| see the wikipedia entry on Chinese numerology, esp. number 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_numerology#Nine tl;dr - Chinese pronunciation of 9 sounds similar to the Chinese word for longevity/long life. You'd rarely see the number 4 used since that sounds like the pronunciation for the word 'death'. 8 is another popular number, synonymous with wealth. Go into a parking lot with many Asian drivers - you can pick many of the Chinese drivers just by looking at their license plates and checking if they have one or more 8's or 9's (and lack of 4's) in the license plate. Applies to many number-based items - phone numbers, highrises targeted at Asians may skip the 4th and 14th floors (haven't been in such buildings with more than 20 stories, but I'd assume the pattern would extend to any floor with a 4 in it - no idea about buildings with more than 39 floors) Once you know about it, it's hard to unsee... |
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