The Origin of Chinese Numbers

Numbers came into use about 5 000 years ago in China.From“1″to“10″to hundred，thousand，ten thousand，the number system was complete even in Shang Dynasty and the decimal system even started since that time.

Numbers are，in fact，originally coming from the early hunting practice.The ancients worship numbers as they do to the language，so numbers are always culturallyconnotative.People believe that some numbers can bring fortune and luck，and some may bring misfortune and even disaster to them.In China，the mystery of numbers has beenmuch influenced by the concept of Yin and Yang.Ancients divide the ten numbers into two groups:the odd numbers are Yang，implying”the Heaven，the male”；while the even numbers are yin，implying“the Earth，the female”.

Even Numbers and 0dd Numbers

As a rule in day-to-day life in China，it is customary to regard even numbers as being more auspicious than odd numbers.In China，traditionally gifts are given as a part of the celebration for all occasions.Thus，guests will always give even numbered presents.As the number two，usually suggests germination and harmony，at wedding celebrations，decorations are invariably setout in pairs:a pair of red candles，a pair of pillows，and couplets hung on two sides of the hall.Six，pronounced as“Liu”，conveys indirectly its homophony’s meaning-Do everything smoothly；andeight in Chinese has a similar sound to“Fa”，which means to make a fortune.All business men favor this number very much.

However four，is the exception to the even number rule as it sounds like“Si”（death）.So when people choose car license tags，phone numbers，and room numbers，they try to avoid it.

hancheng

See author's posts