Friday, May 29, 2009

Are Spiders and Octopuses Lucky in China?

After Singapore, we flew to Hong Kong and stayed there for a couple of days. There’s something about Hong Kong that I really like. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is but it definitely has a character that I find appealing. San Francisco, Kyoto and Edinburgh are all the same.

I’m not the only one that likes Hong Kong. Paul Krugman was there at the same time, and he talks about how futuristic the place looks because the city has grown vertically rather than horizontally. (Incidentally, it appears he followed me back to Japan too. Paul, if you’re looking for advice on the economy and want to get in touch, just leave a comment below) Unlike Japan, Hong Kong is blessed with an absence of earthquakes, which allows for the construction of closely packed skyscrapers. With the dense greenery cloaking the Kowloon mountains behind, it makes for an incredible sight. (Click for full screen)

The majority of our meetings were in the loftier section of one of the skyscrapers and we had plenty of opportunities to admire the view. One of our clients joked that he has the best economic indicator right outside his window. He just monitors the number of tankers and haulers making their way in out of the bay and assesses the economic health of the region. One thing I did notice is that there are is no 4th floor in any of the skyscrapers. There’s no 24th floor either. I think that probably extends to 34, 44 and the rest. In both China and Japan, the number 4 is unlucky. The concept of “luck” is a western one and perhaps “unlucky” is a poor description. The reason for the negative association in both countries is that the number has the same pronunciation as the word for death. The character for 4 is 四. The character for death is 死. In Japanese, both words are pronounced し (shi). In order to avoid the association, the Japanese even go so far as to provide an alternative pronunciation for the number 4. You can also pronounce it よん (“yon”). The practice of excluding the 4th floor in a building is similar to that of excluding the 13th row in an aircraft. I’ve always wondered if anyone on the 5th floor gets upset. After all, if you’re on the 5th floor, you’re actually on the 4th floor and to add insult to injury, you’re being lied to.

On the opposite side of the fence, it turns out that two wrongs do make a right because when you double 4, you get 8, which is a very lucky number in both Japan and China. When I was in Hong Kong, I noticed that the number 8 appeared in a lot of advertisements, prices, signs etc. A quick search on Wikipedia, reveals the following trivia:

A telephone number with all digits being eights was sold for USD$270,723 in Chengdu, China.
A man in Hangzhou offered to sell his license plate reading A88888 for RMB 1.12 million (roughly $164,000 USD).

And I’m sure you will remember:

The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing began on 8/8/08 at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 pm (local time)

Interestingly, the reason for the positive association with the number 8 is different in Japan and China. My friend from Hong Kong tells me, and Wikipedia confirms, that the Chinese pronunciation for 8 is similar to the pronunciation for “prosperity” and “fortune”. In Japan, the shape of the character used to represent the number is more important. The Japanese say 末広がり, which means to “broaden towards the end” and can be used to describe increasing prosperity as time goes on. The character broadens towards the bottom and represents this idea.

I wonder if things associated with the number 8, like octopuses or arachnids, inherit the association of good fortune?

37 comments:

  1. In Japan, seeing a spider in the morning is a sign of good luck.

    Luck is an attention grabbing topic to many - especially for those wanting to improve it.

    You cover some good points and here's something to add.

    Number 4: As you say, four is a dreaded number all over Asia since it sounds like the word for 'death' in many Asian languages. Companies that produce electronic gadgets such as cell phones often skip over the number when naming their product lines, and (as you say) many buildings don't have a fourth floor. But, you really make a good point when asking what people on floor #5 think!

    Even unluckier to the Cantonese is the number 14, since the pronunciation 'sap sei' is dangerously close to 'sat sei', which means "certainly going to die".

    Number 8: Pronounced 'ba', this is the luckiest number of all, since in both Mandarin and Cantonese it sounds similar to the word for wealth or fortune. The Bank of China always assigns its trading rooms to the eighth floor of its buildings, and China's tallest skyscraper, the Jin Mao Tower, is eighty-eight floors high. The Cantonese-speaking Hong Kongers especially value the number eight, and eighty-eight-dollar fixed-price menus are found in restaurants all over the island (seen any?).

    Other numbers favored by Chinese culture include #3 - pronounced 'san', it sounds like the word for life, #6 - pronounced 'liu', it sounds like the word for 'smooth' and is considered lucky since it portends '"everything is going smoothly" in life as well as in business, #9 - pronounced 'jeou', sounds like the word for 'long-lasting' as is a lucky number to have because it represents longevity in every aspect of life.

