Traditions Around the World
Homophones, Feng Shui and auspicious numbers in Chinese culture and business.
Start here · Essential guide
An overview of Chinese number symbolism: how sound-alike words, yin-yang ideas and Feng Shui shaped the lucky eight and unlucky four, framed as cultural belief.
How sound-alike words give the Chinese numbers six, seven, eight and nine their popular meanings, from smooth flow to long life, and where the wordplay breaks down.
Why eight is linked with prosperity in Chinese culture: a Cantonese sound-alike pun, not a property of the number, and how the wordplay spread.
How the belief in a lucky eight became a market for phone numbers, car plates and addresses, with documented examples such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening time.
Why four is avoided in China, Japan and Korea: the sound link between four and death, and the building, hospital and gift practices that quietly skip the number.
The Double Ninth (Chongyang) Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month: yang-number logic, hill-climbing, chrysanthemum and dogwood customs, and modern role.
How Feng Shui schools such as the Flying Star method assign numbers to directions and rooms, what practitioners believe, and why these systems lack scientific support.
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