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
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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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