    Some beliefs according to Japanese culture: If you wear a pair of new shoes for the first time at night, bad luck will come. Avoid stepping on the cloth border of tatami floor mats as it's bad luck, even with shoes off and finally, seeing a spider in the morning is a sign of good luck - just be careful not to step on it.

    All the best of good fortune to you!

    Source credit: 'Luck - The Essential Guide' by Collins 2008

    ReplyDelete
  2. In Malaysia all buildings have a '3A' floor instead of a fourth floor. We used to live on the '13Ath' floor :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice article. I've always known about the number 4, but the number 8 wasn't in my memory. Interesting to see people taking it so seriously though - if I ever get my hands on something 8-related, I'll be sure to keep it for selling! :P

    By the way, you should update your blog to use wordpress or something. The content you write is far too good for blogger ;).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  4. Yeah, the Olympics sprang to mind, as did HSBC's pretty hard marketing all of last year. I was actually pretty pleased when '09 rolled around and they let off.

    A lot of places in the US don't have a 13th floor, but I figured it just made up for them counting the first floor wrongly ;o)

    You mention that "luck" is a Western idea and that "unlucky" is perhaps the wrong word... would you care to expand on that? How would you better describe the Japanese/Chinese position on things such as these numbers? It seems very similar to lucky/unlucky from the point of view of someone who doesn't believe in such "superstitious mumbo jumbo"...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sorry for the late reply. I'm not exactly sure about how the Japanese think about "luck" but here's my take on your question.

    For me, the English word "luck" refers to a property that can be attached to people. People are lucky if, given a set of possibilities, unlikely and beneficial ones occur. The more unlikely, the more beneficial and the more frequent the occurrence then the luckier the individual. If you win the lottery, you were lucky. If you fall off a cliff and walk away with a bruise, you were lucky. If you persistently roll a six, you're lucky. In short, the English word "luck" seems to be intimately associated with chance.

    In Japan, I wouldn't describe the number 4 as "unlucky" in this sense. It's more about the abhorrent association with death. The consequences of that association are (presumably) that you may die or be haunted by ghosts, not that you will be unlucky. Obviously it would be unlucky for these things to happen, but the association with "luck" seems to be implicit rather than explicit.

    With the number 8, I suppose that the association with luck is more direct. The belief is that the number 8 will bring prosperity and I guess we'd say that anything that brings prosperity is lucky.

    It's just my take on things anyway. Not exactly thoroughly researched.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You should take part іn а conteѕt foг оne of the highest quality sites online.
    I am going to геcommеnd
    this ωeb site!

    Feel free to surf tο my pagе: �hnlichen Webseiten

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tag Cloud. If the executives promise high traffic then understand you are talking with a non-SEO person.
    Content, keywords and link building are some of the factors using which Search Engine Optimization services are
    taken care of. This gives your name higher credibility and better
    search engine rank. Since Google organic rank can bring in thousands of
    potential customers, search engine position service firms have made a business of promising high positions in search engine results pages.
    There are so many good blogs out there, and if you're one of those writers, you definitely know how important it is that your site gets heard through all of the noise. The tips are as follows:-. There are many tools online to help you research relevant keywords, such as the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Moreover, some companies are not able to get the desired results and their techniques might even have bad effects on the business's website.

    Over the years, web promotion has made a mark in the industry and has helped numerous entrepreneurs to build large business return through web.

    Thus, if your charges are overly cheap, this might cause doubts and worries
    from their mines regarding the quality of the service they get.
    If your website deals with certain products or services, then conduct a proper
    research on these and then form your SEO content.
    Now even that is quickly defining point of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can lead to intense
    discussions about the meaning and purpose
    of SEO. Regardless of whether you like it, love it, or hate
    it, social media has become a major player in the SEO world, and it is a costly mistake to ignore it.
    Learn from other people's mistakes and experiences rather than destroying your own skills and wasting your time on experiments. It has been designed especially for business purposes and it holds biggest importance for your B2B online marketing strategy. Have you been looking at your competitor's websites to see what
    kind of keywords they're using. A person can find all sorts of products available at various prices on the internet. They are looking up the the keywords you did research on to find what they are looking for. Image Optimization is also a part of SEO services in Pune.

