Symbolism In Chinese Culture
---Meaning of Numbers
Li Liang
(liangli214@126.com)
1. The Daoism View of Nature and
Numbers
 The whole universe is made of two basic
forces: yin（阴 ）and yang（阳）
 Yin: the feminine or negative principle in
nature.
 Yang :the masculine or positive principle
In nature.
 Yin and yang are thought to arise together
from an initial quiescence or emptiness
(wuji, 无极), and to continue moving in
tandem until quiescence is reached again.
Characteristics of Yin Yang
 Yin yang are opposing
 Yin yang describe opposing qualities in
phenomena.
 For instance, winter is yin to summer's yang
over the course of a year, and femininity is
yin to masculinity's yang in human
relationships.
 It is impossible to talk about yin or yang
without some reference to the opposite.
 Yin yang are rooted together
 Since yin and yang are created together in a
single movement, they are bound together as
parts of a mutual whole.
 A race with only men or only women would
disappear in a single generation, but men
and women together create new generations
that allow the race they mutually create (and
mutually come from) to survive.
 The interaction of the two gives birth to
things.
 Yin yang transform each other
 Like an undertow in the ocean, every
advance is complemented by a retreat, and
every rise transforms into a fall.
 E.g. A seed will sprout from the earth and
grow upwards towards the sky - an
intrinsically yang movement. Then when it
reaches its full height, it will begin to weaken,
and eventually will fall back to the earth in
decay - an intrinsically yin movement.
 Yin always contains the potential for yang,
and yang for yin.
 Yin-yang are balanced
 Yin-yang is a dynamic equilibrium.
 They arise together they are always equal
 If one disappears, the other must disappear
as well, leaving emptiness.
 This is rarely immediately apparent, though,
because yang elements are clear and
obvious while yin elements are hidden and
subtle.
 Yin-yang are omnipresent
e.g. time/space/ relationship:
Chinese place names: 洛阳、淮阴
food：寒凉、滋阴壮阳
medicine： 针灸（acupuncture）
通则不痛，痛则不通,阴阳失调
so energy line system rebalanced
2. Yin and Yang Corresponding Energies
Yin
Dark
Matter
Earth
Female
Passive
Yang
Light
Spirit
Sky
Male
Active
Even
Numbers
Odd
Numbers
 Can add more to this binary system:
winter/summer, death/life, cold/hot,…
 So the point is basically there is no
distinction between good/bad, etc,
numbers inclusive.
 All are indispensable pairs in this system
of balance.
3. Why Lucky and Unlucky numbers?
 Western: religion? 7: lucky
13: unlucky
 Chinese:
1）traditional Chinese philosophy
2）words that sound similar (homophones)
4. Meaning of Numbers
 一（yī）: unity /initiation/ beginning
Daoism：“ One begets two.”
father of the children of numbers
holds yang/masculine energy.
has a thrusting energy that surges
forth new growth and potential.
e.g. 一心一意（yī xīn yī yì）
九九归一 (jiǔ jiǔ guī yī）
 二 （èr）：duality /germination/harmony
mother of numbers
even number: feminine/yin energy.
“good things come in pairs”
（好事成双 háo shì chéng shuāng）
e.g. wedding
a pair of red candles/pillows/shoes
couplets
三（sān）:
 The first offspring from the union of
numbers 1 and 2.
 number three is forever linked with the
sanctity of life, progeny and childbirth.
 Associated with endings in the Chinese meaning of
numbers.
（三军、三生： not means “three”)
 From three, the family of numbers branches out to create
diversity and complexity.
 Daoism : Great Triad (Heaven-Mankind-Earth) which
can be loosely translated to mean the path from obscurity
into manifestation.
 Daoism：
“ 道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物, 万物归于道。”
 Also sounds similar to
shēng (生, birth or 升，rising）
四 （sì） ：sounds similar to
sǐ（死，death）
 Many numbered product lines skip the "4“
or any number chains ending with “4 ”
 But it sounds similar to shì: 事（things）or 世（world，
life）
e.g 四四如意=事事如意 (shì shì rú yì) ：
Everything done as wished.
四季发财（sì jì fā cái）
May you be prosperous all four seasons.
 五 （wŭ) ：associated with the five
elements in Chinese philosophy
 The doctrine of five phases describes two
cycles, a generating or creation (生,
shēng) cycle, also known as "mother-son"
 and an overcoming or destruction (克/剋,
kè) cycle, also known as "grandfathernephew", of interactions between the
phases.
Generating




