Just a bit more cultural stuff here. Houses are where people live, so few Chinese would want to live in one where a number (4) sounding like 'die' is prominently displayed on the front gates to greet the gods and lucky spirits. Same with cars...a number like that might be tempting fate a little too closely for comfort.

'8' on the other hand, sounds like 'prosper' in most dialects, so it's considered auspicious.

I seriously doubt that many if any Chinese men care very much what number the off-guy is carrying...after all, it's not as if they're going to marry him the next morning.

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Urepentantly irrascible old fart!

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[quote=Taoboxer;663954]Just a bit more cultural stuff here. Houses are where people live, so few Chinese would want to live in one where a number (4) sounding like 'die' is prominently displayed on the front gates to greet the gods and lucky spirits. Same with cars...a number like that might be tempting fate a little too closely for comfort.

So Tao, if you were given room 444 at a hotel (when you were already feeling ill with food poisoning from aircraft food) would go take it or ask to change???

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To answer your question first, no. I wouldn't have a problem (not even a single qualm) about taking room 444 or even 4444 (literally 'die for sure') in Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese.

First of all, I'm not your typical Chinese. I'm a Baba Hokkien or Straits Chinese and more westernised in my ways. Not that there's a connection, but I'd be more anxious to check out whether the guy who brought my luggage to the room...and the one from room service who'll bring coffee...are available and cute enough for some good fun after hours than whether the room numbers comprise '4' or '8' or '6' or whatever.

On top of that, I don't have a superstition about numbers. I did study numerology years ago and therefore believe that all numbers, fortunate or otherwise, have their place in the great scheme of things.

Incidentally, for anyone who's interested in such things, '4' also sounds like 'happiness' in Mandarin - 'hsi' in the old romanized pronounciation. Yet the connection has never been made to the best of my knowledge. However, I suspect that the superstition about the number '4' is mostly a Cantonese preoccupation since the pronounciation for both the number and 'die' most closely approximates each other in that particular dialect. The idea spread to other dialectical groups over the course of time, I suppose.

And oh yeah, if anyone wants to know, I do know quite a bit more about old-fashioned Chinese culture, psychology and customs than the modern, typically fully Chinese-educated Chinese since learning about my own roots is a hobby of mine. It is extremely sad to me to watch younger Chinese so quickly discarding so many of the old ways without even a passing knowledge of their 5,000 year old culture or an understanding of what they call the Chinese religion. Nowadays, if you asked a Chinese below the age of 65 about the 4 Heavenly Kings, they'd probably name the 4 top pop singers...what else can I say?

PS
I'm not holding in my breath in my latest avatar. For the first time in my life, I can actually begin to see the shadow of real abs forming around my mid-section...something that never happened even when I wore size 30 jeans a long time ago. Looks like I really am on course to have my naughty grandpa poster boy pictures taken on my coming 50th birthday in a few months' time.

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Urepentantly irrascible old fart!

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Oops...I forgot to mention that I've never suffered food poisoning on an airplane in the last 15 years that I've been flying to Europe and around Asia regularly. Nor have I ever suffered food poisoning from drinking Thai tap water or eating street food. The one time I did suffer food poisoning was when a friend took me to what he insisted was 'Bangkok's best Chinese restaurant'.

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Urepentantly irrascible old fart!

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