Chinese number definitions

Chinese number definitions

Cantonese frequently assign the following definitions (based on its sound), which may differ in other Chinese languages:

1. 一 [jɐ́t]  — sure
2. 二 [ji̭ː]  — easy 易 [ji̭ː]
3. 三 [sáːm]  — live 生 [sáːŋ]
4. 四 [sēi]  — considered unlucky since 4 is a homophone with the word for death or suffering 死 [sěi], yet in the Shanghainese, it is a homophone of water (水)and is considered lucky since water is associated with money.
5. 五 [ŋ̬]  — the self, me, myself 吾 [ŋ̭], nothing, never 唔 [ŋ, m]^{[need tone]}
6. 六 [lùːk]  — easy and smooth, all the way
7. 七 [tsʰɐ́t]  — a slang/vulgar word in Cantonese.
8. 八 [pāːt]  — sudden fortune, prosperity 發 [fāːt]
9. 九 [kɐ̌u]  — long in time 久 [kɐ̌u], enough 夠 [kɐ̄u] or a slang/vulgar word derived from dog 狗 [kɐ̌u] in Cantonese

Some "lucky number" combinations include:

• 99 — doubly long in time, hence eternal; used in the name of a popular Chinese-American supermarket chain, 99 Ranch Market.
• 168 — many premium-pay telephone numbers in China begin with this number. It is also the name of a motel chain in China (Motel 168).