Yesterday was a former French teacher’s dream. We got to learn about Chinese culture and language from a Chinese teacher who had spent two years at the Confucius Institute in Lincoln. As she taught us how to count from one to ten, we also learned how to use 
our fingers to count the Chinese way. The number 6 looks like the old “hang loose” hand sign – thumb and pinkie extended with the other three fingers curled into the palm. The number 8 is thumbs up, index finger extended with the other three fingers curled into the palm. I knew using the signs while I learned the words would help my brain anchor the sounds. I’m still struggling with 5, 7, and 9. The sounds are so different from the sounds we make in English.
More delightful is the culture embedded in the numbers. The number two signifies double happiness like twins which are a special gift under the current “one birth” policy. Chinese abounds in words that sound alike and have different meanings. Our teacher made us aware of many with the numbers. The numbers 1 and 3 also sound like and signify together -one whole life. The number 4 sounds like the word for death. Thus four is an unlucky number. Our hotel does not have a fourth floor. 1314 gives the meaning of one whole life forever; 3, 6, 9 a prosperous life. The number 8 is viewed as a very lucky number. Pronounced it sounds like good fortune – wealth. The Beijing Olympics opened on 8/8/08 at 8 seconds after 8:08 pm to benefit from the luck of the number 8. Some Chinese will even pay to assure their personal and business address and phone numbers contain the right numbers. A note from hotel hospitality welcomed us and let us know we could contact them by dialing 8888. I smiled with my new insight into what I would have viewed previously as a peculiar number.
Our teacher was patient as we struggled to pronounce accurately and remember the numbers. We were doing this to expand our knowledge not for survival. Every single Chinese person who sold us goods bartered with us using English numbers. How monolingual I feel! How in awe I am of our students, our parents and the rest of the world who embrace and learn multiple languages and cultures to survive and thrive in this 21st Century.
How fun!
I have been enjoying your blog responses to your days in China. I love the descriptions of the cultural experiences you share. I can tell from your remarks you all are valuing this opportunity to explore this country and learn from each other. Thank you for taking time to write your stories so we can feel as if we are there with you.