Magic Numbers

By INESA PLESKACHEUSKAYA

THE last digit of my home phone number in Beijing is 4. "So what?" European readers might ask. This was my attitude when I first lived in China; I couldn't understand why Chinese friends were so shocked at my indifference to the number 4. But China brings new discoveries every day, and I have since seen the light. I know now that Chinese people have their own ways of preserving their well being, and that they see avoiding the number 4 as a good way to stay safe. 

Number 4 -- si in Mandarin Chinese -- sounds similar to the word for death, and is hence considered inauspicious. Hospital No. 4 in Beijing was renamed recently because people were loath to take their ills to a place with such a "deadly" name. On the other hand, if you have never been to China before you will be surprised to find so many different goods priced at 168 yuan. Why? Ask your Chinese friend or guide and they will tell you that enunciation in sequence of the  numbers 1, 6 and 8 brings happiness because yao, liu and ba sound very similar to yaoliufa, which means "the straight way to prosperity."

Every culture has its own lucky numbers and portents. Many of my compatriots consider 7 as lucky, but are wary of the number 13 and avoid it at all costs. In Western Christian culture the number 666 is synonymous with Satan, yet I have seen this figure written large as a street address on buildings in Beijing and Shanghai. In China the numbers 6, 8 and 9 are considered auspicious, and mobile phone numbers that contain these three digits are much more costly than others that don’t.

Chinese numerology has its roots in Taoist traditions, and is clearly explained in The Book of Changes. According to custom, odd numbers symbolize the bright male yang, and even numbers the dark undefined female yin. 

Zero symbolizes non-existence, completeness and the godhead that, having no beginning or end, is eternal and so symbolized by a circle.

One represents honor, leadership and permanent development.

Two means to double, and is the number of cooperation and balance between yin and yang, man and woman. One popular Chinese saying is that "happiness comes as two." The character associated with weddings and engagements is xi written twice: double happiness.

Three makes everything possible. It is the number linked to luck and success. It is also a spiritual number, according to The Book of Changes, three unites heaven, earth and man. When Chinese people go to the temple and make obeisance they koutou three times.

The Chinese number 4 represents temporal matters. Its foundation is the earth and its round roof the heavens. Chinese people believe that this number strengthens the balance between heaven and earth.

Five is popular in Chinese culture because of its midway position between 1 and 9, and also because of the five philosophical elements - water, metal, wood, fire and earth. There are also 5 blessings - longevity, prosperity, health, a virtuous life and natural death.

As I said before, the pronunciation of 6 in Chinese sounds similar to the word for prosperity and hence is a very lucky number.   

Seven is a universally good number, and for several reasons in China. Its pronunciation is similar to that for assurance, and within Buddhist belief there are seven reincarnations and 7 weeks of mourning after a death. For centuries people in China have believed that the number seven is an integral aspect of a woman's life. As they see it, at 7 months old a girl infant gets her first teeth, at age 7 her second teeth appear, at 14 - 7 doubled - she begins to menstruate, and at age 49 (7 squared) her reproductive years are generally over.

The word 8 in Chinese sounds similar to that for multiplication, and also wealth, and within fengshui the 8 trigrams (bagua) symbol in The Book of Changes symbolizes protection. As seven is regarded as significant for a woman, so 8 is of great importance to a man. A boy gets his first teeth when he is 8 months old, loses and replaces them when he is 8 years old, at 16 he reaches maturity, and at 64 (8 squared) his sexual power leaves him.  

Nine is the best number because it contains characteristics of all the others. It is complete and needs no other digit to be perfect as it is the last stage of everything. To Chinese ancients 9 was the largest number pertaining to human matters as ten and upwards belong to Heaven. The number 9 was therefore solely for the Emperor's use, and if any court official was found to have 9 dragons embroidered on his robes he was immediately sentenced to death, along with all his family. There are 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City and the line of knobs on any door - horizontal or vertical - number exactly 9.

I spend winter holidays in my home country of Belarus. It was there that I realized how sensitive I have become to numbers, in the Chinese way of course. I now regard 7, 8 and 9 as my best friends. The famous scientist Nyls Bore once said about the horseshoe: "It brings good luck even to those who don't believe in its power." This saying explains best why Chinese influence has made me treat numbers with respect - just in case.