We are Half way to Referral Time!!

I found this posting on a blog that I read once in a while, and wanted to share with you all!

As Chris Heberlig says it...
"As we wait, I've found some interesting things on the number "8" in popular Chinese beliefs. I know I did! I really wish we had some in our address. Do you think it would speed anything up if I told them that my license plate has an "8"...Chinese is probably one of the very few languages where several different words meaning different things can have identical pronunciation. For example "zhong" can mean "center", "royal", "end", "clock", "bell", "love", "sincerity", or "rice dumpling"; "tong" can mean "same", "copper", "child", "servant",and "barrel".

A number of words also have very similar pronunciations to numbers. For example:
The number 1 (pronounced "yao") is very close to the pronunciation for the word "yao" that means "want" or "you" that means "has".
The number 4 (pronounced "shi") can mean "generation", "world", "is", or "death".
The number 5 (pronounced "wu") is very close to "wo" meaning "me"
The number 6 (pronounced "liu") is close to "liu" that means "slippery". Thus "66" means slippery or "smooth running"
The number 7 (pronounced "chi") sounds like "chu" meaing "go" or "che" meaning "eat"
The number 8 (pronounced "ba") sounds close to "fa" which means "prosper"

If you have been to China, you might notice the unusual frequency of the number "8" in the telephone numbers of hotels, airlines or businesses. Most of these are supposed to carry a good omen or blessing for the "prosperity" of the enterprises.Telecommunication companies and car registration authorities in China have unwritten rules to charge extra for each number "8" that you want on your telephone number or your car license plate.

Here are some "prosperous" telephone numbers:
Shanghai Shi Mao Riviera Garden Estate - 6888 8888
Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Shanghai - 6252 8888, 6280 8888
Ocean Hotel, Shanghai - 6545 8888
Sheraton Taiping Hotel, Shanghai - 6275 8888
Rizt Carlton Portman Hotel - 6279 8888
China Travel Services, Shanghai - 6247 8888
Northwest Airlines - 6279 8088
J.C. Mandarin Hotel - 6279 1888
Galaxy Hotel - 6275 5888
Nikko Hotel - 6255 9888
Overseas Chinese Bank Corp - 6329 0888

In your travels you also have noticed that many buildings in China are sans floors 13 and 14. The lifts simply go straight from the 12th floor to 15th floor. The opened- up China seems to have adopted the western superstition relating to the number "13" as well as keeping local superstitions alive by avoiding the Floor "14" pronounced "shi-si" meaning "accidents".Volkswagen would have to adopt a new name completely unrelated to its German name pronunciation of "da zhong" meaning "the people," due to popular perceptions of the term. The nearest Chinese word for "Volkswagen" used among the Chinese in Southeast Asia is "fu shi huo gen" meaning "fortune is the root of disasters." Ford has better luck in the translation as it's translated name "fu te" means "extra fortune". AIWA also has has landed a good fortune fluke as "ai hua" - its Chinese name - means "love China". Similarly with Suntory as it's Chinese translation - "san de li" - means "benefiting three parties" (implying the people, the nation and the company).

"In Hong Kong, a personal license plate with the number eight can cost millions of dollars," says Alhambra, California developer Raymond Cheng, who was born and reared in the British colony. "A single eight on your license plate gives you status. People know you have to pay top dollars for it."

The 2008 Beijing Olympics will begin at 8pm on 8 August, in keeping with one of the nation's lucky numbers. Eight is considered auspicious in China because its pronunciation in Cantonese sounds the same as the word for to make money.The Games had originally been planned to commence in late August to avoid Beijing soaring summer temperatures.But Beijing's mayor said the sporting festival would begin in the luckiest manner possible - at eight on 8/8/08.Mayor Wang Qishan conceded it would still be hot in early August, with the temperature often climbing above 40 degrees Celsius."

So we have some eights in our phone numbers and our log in date! Alex and I were born on the eighth day of the month... hummm... what else? Oh well. Just had to share some funny stuff!

-Christel