    Stop by my web site ... http://www.wscc.edu/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tomb Raider, Mega Moolah, Mermaid's Millions, and Blackjack are some of the new Android game apps that have been released from Microgaming's partner, Spin 3.
    Each program will have a box with a checkmark, find
    the programs you'd like to uninstall and uncheck that box. The player guides Phen through 10 levels of dungeon gameplay, finding a whole host of weapons and other items as well.

    my webpage dayzwiki.es

    ReplyDelete
  9. Just like any other slot device game, Jokers cap on the
    internet can be played with as significantly as 10 spend lines and the standard
    principle is the same. "Path of Monstrosity" - This is for players
    that want a little better defense and wanting to hit multiple targets.
    There’s no need to go down to the regional chess hangout, or smokey bar.


    Also visit my webpage :: Click at Www.Spielespielen24.de

    ReplyDelete
  10. Greate pieces. Keep writing such kind of information on your site.
    Im really impressed by your site.
    Hey there, You've performed a fantastic job. I will definitely digg it and individually recommend to my friends. I'm sure they will
    be benefited from this site.

    Visit my website :: spiele spielen

    ReplyDelete
  11. If you would like to grow your experience simply keep visiting this site and be updated with the most recent gossip
    posted here.

    Also visit my web-site: http://lniouiskujk.blogspace.fr/6206743/Your-Us-Will-Be-Put-In-Second-Position-On-The-Financial-And-You-Will-Be-Put-In-Second-Position-On-Th
    My web site :: omerta city of gangsters Game Key kaufen

    ReplyDelete
  12. These five free basketball game apps for the i - Phone will surely help you get your game on.
    A look into some of the best Star Wars apps to be found on i - Tunes, including games,
    fun soundboards, books, and more. In our next article, we'll be tackling using SNES4i - Phone to do exactly that - play those old favorites, like Chono Trigger, Super Ghouls and Ghosts, or even Super Mario Bros 3.

    Feel free to surf to my site ... spiele spielen kostenlos
    Also see my page > kostenlos spiele spielen

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your ωaу of telling the whole thing in thiѕ
    аrticle is tгuly faѕtidious,
    all be able to without ԁifficultу be aware of іt, Thаnκs а lоt.



    Му web-site ... Highly recommended Resource site
    My page :: kostenlos spiele spielen

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you for аnοther magnіficеnt post.
    The place еlse may juѕt anybody get that
    kіnԁ of іnfo in such an ideal methоd of ωriting?
    I haνe a presentation subsequеnt ωeeκ,
    аnd Ι am at the search for ѕuch infoгmation.


    Also viѕіt my weblog; http://tinychat.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good day! This post couldn't be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

    my web site :: spiele spielen

    ReplyDelete
  16. Then a splash screen that is not present on the purchased
    version "nags" for several seconds, and the background from the desktop is displayed
    on the laptop. If you look around your community, our country, and the
    world, there is little evidence of loving actions.

    If you have ever tried to kid yourself that everything will be fine and glossed
    over certain issues because you wanted to avoid them, or did not know how to deal with
    them. So, in conclusion, removing the headphones from your MP3 player is not bad, provided you don't yank too hard on the cord. Many consumers worry about their security when making purchases over the internet. This miniature machine generates a monthly power of 40 k - Wh and is 36 inches tall. Of course, many people looking to boost their bone health choose to supplement their diets. FIFA has stated that a player named as a goalkeeper can only play in goal and that this rule will be enforced. a far cry: a long way from. Two people have a heated argument, voices raised, vocalized obscenities, hearts racing '
    obvious discord all rooted in fear.

    Feel free to surf to my site - play-keys.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. If you are using firewall software such as Outpost Firewall Pro, the paid edition of Online Armor
    and Kaspersky Internet Security or PURE, you can take advantage of using
    their Blocklist feature that will block connections to known
    malicious URL and IP addresses. If you encourage
    your visitors to write their original reviews about your products instead of coping reviews from competitive websites to
    show you have circulation and satisfied customers, your website is
    more likely to earn higher ranking in the major search engines.
    It would be optimum thought to select the local SEO service after checking the rank of their website.
    Naturally, they will flock to your competitor who does.
    Is professional search engine marketing the thing that
    you need. There are so many good blogs out there, and if
    you're one of those writers, you definitely know how important it is that your site gets heard through all of the noise. The tips are as follows:-. Having realized that it is practically not possible to combat with SEO Next in terms of services and offerings at this point of time, rivals have started thinking of an easier alternative of being successful in their mission. It focuses on networking and impeccable website maintenance. People these days use the Internet for a varied purpose. Search engine optimization is necessary for online businesses because it lets your website get found. If the comments are created for solely promotional purposes, they will probably get deleted. ' Every page should be optimized with additional keywords.

