Chinese numerology

Some numbers are believed by some to be auspicious or lucky (吉利, ) or inauspicious or unlucky (不吉, ) based on the Chinese word that the number sounds similar to. The numbers 2, 3, 6, and 8 are generally considered to be lucky, while 4 is considered unlucky. These traditions are not unique to Chinese culture, with other countries with a history of Han characters also having similar beliefs stemming from these concepts. The number 0 (零, ) is the beginning of all things and is generally considered a good number, because it sounds like 良 (pinyin: liáng), which means 'good'. The number 1 (一, ) is neither auspicious nor inauspicious. It is a number given to winners to indicate the first place. But it can also symbolize loneliness or being single. For example: November 11 is the Singles' Day in China, as the date has four ‘1’ which stand for singles. The number 2 (二, cardinal, or 兩, used with units, ) is most often considered a good number in Chinese culture. In Cantonese, 2 (二 or 兩, ) is homophonous with the characters for "easy" (易, ) and "bright" (亮, ), respectively. There is a Chinese saying: "good things come in pairs". It is common to repeat characters in product brand names, such as the character 喜 (), can be repeated to form the character 囍 (). 24 () in Cantonese sounds like "easy die" (易死, ). 28 () in Cantonese sounds like "easy prosper" (易發, ). The number 3 (三, ) sounds like 生 (), which means "to live" or "life" so it's considered a good number. It's significant since it is one of three important stages in a person's life (birth, marriage, and death).On the other hand, number 3 (三,) sounds like 散 () which means "to split" or "to separate" or "to part ways" or "to break up with" so it is a bad number too. Tetraphobia While not traditionally considered an unlucky number, 4 has in recent times, gained an association with bad luck because of its pronunciation, predominantly for the Cantonese. The number 4 (四, ) is sometimes considered an unlucky number particularly in Cantonese because the way it is pronounced in the Cantonese dialect is nearly homophonous to the word "death" (死 ).