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Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: Hello and welcome to Culture Class: Chinese Superstitions and Beliefs, Lesson 4 -The Numbers 4 and 8. I'm Eric and I'm joined by Dehua.
Dehua: 你好! (nǐhǎo!), I'm Dehua.
THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS
Eric: In this lesson we’ll talk about two common superstitions in China. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s it called in Chinese?
Dehua: 数字“四”, (shùzì " sì ").
Eric: Which literally means "number 4." Dehua, can you repeat the Chinese phrase again?
Dehua: [slow] 数字“四” [normal] 数字“四”
Eric: In China, it's believed that the number 4 is unlucky.
Dehua: This is another pronunciation superstition.
Eric: Right. The word for four and the word for death sound very similar.
Dehua: Yes. They are 四 and 死, respectively.
Eric: So some Chinese people believe that death and the number four are connected.
Dehua: Right, and they try to avoid the number 4.
Eric: The second superstition is about good luck. What's it called in Chinese?
Dehua: 数字“八", (shùzì " bā ").
Eric: Which literally means "number 8." Let’s hear it in Chinese again.
Dehua: [slow] 数字“八" [normal] 数字“八"
Eric: Unlike our last number, this one is believed to be good luck.
Dehua: Yes. In China, it's believed that the number 8 is lucky.
Eric: And again this is because of the pronunciation of the number 8.
Dehua: 八
Eric: or 8
Dehua: is similar to 发
Eric: which means "getting rich."
Dehua: So the number 8 is considered good luck.

Outro
Eric: There you have it - two Chinese superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments!
Dehua: 再见! (Zàijiàn!)

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