View Full Version : numbers can scare asians to death
solypsist
12-28-2001, 04:47
http://www.cosmiverse.com/paranormal12240101.html
Yep, heard of that one. Do you remember what happened to the cough syrup "formula 44" when they tried to sell it in China?
Also, you should have seen the look in this chinese tourist when he found out his room number was 404... LOL
------------------
"Je vous repondrai par la bouche de mes canons"
-Frontenac
(I will answer you with the blast of my canons)
-Trad. libre
Is 7 a lucky number? Although this is completely OT because i heard it was.
BakaGaijin
12-28-2001, 21:37
7 is definitely considered a lucky number in Western society. Doubly so if you're playing Craps. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif
I'm sure the origins go back to ancient Greek astrology, but, for some reason, 7 get associated with the Christian God quite a lot. Don't ask me why, it wasn't my choice.
Personally, I much prefer the numbers 3 and 27.
------------------
Disappear into the Darkness!!
solypsist
12-29-2001, 01:02
I once bought *two* drinks for a young Japanese girl at a bar; that proved to be my lucky number!
[This message has been edited by solypsist (edited 12-28-2001).]
Tachikaze
12-29-2001, 04:51
It's much more convenient to have 13 as an unlucky number than 4. It's easier to avoid buying 13 tea cups as a gift, for instance. Avoiding 4 of everything must be difficult.
By the way, 9 is unlucky in Japan as well.
8 is auspicious, however, which is why we drive Toyotas, rather than Toyodas.
------------------
What's the matter with you, robot. You used to kill and Hello Dolly!
solypsist
12-29-2001, 04:55
huh? How does the number 8, or the Japanese pronunciation make a difference on the car name? I'm looking forward to an interesting explanation..
Tachikaze
12-29-2001, 08:39
I have two explanations. Which do you think is correct?
1) The family name Toyoda means "eastern field" in Japanese. But Toyota means "infinity". The symbol for infinity resting on its side resembles the numeral 8.
~~~~~~~~
2) When the Toyoda family began their auto company in the '30s, they received advice that they could increase the fortune of the company by slightly renaming it.
The Japanese not only attribute luck to the pronunciation of a word (as in shi), but also to the written characters. For instance, when parents name their children, they consult experts who determine auspicious vs. ill-fated names. There are many variables, including pronunciation, time of year, and the year itself. One variable is the number of strokes needed to write the person's name (both family and personal together). If a name requires nine strokes to write it, the expert would caution the parents to choose another personal name.
In the case of Toyoda, the company used the katakana script to write it. Katakana is one of the native Japanese syllablic scripts, used often for product names. In katakana, "Toyoda" is written with ten strokes. While ten is not an unlucky number, eight is particularly lucky. By changing the pronunciation to Toyota, two strokes are omitted from the written name. Ever since then, the company has been Toyota.
------------------
What's the matter with you, robot. You used to kill and Hello Dolly!
solypsist
12-29-2001, 09:58
wooohooo!!!
amazing!!
i was not let down!
thanks!
------------------
"really soly, are trying to turn the forum into a porn ring?" - Brown Wolf
Klen Sakurai
12-30-2001, 03:12
LordTed, Baka: I believe 7 as a "lucky number" has its origins in ancient Hebrew culture, which might explain its transfer to Greece etc.
------------------
All quotes are terrrible!
BakaGaijin
12-30-2001, 11:50
I stand corrected!
------------------
"If your soul is imperfect, living will be difficult." -- Ryo Hayabusa, DOA2
Tachikaze
12-30-2001, 17:50
Sorry, I made up #1. You probably guessed.
Yes, Chinese will avoid bad numbers if possible. Especially number 4, which pronounciation sounds like die in mandarin and cantonese. Good numbers are like 3 (sounded like grow or promote) and especially 8 (sounded like strike rich/wealth). Mainly for those mandarin and cantonese speaking Chinese though.
So especially bad car-plates are
4444 (die die die die)
4424 (die die easy to die)
Good ones are
8888 (getting rich, richer and richest)
3333 (getting lots of promotion)
3388 (promotion and riches)
3838 (promotion and riches)
3828 (promotion and easy to rich, 2 sounds like easy)
LOL sometimes they are funny...
--tootee the goldfish
solypsist
12-31-2001, 09:37
hmmm..okay. i'll keep all this in mind next i'm ordering sushi- 8 pieces not 4.
Minamoto Yoritomo
01-03-2002, 06:22
Next time you see a Chinese woman, tell her that she is very three-eight (but use the Mandarin equivalents). I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear you use these very auspicious numbers to describe her.
Tachikaze
01-04-2002, 04:25
Yeah, "six-nine" will get you slapped.
------------------
What's the matter with you, robot. You used to kill and Hello Dolly!
Papewaio
01-04-2002, 05:38
How about a 68?
------------------
Never start a land war in Asia
Never bet with a Scilian when death is on the line
Never expect anything more then sarcasm from an Australian
Katasaki Hirojima
01-04-2002, 10:08
Its according to weather its a 68 chevy or ford... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif
------------------
"I maintain none the less that Yin-Yang Dualism can be overcome. With sufficent enlightment, we can give substance to any distinction: Mind without body, north without south, pleasure without pain. Renember, enlightment is a function of will power, not of physical strength."- Shang-ji Yang, essays on mind and matter.
Papewaio
01-04-2002, 12:23
I was thinking on the lines of:
"Give me a 68 and I'll owe you one later"
------------------
Never start a land war in Asia
Never bet with a Scilian when death is on the line
Never expect anything more then sarcasm from an Australian
Papewaio
01-07-2002, 04:49
Quote Originally posted by Minamoto Yoritomo:
Next time you see a Chinese woman, tell her that she is very three-eight (but use the Mandarin equivalents). I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear you use these very auspicious numbers to describe her.[/QUOTE]
Which sounds like bossy as in boss of a triad or a brothel ie has the attitude of a prostitute... if you want castration just say this to a chinese woman.
------------------
Never start a land war in Asia
Never bet with a Scilian when death is on the line
Never expect anything more then sarcasm from an Australian
Quote Originally posted by Minamoto Yoritomo:
Next time you see a Chinese woman, tell her that she is very three-eight (but use the Mandarin equivalents). I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear you use these very auspicious numbers to describe her.[/QUOTE]
LOL yeah I'm sure she will "like" to be called a nosy busybody http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif
and as for "69", in cantonese it means dick? hmm.....
Papewaio
01-08-2002, 05:02
Quote Originally posted by tootee:
LOL yeah I'm sure she will "like" to be called a nosy busybody http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif
and as for "69", in cantonese it means dick? hmm.....[/QUOTE]
So by the laws of coincidence, tarots and astrology would '68', in cantonese or mandarin translate to 'head'?
------------------
Never start a land war in Asia
Never bet with a Scilian when death is on the line
Never expect anything more then sarcasm from an Australian
vBulletin® v3.7.1, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.