    Regardless of whether you like it, love it, or hate it, social media has become a
    major player in the SEO world, and it is a costly mistake to ignore it.

    In this article, I will show you the best Word -
    Press SEO plugins you need to use in order to boost your search engine rankings and get more traffic to your blog.
    Originally posted at: digitalmoz. In fact, soon,
    not using RDFa could put a site at a disadvantage.
    Once someone clicks on your site, they should see tons of unique informative content.
    The website serves as a way for customers to find the business and be able to see
    what services are offered. This is more of an indirect way of getting direct traffic to your e - Bay store.


    Here is my homepage :: http://hyunann.blogspot.ru/2012/01/profil-dan-fakta-lengkap-cha-seung-won.html

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's hard to come by well-informed people about this topic, however, you seem like you know what you're talking about!
    Thanks

    Review my page: youtube downloader online

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is a great tіp especiаlly to those
    fresh to the blogosрhere. Simplе but very precise info… Many thanks foг sharing this
    onе. A must гead рost!

    Here is my ωeb ѕite ... spiele spielen kostenlos
    Also see my page :: simply click the up coming site

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pop the battery ribbon connector out and remove the battery, again held in with a dab of glue.
    Continually letting a battery drain will make it die much faster then it normally would.
    Mobile computing is continuously getting better with best performance, smarter processors, light weight and handy designs, but as we
    all know, the main power of the mobile computing device
    (weather it is laptop, mobile, PDA or e-book reader) resides in it's battery capacity.

    Also visit my web blog ... videos von youtube downloaden

    ReplyDelete
  21. They had not yet been released for the some mobiles
    while these games are well known to those that play
    in the regular Slots gratis mobile. If you are new to copying PS3 games and you don’t
    yet know how to do this you will be pleased to know that the process has
    now been made very easy by the availability of reliable copy software which
    can be downloaded. This setup offer players a medium amount of flexibility over their
    hit or win line selection.

    Visit my webpage spiele spielen
    my page: spiele

    ReplyDelete
  22. Pop the battery ribbon connector out and remove the battery, again held in with a dab of glue.
    So, follow the battery power saving tips above to get the most
    bang for your buck. Double Tap (Tap the home button twice > Press
    down on an app for one second > Hit the "minus" button on
    all apps that are running) When you open an app, it stays running until you
    actually turn it off.

    Here is my website gratis spiele - c-university.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Once the game is 80% complete you will need to work on the sound. Finding good outsourcing companies is the key, as naturally you do not want to lower the quality of the service. We carry R4 SDHC, DSTT, R4i SDHC, Acekard 2i, EZFlash Vi, M3i Zero, and now the i - Edge.

    Take a look at my blog :: mouse click the following website page

    ReplyDelete
  24. There are different kinds of aquatic plants that can be used for aquascaping depending on your style and artistic imagination.
    For years I made extra money playing in bars and restaurants for some
    spending money in addition to what my job was paying.
    The stamp looked as beautiful as Queen Victoria herself.


    My homepage; sherman oaks california

    ReplyDelete
  25. It appears it's actually the extract from the Chrysanthemum plant that is the effective component attributing to the pest control in gardens. Today, many of these events are far less formal than those of the Victoria era but no less wonderful. Boric acid is much safer than chemical pesticides, but it should not be ingested or inhaled by pets or people.

    Feel free to surf to my website; http://www.ahlulhadeeth.net

    ReplyDelete
  26. Literally wiping sweat from my forehead after doing my best 90s dance
    moves to a memorable mix of old school joints from the likes of Special Ed,
    Eric B. Her first movie was Holiday in the Sun in the year
    2001, Help in the year 2004. Some radio stations have also started making use of streaming MP3 format,
    which could be played through Winamp.

    Feel free to visit my blog post Desmond - familymeyer.de

    ReplyDelete
  27. The second is a multiple choice list of questions to choose from where
    the users should be restricted to choosing only one question.

    Craig Newmark began the service in 1995 as an email distribution list of friends, featuring local events in the San Francisco Bay Area, before becoming a web-based
    service in 1996. The Zune application has been available for a couple of years now, and as
    well as being the ideal desktop media player that handles movies,
    music, TV and photos, it is also designed to sync with
    media players and Windows Phone while providing you with access to the
    Zune Marketplace to purchase music and video.

