Numbers mean something else in China.
To fully understand the craving of Chinese domainers for numeric domains, one must possess a good grasp of the Chinese culture and language.
Knowing the names of the numbers (from 1 to 10) is not enough! Many numbers have several meanings but they are also used for the “sound” that they make when pronounced.
This is the ultimate guide to the “Chinese Digitalk” – a combination of numbers and their symbolism in online use.
It will help you better understand the crazy pricing behind numeric domain sales at Chinese domain auction sites, such as 4.cn
This is my specialty since I have Chinese Mongolian blood in me and my great great granddad was one of the builders of the Great Wall of China. Deep in my investigation, I found out that my great great granddad build that section of the milepost 69 on the GWC.
The number 8 is the most demanded # for the Chinese as it sounds puek means lucky and prosperous whereas 4 -sounds “see” which means death-unlucky
Chinese characters/verbs have ambiguous meanings , that why they go for numbers.
Have a good Rabbit Year!!
Aren’t you glad you know me?
Rgs,
Son of Genghis Khan
Wow, it just clicked for me…never really paid attention because I thought it was solely about lucky numbers to the Chinese. That list makes it very clear what’s going on, thanks.
Okay please solve this puzzle for me.
it is firmly established that the number 4 is associated with bad luck
because it sounds like the Chinese word for death.
Therefore why does Chinese Domain Marketplace 4.cn use such a bad luck number
in their domain name?
Is it because that was the only number available for reg fee since all others avoided it?
Because it attracts attention….ISN’T THAT WHAT everybody wants ??
That what you want for your BS websites too- more attention more money$$$ websites are like people-they are attention W*&^%hores.
Tric – I think it’s because a lot of domains get “killed” at 4.cn 😀 Just kidding!
SL – Indeed, the Chinese culture is complex and it’s evident in the number 99013148875
BullS – Agreed 100%
FYI– the license plates , 8 and 88, 888 or 8888 are all bought out by a Chinese tycoon and they are put on his fleet of roll Royce.
They are like domains and are sold for millions!!
I can’t afford a lll domain let alone a chinese number .com!
@tricolorro That’s a great question! Probably the ease of a 1 character domain name is the biggest draw. It could have been left behind as you suggested – when I lived in China, whenever I went apartment hunting, the agents would always show me apartments with a number 4 in them, or on the fourth floor…because no one else wanted to touch them.
For more insights about Chinese Digitalk, you might enjoy…Chinese Digitalk – How to speak with numbers in Chinese
Chinese can mean so many things…
We picked up 888222.com – These dont have an exact meaning but 8 & 2 are very lucky in the chinese culture and for example 4 is very unlucky meaning “Death”
Which is of course very strange when 4.cn is the largest chinese platform for buying and selling domains…
Sebastian – True but in this case “4” substitutes “for” 😉