of 8 was obvious in relation to the Beijing
Olympic Games which commenced at exactly eight o’clock eight minutes on
the eighth day of the eighth month in 2008. When people choose telephone
numbers, mobile numbers, house numbers, car identification numbers and
important dates, 8 is usually the first choice.

In modern China, numerical lingo has been very popular especially

on the internet. For instance, 518 with the approximate pronunciation with
Wo Yao Fa, meaning I want to be very wealthy. 886, with the Chinese
pronunciation Ba Ba Liu like bye-bye in English, is frequently used during
the instant chat on the internet to say ‘good-bye’ or ‘see you later’. In the
same way, 84 (pronounced Ba Si) means ‘bus’ in the internet lingo, or ‘no’
for its sound similar to Bu Shi expressing denial in Chinese.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/lucky- 8
number8.htm