The "holy" number to Chinese: Story behind Chinese characters (20/ 25)

Описание: Please check 25 video series: Story Behind Chinese Characters
   • "I" or "Me" (我) -- Story Behind Chinese Ch...  
View more videos at    / sunnysunkansas  

All credits should go to C.H. Kang and Nethel Nelson who coauthored the book " The discovery of Genesis : how the truth of Genesis were hidden in Chinese characters"

In last video about "Story behind Chinese Characters", we talked about the flood and boat. Today we will talk about several Chinese characters related to the number "eight".

The number "Eight" is considered as the luckiest number in China as the number "7" in the West.

There are two major reasons why the number "eight" is considered a "holy" number in today's China.

1) The number's pronunciation is close to that of another Chinese character: "making fortune" or "prosperity".

2) The number eight is a perfect symmetrical shape. You can cut the number 8 in half vertically or horizontally, and both halves mirror themselves perfectly. Perfect symmetry lends itself to perfect balance. In Chinese Astrology, perfect balance is considered the ideal.

Thus, the number 8 is valued greatly by many Chinese. For example, a Hong Kong number plate with the number 8 was sold for $640,000. Many rich Chinese like to pay extra thousands of yuan to get a telephone number with the number 8.

You can make a fortune if you have a phone number 888-888-8888 to sell to Chinese.

Even the atheism Chinese government becomes religious and superstitious. For example, the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing started at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 pm on 8 August 2008.

However, there is another reason why the number "eight" is considered "holy" and only few smart people know that. I am one of them.

Ancient Chinese thought "eight" is the maximum number or the highest number. Any number comes from that number "eight". but why? let me explain:

In modern writing system, the number "eight" in Chinese looks like this, and more than two thousand years ago, it looks like "two persons back to back".

Its original meaning of the number "eight" is "divide", or "division". It is the same as another Chinese character: divide, or division. It is "eight" plus "knife". Is that interesting?

There are many Chinese characters with "eight" as a radical. Today I only show two more.

"Eight" people live under a roof means "cave".

"Eight" " mouths" or "eight people means common, public

Do you think those characters have anything to do with "eight" survivors in the Noah's ark? I don't know. but don't forget to come back to watch more.