News from JMS
Welcome to our blog, where we plan to feature news, views and translation clues. Things like: did you know that English cats say ‘meow’, German moggies ‘miau’, French felines ‘miaou’, and Spanish Siamese ‘miau’. Pause for thought…
The business of numbers in Chinese
Numbers have particular significance in China. Lucky numbers tend to be even rather than odd, and the number 8 is the luckiest of all, particularly in multiples. It is in huge demand for house numbers, bank accounts and car registration plates. When pronounced, it sounds like the word for prosperity or wealth, and large sums of money change hands for phone numbers with 8, 88 or 888. The opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics began at eight minutes past eight on the eighth day of the eighth month (8.08/8/8/2008). The pronunciation of number 168 sounds like ‘forever prosperous’, making it another good combination. Poor 4, however, sounds like the word for death or failure, with the result that it is actively avoided. Number 3 sounds like the word for growth, and 6, 7 and 9 are lucky, too, as is 2.