The dreaded number 4 in China: a nightmare for business

If you thought 13 was the most hated number on the planet, you probably haven't tried doing business in China. There, the real villain of numerology is the dreaded 4 . And no, it's not because the Chinese like to contradict the rest of the world, but because the pronunciation of "four" (四, sì ) sounds suspiciously similar to the word "death" (死, sǐ ). In other words, for them, the number 4 is the equivalent of naming Voldemort out loud.

How serious is this superstition?

To give you an idea, in many buildings in China there are simply no floors with the number 4 in them . You go from 3 to 5 as if it were nothing, and if you ask why, the answer is usually a look of "do you really need me to explain that to you?" In hospitals, rooms with a "4" in the number are rarer than a unicorn, because who wants to recover with the word "death" written on the door?

And in the business world, things don't get any better. If you ever think of selling something in China, think twice before putting a "4" in your brand name or product number. You don't want your customers to feel like they're buying "The Death Chair 4000" or the "4G Death Phone." It's not the best marketing strategy.

Some examples from everyday life

Even in Chinese pop culture, this phobia of the number 4 is taken very seriously. In many Chinese video games and series, if a character is given the number 4 in a tournament or competition, you can bet that their fate will be tragic . A clear example is the world of eSports, where Chinese teams avoid choosing the number 4 in any ranking, lest they jinx their victory.

There's also the case of car license plates: if you're brave (or unlucky) enough to have a number 4 on your plate, you're likely to have trouble reselling your vehicle. In some provinces, cars with "cursed" license plates depreciate faster than a phone without a WiFi connection.

So what to do in business?

If you're planning to expand your brand into China, avoid the number 4 in product names, promotions and prices at all costs . In fact, many companies play it the other way around and look for the Chinese lucky number, 8 ( bā ), which sounds like "wealth." So if you want your product to succeed, it's better to name it "888" than "444."

Bottom line: The number 4 is public enemy number one in China when it comes to business. If you don't want your company to be the corporate equivalent of a horror movie, you might as well leave that number at home and go for something more auspicious. Your wallet will thank you! 🏆