In Chinese culture, numbers are often endowed with symbolic and cultural connotations that go beyond their own meanings. Among numerous numbers, the number “4” has become a controversial and taboo number due to its special homophonic relationship. This phenomenon not only reflects the Chinese people’s pursuit of auspiciousness and a better life, but also reflects the influence of folk culture and psychological effects on daily life.
Why do Chinese people not like 4
- Homophonic association
Firstly, the main reason why Chinese people dislike the number “4” is its homophonic sound. In Chinese, the pronunciation of “four” is similar to that of “death”, and this homophonic relationship makes it easy for people to associate “four” with death. For Chinese people who pursue auspiciousness and avoid inauspicious events, this association is undoubtedly unwelcome. Therefore, in many situations, especially those related to positive images such as life, health, and happiness, people will try to avoid using or mentioning the number “4” as much as possible.
- Traditional Culture and Yin Yang Theory
In addition to homophonic factors, the yin-yang theory in traditional Chinese culture has also had an impact on the taboo of the number “4”. In the theory of Yin Yang and Five Elements, “four” is regarded as the Yin number, opposite to the Yang number. The yang number represents positive and prosperous power, while the yin number carries negative implications such as hidden and weakening. Therefore, in traditional culture, “four” is often regarded as an unlucky number and is easily avoided by people.
- Folk customs and psychological effects
In addition, folk customs and psychological factors are also important reasons why Chinese people do not like the number “4”. In the long-term historical development process, people have formed many taboo customs related to the number “4”. For example, when choosing house numbers, license plate numbers, etc., people will try to avoid using numbers with “4” as much as possible; In celebration of birthdays and other festive occasions, if the age contains “4”, it is sometimes seen as an unlucky symbol. The formation and inheritance of these customs have further deepened people’s taboo psychology towards the number “4”.
Measures taken to avoid 4
- Substitution and Avoidance
In order to avoid using the number “4”, people have taken various alternative and avoidance measures. When choosing a house number, license plate number, etc., if the original number contains “4”, people tend to choose other numbers as substitutes. For example, in some regions, people use the English letter “F” instead of the number “4” because “F” is similar in shape to “4” but has no relation to “death” in pronunciation. In addition, when writing phone numbers, passwords, etc., people also try to avoid using the number “4” as much as possible to reduce unlucky associations.
- The use of auspicious words
In order to alleviate the ominous feeling brought by the number “4”, people have also created many auspicious words for psychological comfort and balance. For example, in some southern regions, people believe that “four” represents the four seasons of a year, so they associate “four” with auspicious images such as wealth and peace, forming auspicious words such as “four seasons of wealth” and “four seasons of peace”. The use of these auspicious words not only alleviates people’s taboo towards the number “4”, but also enriches China’s language and culture.
- Adjustment of customs and systems
In some special occasions and fields, in order to cater to people’s taboo psychology, relevant departments and institutions will also adjust customs and systems. For example, in hospitals, nursing homes, and other places, in order to avoid the ominous feeling caused by the use of the number “4”, some hospitals will deliberately avoid using the number “4” in ward numbers, bed numbers, etc. In addition, in the field of public transportation, some cities also try to avoid using the number “4” in the numbering of buses, subways and other transportation vehicles to reduce passenger anxiety.
- Education and guidance
In addition to the above measures, education and guidance are also important ways to reduce people’s avoidance of the number “4”. By educating and popularizing scientific knowledge and rational thinking, guiding people to correctly view the number “4” and its cultural connotations and symbolic meanings behind it, it helps to eliminate people’s superstitious and taboo psychology. At the same time, by promoting positive values and attitudes towards life, encouraging people to face various numbers and phenomena in life with an open and inclusive attitude, it also helps to reduce the negative impact of the number “4” on people’s lives.
conclusion
In summary, the Chinese people’s aversion to the number “4” stems from various factors such as homophonic associations, traditional culture and yin-yang theory, as well as folk customs and psychological effects. In order to avoid using the number “4”, people have taken various alternative and avoidance measures, and created auspicious words to resolve the sense of inauspiciousness.