I’ve found that most countries have different ways of saying things in different areas of the country or in nearby countries. As an Australian, I can immediately detect a Kiwi (New Zealander) if they say “fish”, as I hear them say “fush” instead. We pronounce “tomato” like “tomarto” but the US folk say it like it’s “tomayto”. We say “banana” like “banarna” and they say it like “bananna”. And of course the same thing happens in China.

2019-10-04

It’s really common nowadays for English speakers to use serious abbreviations when texting each other. Even the current anti-depression campaign is called R U OK? In hacker parlance, words are designed to confuse people, like the ones used by the 1337 (i.e. the “leet” or “elite” in hacker parlance). So you might wonder how this plays out in Chinese, with their much more complex character sets. Turns out that there are some really interesting variations on this.

2019-09-27

This is the tenth in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Nine The Chinese character for nine (Jiǔ) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. The number nine is also a lucky number. Once again, that comes from the fact that it’s pronounced similarly to 久 (Jiǔ) which means “a long time”. In some contexts, it can mean “long lasting” or even “everlasting”.

2019-09-20

This is the ninth in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Eight The Chinese character for eight (Bā) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. The number eight is by far, the luckiest number. It’s luck comes from it’s similar sound to 发(Fā) which is commonly used in 发财(Fā cái) which relates to good fortune.

2019-09-13

This is the eighth in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Seven The Chinese character for seven (Qī) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. The number seven is a bit of a mixed bag, in terms of positive and negative feelings. Seven is considered good for relationships, particularly because it sounds like 起 (Qǐ) which means “to get up”.

2019-09-06

This is the seventh in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Six The Chinese character for six (Liù) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. The number six is usually placed into the more lucky than not category in Chinese. Once again, that’s because it sounds like another word. The word 流 (Liú) is usually translated as “flow”.

2019-08-30

This is the sixth in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Five The Chinese character for five (Wǔ) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. The number five is slightly on the lucky side of neutral in Chinese, where people believe there are five blessings: luck, prosperity, wealth, longevity, and happiness. Similarly, it has been associated with the five elements: water, earth, fire, wood, and metal.

2019-08-23

This is the fifth in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Four The Chinese character for four (Sì) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. Four is universally regarded as a bad number in Chinese culture. Once again, that’s because it sounds like other words. In particular, four sounds like 死 (Sǐ) which means “death”.

2019-08-16

This is the fourth in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Three The Chinese character for three (Sān) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. It’s three single lines (probably originally sticks). Generally, the number three is regarded as a good number in Chinese culture. Many times, meanings of Chinese numbers are related to other words they sound like.

2019-08-09

This is the third in a series of posts where I’m looking at how the Chinese view numbers, often from a superstitious basis. Two The Chinese character for two (Èr) is shown on the right hand side of the main image above. It’s two single lines (probably originally sticks). Generally, the number two is regarded as a good number in Chinese culture. Similar to the English saying, the Chinese have an equivalent saying for “good things some in pairs”.

2019-08-02