Significant Chinese Numbers?

[abracanabra]

What numbers (and especially time periods) are significant in Chinese myths/fairytales? For example, in Western culture, the numbers are 3 and 7--three brothers, three years of a quest, seven years penance, etc.

Comments

[melindadansky.livejournal.com]

Depending on the time period you're interested in using, you might try Social Life of the Chinese Volumes I and II. It's an original source from the turn of the century, written by an Englishman who is neither paternal nor over-awed by the culture (over-awed as in "Look! Brown people magic! It must be the secret truth!").

It's a large book, but it's readable and has an index and a useful table of contents. You should be able to find a copy online or at a decent research library or even a full text online.

[catvalente.livejournal.com]

Four and eight are significant in Buddhism, but the word for four sounds like the word for death, so it is considered an unlucky number.

[susanofstohelit.livejournal.com]

eight is lucky, also the color red. black and white are associated with death.

(I learned this when researching appropriate wrapping paper two years ago - one of the many random topics in international business classes. another thing from that class, don't give clocks.)

[xcorvis.livejournal.com]

The article is not great, but you should be able to pull out some tidbits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_in_Chinese_culture

Also check I Ching and Feng Shui resources - they should point to some similar things.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

Eight is lucky because either the written character for 8 looks like the character for luck, or the spoken word for 8 rhymes with the word for luck. I forget which. When you eat moon cakes for the harvest festival you're supposed to cut them in 8 pieces, for good luck. All told to me by a Chinese co-worker who brought me some fancy moon cakes, which were not very much like western-style cake.

[traladeda.livejournal.com]

If you aren't already saturated with info, I can contact a friend of mine who is Chinese and well-acquainted with their superstition. (In fact, she had to get married by a justice of the peace in a certain year because the actual wedding ceremony was taking place in the Year of the Widow.

Sorry, waayy behind my on my LJ reading

[ladylaurel.livejournal.com]

But my good friend Phil can answer this for you if you want. He's done extensive research in chinese fortune-telling, which is VERY number based (I Ching). He's on my FB as Phil Winkelman - chat him up there if you still want info in this respect.

Re: Sorry, waayy behind my on my LJ reading

[cloudscudding.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'm good--and now you know how ridiculously behind *I* am on my comment-answering.