    Also visit my page; http://hayleesmonsterhigh.com/

    ReplyDelete
  28. Try downloading a game demo prior to purchasing the actual
    game so that you can determine if you're going to enjoy it. When children fit these fun video game titles into actions require time to view those facial seems to be and human body expressions. I'm not against such games,
    but it never hurts to have alternatives in case one doesn't want their child playing those kinds of games or maybe just would rather their kid be exposed to other types of gaming than the simple "shoot, run, shoot" types of games that are so popular.

    Here is my homepage simply click the up coming internet site

    ReplyDelete
  29. Upon examining some etymological dictionaries, one can conclude that games are a creative expression of the human spirit through the creation of an
    activity that has an entertaining, instructive
    and competing element. A bowler who can consistently pick
    up his spares can easily hold a 180 average
    without getting any strikes. Next Jim Deacove developed a few
    of his own board games based on the principles of cooperation,
    group strategy and joint problem solving.

    Also visit my page - http://www.torontolifestyle.com/modules.php?name=Your_Account&op=userinfo&username=EloiseGau

    ReplyDelete
  30. These are still mid range skills, and they improve upon other skills with additional destruction.
    Prior to the storms that would change everything, Pratt City was like many neighborhoods.
    His wife has one of the rarest forms of cancer that
    little is known about it.

    Check out my website kochi-pta.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Few travellers on a Mashobra tour can resist the temptation of seeking blessings at the
    Mahasu Devta Temple. So even at young ages and relatively low levels of the sport, goalies will have their helmets designed with various colors, prints and patterns, shapes or designs,
    and more. One situation had me pose as bait to draw the enemies out so my ally could dispatch
    them. It scored a decent 3208 marks in the PCMark04 benchmark.
    Their history timeline details how the greenhouse covered 4,
    000 square feet, and in 1976, a 6,000 square foot greenhouse was added.

    This will also open the Backup and Restore Center, which will warn you that "Windows Backup has not been set up" and "Windows could not find a backup for this computer. In 2005, the QI Group acquired a UK-based independent telecommunications provider with a strong background in providing advanced communications solutions and technology in the United Kingdom. FIFA has stated that a player named as a goalkeeper can only play in goal and that this rule will be enforced. *Composite fillings. I died numerous times because of the stupid reload system.

    Stop by my web site - http://plae.com/blog/7682/realistic-programs-of-crysis-an-introduction/

    ReplyDelete
  32. It can, however, be pre-ordered, as its release date
    is in the near future. Thus professional firms for web development in
    London are better got in touch with. In essence,
    they appreciated each other and never lost sight of how lucky they felt to have each other as their spouse.
    It scored a decent 3208 marks in the PCMark04 benchmark.
    Of course, the layout of the apps is completely customisable,
    so you can place your most commonly used apps and widgets within easy reach, so they can be instantly accessed after unlocking the screen.
    For an in depth guide to the E8400 chip, I highly recommend reading this article:
    Final Thoughts on the Intel E8400. Of course,
    many people looking to boost their bone health choose to supplement their diets.
    That assures a steady supply since it's easily replaceable. Dependency enslaves you, giving others the ultimate power over how you perceive and feel about yourself. Therefore, you cannot afford to miss this incredible shooter game involving a series of killings.

    Feel free to surf to my site Full Posting

    ReplyDelete
  33. In the four tournaments since his first of the season, he.
    Finding good outsourcing companies is the key, as naturally you do not want to lower the
    quality of the service. It fizzles as the lights go out, and she says it's been great talking to you.

    My web blog - mouse click the next site

    ReplyDelete
  34. 99, while the Sansa Clip+ has an entry price of $39. I know a lot
    more music now than before and have changed my tastes.
    It was the perfect place to meet friends after work, have a few
    drinks, and unwind.

    Feel free to visit my blog post - chillout radio

    ReplyDelete
  35. It bears mentioning that there are also games and simulations available to those wanting to learn to trade
    stock index futures. All spaceship game leveling systems are designed slightly
    differently, but there are some general concepts that apply to all games in this
    genre. In this addictive puzzle game, catch that damn fly and avoid
    those tricky obstacles.

    my web blog - Screensaver

    ReplyDelete
  36. I really like your blog and you have shared the whole concept really well. And Very beautifully soulful read, thanks for sharing.

    Roach Control Studio City

    ReplyDelete