Numerology is an important part of our lives. Numbers pop up all the time, in house numbers, car numbers… what most people want is for these personalized numbers to be lucky for them. But how does one start when choosing numbers? We investigate this further.
In feng shui, we use numbers to represent the five elements in the Eight Directions and Flying Star methods. It is also used to predict the future and to determine the Chi quality in any space. However, for car numbers, people use a different method.
For cars, people are most fond of numbers that phonetically sound like auspicious words in Chinese. Most have a preference for prosperous numbers such as “8”, “6” or “9” to form auspicious combinations such as “168”, “8998” or “8888”. Twos and threes are also popular.
SH Tan, Hyundai car dealer, says of his customers, “90% of the time, they want to choose their own number. It’s usually the Chinese and Indians who choose, but nowadays, Malays are also getting smart, because cars with good numbers are easier to resell.” But how much are people really willing to pay to get themselves a lucky number?
Says Tan, “If you’re not fussy and you just want to avoid the bad numbers, it will cost you RM210. This goes ups to RM310 if you want to jump queue and get a number that hasn’t come up yet.” I can handle RM210, not much if you consider what you’d be paying for the car.
He continues, “But if you want repeated numbers, especially the really popular ones, you need to tender for the number, and you should be prepared to pay anything from RM2K to RM15K. Numbers like 2288 will normally cost you 2-3K, while if you want 8888, that’ll be anything from 10K up.”
Well, I’d be willing to fork out 210 or even 310, but to spend a few thousand on a car number plate’s a bit steep, feng shui or no feng shui! So I figured for the majority of us, it makes better sense to investigate how to choose a lucky number without having to pay through your nose.
THE MEANINGS OF NUMBERS
So how does one go about choosing numbers? Well, first, you need to know the meaning of each number.
The number 8 is considered one of the most auspicious, because it is believed that it’ll make you rich. It is also the 2nd furthest number from 1 in the sequence 1-9, and your luck is said to be greatest when you are just below the top. Eight also stands for growth and expansion. In addition, eight is also the “future prosperity” number in period 7 (the period we are currently in) and will become “present prosperity” when we enter period 8 on Feb 4th, 2004. Thus, the number 8 has become by far the most popular to have on one’s car number plate.
The number 3 is generally viewed as a good number, as it represents “life”. Phonetically in Cantonese, three sounds like sang, which means to live. One of the popular combinations that includes the number 3 is “328”. This means you will “easily do well in business”.
The number 6 is also very auspicious because it has the sound luk, which sounds like the word for “profitable”. Furthermore, 6 is twice 3, which means “doubling of everything you have”. If you have the car number “1368”, this means, “your wealth luck will continue to double over time”.
The numbers 1 and 9 are also good numbers. The number 1 represents unity, while the number 9 stands for longevity. These combine well with other lucky numbers, such as in 1998, 1389, etc.
The number 2 sounds like yi, the word for “easy”. It is thus often placed in front of other numbers e.g. 23, 26 or 28. These combinations translate to mean “easy growth”, “easy profitability” and “easy prosperity”. However, it is most unlucky to place 2 in front of 4, as then it would sound like “easy to die” – not what you want on your car for sure!
The number 5 sounds like ng, which means “will not”. It is thus best to combine it with 4. Because 4 sounds like “die”, 54 means “will not die”. 5 should never be combined with a lucky number, because it negates the luck. E.g. 58 means “will not prosper” and 53 means “will not expand”.
The number 7 sounds like chat, which means certainty. This number is best combined with the numbers 2 or 8, where it means “prosperity for sure”. Avoid placing the number 7 with unlucky numbers such as 4, which means “sure to die”.
The number 4 is the number that everyone tries to avoid in their car number. 4 means “die” in Cantonese! However, the number 4 is not always bad. For instance, 48 means “prosperity by any means” and 43 means “even if you die, you will live”. Or when it is combined with 5, such as 54, it means, “will not die”. The easy rule is never to place 4 at the end of a string of numbers.
PERSONALIZED LUCKY NUMBERS
It’s not just the exalted eights, sixes and nines that bring luck. Some apparently unlucky numbers can be lucky for certain people. For example, 4 & 5 are usually deemed unlucky, but if your personal Kua is four or five, these numbers are lucky for you. However, numbers like eight and nine are lucky for everyone, so if your car has more than one driver, it might be better to go for the universally lucky digits.
Also, if your car is collectively lucky, it will be easier to sell. Says Ng Wee Hock, a second-hand car dealer, “It’s funny, but one of the first things people look at is the car number. If the number is lucky, then it’s less trouble and they are more willing to buy quickly. If they really like a car but don’t like the number, they either don’t buy or they want us to arrange to change the number.”
What’s considered really taboo when it comes to numbers then? I ask. Ng replies. “Usually people don’t like a lot of 7’s together, as 7 also sounds like scolding people. 6 and 9 are also not good when next to each other (69) – that sounds like your car is a total loss. And 4’s are definitely not OK when you talk to a Chinese.
Well, it’s good to know that my car number ain’t have to be 8888 to be lucky But just to be safe, I think I’ll be a RM210 groupie and get myself at least an acceptable “lucky” number.
