Chinese Culture

Chinese Lucky and Unlucky Numbers Explained

By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
Last updated: 2026-10-10

Why Chinese people like the number 8

Because 8 (bā) sounds like 发 (fā), the word for prosper or get rich - it is a homophone, not a superstition with rules. 6 (liù) suggests things going smoothly, 9 (jiǔ) sounds like lasting forever and is popular for weddings, and 4 (sì) sounds like death, which is why many buildings have no 4th, 14th or 24th floor.

That single logic - sound, not symbol - explains almost everything a visitor notices about Chinese numbers, right down to why amounts and gifts are given in even numbers.

The numbers at a glance

Five digits and one phrase carry nearly all of it. Every entry below is a habit rather than a rule - there is no official book of lucky numbers, and Chinese friends will disagree about the edges.

The commercial side is where it becomes visible: apartment floors, phone numbers and number plates with 8 in them sell for a premium, and prices ending in 8 are common.

The lucky ones

8 — 发 (fā), to prosper. Hence 888 in prices, phone numbers and car plates, and the Beijing Olympics opening on 8/8/08 at 8pm. 6 — 顺 (shùn), smooth and untroubled. 9 — 久 (jiǔ), long-lasting, so it appears in wedding dates and romantic gifts.

The one to avoid

4 — 死 (sǐ), death. Many buildings omit the 4th floor entirely, and 14 and 24 get skipped too. You will also see phone numbers and property prices react to it. When choosing a gift quantity or a cash amount, avoid four.

Where it shows up

Prices (¥88, ¥188, ¥888), red envelope amounts, wedding dates, house numbers, and licence plates. Companies pay real money for a phone number full of 8s. It is not superstition at the margins — it moves markets.

How to use this without being weird

You do not need to plan around it. Just notice it: choose 8 or 6 if you are picking a number anyway, avoid 4 for gifts, and pick an even amount. Saying 恭喜发财 around New Year already lands well; nobody expects a foreigner to memorise numerology.

The numbers, and what they actually mean

Numbers and money: what it means when you are buying

Price endings carry meaning. A price ending in 8 is chosen to be auspicious, which is why 188 and 888 appear far more often than they would by chance. If you are haggling in a market, offering an amount ending in 8 reads as friendly rather than cheap.

When giving a red envelope, four is the number to avoid. Common choices are 88, 188 or 888 for celebration, and amounts ending in 6 or 9 for occasions about smooth progress or long relationships. Even numbers are preferred overall, with four being the exception that proves the rule.

The one number that is an insult: 250

Two hundred and fifty — 二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) — is not unlucky, it is rude. It means a fool, and the story behind it is that half of five hundred was historically a small unit of currency worth almost nothing. If someone calls you 二百五 they are not complimenting your taste in numbers.

This matters in one practical case: when you are choosing an amount for a gift or a transfer. 250 is the number to avoid for reasons that have nothing to do with fortune.

There is no official rulebook

No ministry, museum or academic body publishes a list of lucky numbers. This is living custom rather than regulation, which is exactly why we do not attach an official citation to this page the way we do to our guides on payments or trains.

It also means the picture above is the widely shared core rather than an exhaustive system. Regional practice varies: 7 carries unlucky associations in some Buddhist contexts and none at all in most of the country, and older people tend to follow these conventions more closely than students do. Treat it as social context that will help you read a price tag or pick a gift, not as a set of rules you have to obey.

Two digits that change the price of things

Numbers are not just folklore in China, they are priced. Phone numbers and licence plates ending in 8 - or better, several 8s - sell at a premium, and operators sell them as a catalogue rather than a lottery. The reason is the sound: 8 (ba) rhymes with 发 (fa), to prosper, so 88 sounds like double prosperity, and 168 sounds like 'prosperity all the way'.

The flip side is 4 (si), which sounds like 死 (si), to die. Buildings often skip the fourth floor, and hotel rooms numbered 4 or 14 are the last to be taken. For a visitor the practical effect is small, but if you are buying a phone number or choosing a room, you now know why the price moves.

What to actually do about it

Treat this as a courtesy, not a rulebook. Three habits cover almost every situation. First, when you give money as a gift or a red envelope, use an even amount and avoid anything ending in 4; 8 is welcome. Second, never hand over 250 in any context where it could be read as a comment on the person. Third, do not read too much into your own room number or seat number - nobody around you will.

The one place it pays to be deliberate is a purchase. If a phone number or plate is being sold to you as lucky, you are paying a marketing premium, not a fee; if it is being given to you, accept it and stop worrying about it.

Common questions

What is the luckiest number in China?

8, because it sounds like 发 (fā), to prosper. It appears in prices, phone numbers and licence plates.

Why is 4 unlucky?

四 (sì) sounds close to 死 (sǐ), meaning death. Many buildings skip 4, 14 and 24 as floor numbers.

Is 13 unlucky in China?

No — that is a Western convention. In China the numbers with strong associations are 8, 6 and 9 on the lucky side, and 4 on the unlucky side.

Is 250 an insult in Chinese?

Yes. 二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) means a fool, so 250 is the number to avoid when you are choosing an amount to give someone.

Do Chinese people actually believe these number rules?

In commerce and ceremony they are followed closely — prices, dates and phone numbers are chosen around them. In daily conversation most people treat them as a light social convention, and younger people less strictly than older ones.

Is 13 an unlucky number in China?

No. The number that carries weight in China is 4, because it sounds like the word for death. 13 has no traditional meaning here, and hotels, floors and prices use it normally.

Why do phone numbers with 8s cost more?

Because 8 sounds like the word for prospering, so operators and resellers price numbers ending in 8 - and especially repeated 8s - as a premium product. It is a market, not a rule, and the price is negotiable at resellers.

Should I avoid giving 250 yuan as a gift?

Yes. 二百五 (two hundred and fifty) is slang for a foolish person, so 250 is the one amount a money gift should never be. Even hundreds, or amounts ending in 8, are safe.

Read next

• Chinese New Year: Etiquette and Customs a Visitor Should Know
• Chinese Table Manners: What to Do, What Is Rude, and Why (2026)
• Bargaining in China: Where It Works and Where It Is Rude

Sources

• Number symbolism described here is widely documented in Chinese cultural practice and observed in everyday commerce across mainland China.
• 17Talk teaching team: examples drawn from real prices, phone numbers and wedding dates encountered in China, 2025-2026.