Wood feeds Fire;
Fire creates/produces Earth (ash);
Earth bears Metal;
Metal carries Water (e.g H2O is created by reactions
catalyzed by metal oxides when molten volcanoes
erupt);
 Water nourishes Wood.
 Other common words for this cycle include "begets",
"engenders" and "mothers."
Overcoming
 Wood parts Earth (such as roots);
 Earth absorbs (or muddies) Water;
 Water quenches Fire;
 Fire melts Metal;
 Metal chops Wood.
Also:
 Wood absorbs Water;
 Water rusts Metal;
 Metal breaks up Earth;
 Earth smothers Fire;
 Fire burns Wood.
 This cycle might also be called "controls", "restrains" or
"fathers".
Significance of Wu Xing Theory
 feng shui: e.g. architecture
 Traditional Chinese medicine
五脏（阴）六腑（阳）
 Martial arts: The Five Steps of Taiji
 Music/astrology/sensory……
 Forbidden City：5 arches/5 gates
Folklore: Wu Fu Lin Men （五福临门）
Wu Fu Lin Men （Con’t)
 Also sounds similar to
wǔ（吾）: poetic “I”
e.g 吾爱
吾生
wŏ（我）：520=I love you
555=呜呜呜 
 六（ liù）：harmony/expansion
e.g. 六合（liù he）
six cosmic points of directions：
东、西、南、北、上、下
 pronounced similar to liú （流，fluid）
e.g. 六六顺（liù liù shùn）
六六大顺
 Good/smooth for business.
e.g.
666 : one of the luckiest numbers of all
AW666: license plate numbered was sold
for RMB 270,000
 Western: devil’s number?
七（qī）：spiritual or ghostly.
 The seventh month ：“Ghost Month”.
 not commonly associated with luck.
 Traditional Chinese Memorial Days：
7*7=49 days
1st 7:头七
2nd 7:二七….7th 7: 尽七
BUT……
Chinese Valentine’s Day
 七夕节（qīxījié）: On July 7 according to
Chinese Lunar calendar
 Also called The Girls’ Festival （女儿节）
 Originated from legendary story
“The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid”
（牛郎织女,niú láng zhī nǚ）
The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid” （牛郎织女）
The Story
 about the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven
and an orphaned cowherd.
 They were separated by the Emperor.
 The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star
Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair.
 They are allowed to meet only once a year on
the day of 7th day of 7th lunar month.
 鹊桥会（què qiáo huì）
Example:
鹊桥仙
秦观
Fairy Of The Magpie Bridge
by Qin Guan （1049-1100）
纤云弄巧
飞星传恨
银汉迢迢暗度
Among the beautiful clouds,
Over the heavenly river,
Crosses the weaving maiden.
金风玉露一相逢 A night of rendezvous,
便胜却人间无数 Across the autumn sky.
柔情似水
佳期如梦
忍顾鹊桥归路
Surpasses joy on earth.
Moments of tender love and dream,
So sad to leave the magpie bridge.
两情若是久长时
又岂在朝朝暮暮
Eternal love between us two,
Shall withstand the time apart.
Chinese Ceremonies
 Girls prepare fruits, melons and incense as
offerings to the weaving maiden
 Girls throw the five-color ropes on the roof for
magpies. Magpies will carry ropes to build the
bridge.
 Girls pray to acquire high skills in needlecraft,
hoping to find satisfactory husbands.
 In the evening, people sit outdoors to observe
the stars.
Ancient Seventh-sister Party
 八（bā）:sounds similar to
fā （发: prosperity or wealth）.
 发 is short for 发财 （fā cái）： get rich
 恭喜发财 （gōngxĭ fācái）：congratulations
and get rich.
 In Chinese New Year it can mean
Happy new year!
Congratulations and best wishes for a
prosperous new year！
 Also a visual resemblance between two
digits, “88” and 囍
 The most favoured number in Chinese
culture
Examples:
 In Chengdu：telephone number with all
digits being eights was sold for $270,723
 In Hangzhou： license plate reading
A88888 for RMB 1.12 million (roughly
$164,000 USD).
 The opening ceremony of the Summer
Olympics in Beijing are scheduled to open
on 8/8/08 at 8:08:08 pm.
More…
 phone numbers:
6252-8888. Holiday Inn Crown Plaza in
Shanghai
6279-8088: Northwest Airlines
6247-8888: China Travel Services
 九（ jiŭ）：the greatest of single-digit
numbers
 was historically associated with the
Emperor of China
 Number 9 is a homophone of the word for
“longlasting” （久，jiǔ）
 It signifies friendship, love, and long life.
e.g 长久 （cháng jiǔ）
长长久久
友谊地久天长（yǒu yì dì jiǔ tiān cháng）
May our friendship last forever.
Double-9th Day （重阳节，chóngyángjié）
 on the ninth day of the ninth month in
Chinese lunar calendar.
 The highest odd number, or yang
number, appears in double ，so literally
double yang.
 a history of more than 2,000 years.





Main Conventions
going on a journey
ascending height （Height Ascending
Festival）
inserting cornel
appreciating chrysanthemum
eating Double-Ninth cake and drinking
chrysanthemum wine.
 The Chinese government set September
9 in the lunar calendar as "the Elder's
Festival" in 1989.
 Now the Double-Ninth Day has been
enlisted as Intangible Cultural Heritage of
China.
5. Number Combinations
e.g
168 ：“road of prosperity” or to “be
prosperous together”.
Fun with Number Combinations





14
518
1314
1314920
88、886
Closing Remarks
1） 信则有，不信则无。
2）Beauty/Auspiciousness is in the eye
of the beholder?
Thank You 39 ！