AI proposes a price, floor number, room number, or gift quantity of 4 (or ending in 4) in a Chinese market
ID: culture/number-four-death-homophone
Version Compatibility
| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| any | active | — | — | — |
Root Cause
In Mandarin, 四 (sì, 'four') is a near-homophone of 死 (sǐ, 'death'). Tetraphobia affects elevator numbering (floors 4, 14, 24 commonly skipped), hospital rooms, license plates, and product pricing. Gift quantities of 4 are strongly avoided. 8 (八 bā, 'prosperity' 发) and 6 (流, smooth) are preferred.
genericWorkarounds
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92% success Prefer 8 (八 prosperity), 6 (smooth), 9 (longevity, 久) in prices, floor numbers, quantities, and license plates. 88, 888, 168, 198 are strong lucky anchors.
Sources: https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinese-business-etiquette/
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85% success If 4 is unavoidable (part numbers, serials), avoid it in the final digit and avoid stacking 4 with 4 (444, 4444). Isolated 4 in a long number is tolerated. 7 is not especially lucky or unlucky; 3 is mildly positive.
Sources: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/15/WS622fa5a3a310cdd39bc8a745.html
Dead Ends
Common approaches that don't work:
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Price products at 444, 144 RMB or similar for a Chinese e-commerce launch
60% fail
Chinese consumers actively avoid SKUs priced with 4. Major e-commerce platforms (Taobao, JD) show measurably lower conversion for 4-heavy prices. Prestige goods pricing almost always centers on 8, 6, or 9.
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Book a Chinese business partner into hotel room 444 or on floor 4
70% fail
Many Chinese hotels skip 4, 14, 24, 34 entirely. If a floor-4 room is assigned to an older VIP, it is read as carelessness at best, an insult at worst.
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Give 4 bottles of wine, 4 mooncakes, or 4 fruits as a gift bundle
70% fail
Quantities of 4 in gift bundles carry the same death association as the number in isolation. Senders are expected to choose 2, 6, or 8; 1 is also acceptable.