As long as the house doesn't start with a 4 you're good to go

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Um what

In Chinese culture, the number four is considered unlucky (like 13 in US culture). The Chinese word for the number 4 is a homophone of the Chinese word for death (albeit with different intonation). Because of this businesses avoid the number 4 in addresses, phone numbers, floors, etc, much like why taller buildings in the US avoid having a 13th floor.

As for OP's question:

Person who says house that when you add all numbers of the house and get number 4 ( 1+1+2) or house number that basically has any number that’s include 4 (134)

The latter person is right. Chinese do not use the numerology additive practices in this superstition. The former assumption is mixing Western numerology with Chinese superstitions. Additive combinations do not give you the homophonic concern that the word death. So you avoid house numbers with the actual number four. In your example, people would say the house number as one-three-four and it would include the homophone for death. In the former case, 112, people would say the house number as one-one-two and there would be no four in that address.

Am Chinese-American (ABC). Bought a house with the number 4 in it (bc in this market... lol). No one died (yet) but will keep everyone posted.

I'm the first PP who posted the explanation. Also an ABC. I follow some Chinese superstitions, mainly because my parents did. For example, we don't share a pear between only two people (e.g. the Chinese version of "never split a pair/pear"). When we cut a pear for family style serving, we'll cut a small bite to make sure that at least 3 people have a bite. It's stupid, and superstitious, but we still do it because my Dad always did. Now that he's gone, little things like this have more sentimental than superstitious value.

But my parents never really worried about the 4. In fact, they've lived in (both until my father passed, but my mother still lives there) for 38 years and it has a four in the house number. But I do remember my mother mentioning in passing the superstition when they were looking for houses way back when. She mentioned it was considered bad luck and they still bought the house. And have loved it for many years with many wonderful memories. My father did pass away while they lived in the house, but it was after 35 years of living there. Not a very powerful superstition/bad luck omen.

I think this could be a great strategy at open houses in this tough market -- talk loudly over and over again about how the house number is bad luck.

Anonymous wrote:My brother lived in Shanghai for a couple years for work (we are American.)
His apartment was on the 4th floor, and it was lower priced than apartments on other floors in his same building. There were only two apartments per floor; the other was rented by another non-Chinese (British.)

Many buildings don't even have a 4th floor "they skip the number 4". But again, that is not related to fengshui, it's just silly.

My brother lived in Shanghai for a couple years for work (we are American.)
His apartment was on the 4th floor, and it was lower priced than apartments on other floors in his same building. There were only two apartments per floor; the other was rented by another non-Chinese (British.)

Anonymous wrote:I have heard this too. FWIW, I just sold my house with a 4 in the address, and one of the bids was a Chinese family.

Yes, only people who don't know fengshui would avoid 4 in the house number.

I have heard this too. FWIW, I just sold my house with a 4 in the address, and one of the bids was a Chinese family.

NP here - just want to say that I think this is really interesting. Thanks for the people who are explaining it all!

Actual Chinese who spent time looking into the house number fengshui thing here. Having 4 in a house number is not bad AT ALL, unless it's something like 5884 (it sounds like "my dad die"). 4 sounds like "death", but this is not related to fenfshui, it is just folk culture, like "Friday the 13th" in western culture.

Fengshui is much more complicated. The house number is a small part of it, and usually not related to the pronunciation of the numbers (because again, that's just folk culture, not fengshui). Fenfshui has a lot to do with the location, orientation, layout of the house. There is a way to evaluate the house number against Bagua, you'd need to tell me the number though.

Another Chinese American here. If you want to get into the feng shui stuff, avoiding the number 4 is just the beginning. I don’t recommend making yourself crazy!

Anonymous wrote:

Um what

In Chinese culture, the number four is considered unlucky (like 13 in US culture). The Chinese word for the number 4 is a homophone of the Chinese word for death (albeit with different intonation). Because of this businesses avoid the number 4 in addresses, phone numbers, floors, etc, much like why taller buildings in the US avoid having a 13th floor.

As for OP's question:

Person who says house that when you add all numbers of the house and get number 4 ( 1+1+2) or house number that basically has any number that’s include 4 (134)

The latter person is right. Chinese do not use the numerology additive practices in this superstition. The former assumption is mixing Western numerology with Chinese superstitions. Additive combinations do not give you the homophonic concern that the word death. So you avoid house numbers with the actual number four. In your example, people would say the house number as one-three-four and it would include the homophone for death. In the former case, 112, people would say the house number as one-one-two and there would be no four in that address.

Am Chinese-American (ABC). Bought a house with the number 4 in it (bc in this market... lol). No one died (yet) but will keep everyone posted.

Um what

In Chinese culture, the number four is considered unlucky (like 13 in US culture). The Chinese word for the number 4 is a homophone of the Chinese word for death (albeit with different intonation). Because of this businesses avoid the number 4 in addresses, phone numbers, floors, etc, much like why taller buildings in the US avoid having a 13th floor.

As for OP's question:

Person who says house that when you add all numbers of the house and get number 4 ( 1+1+2) or house number that basically has any number that’s include 4 (134)

The latter person is right. Chinese do not use the numerology additive practices in this superstition. The former assumption is mixing Western numerology with Chinese superstitions. Additive combinations do not give you the homophonic concern that the word death. So you avoid house numbers with the actual number four. In your example, people would say the house number as one-three-four and it would include the homophone for death. In the former case, 112, people would say the house number as one-one-two and there would be no four in that address.

Um what

Oh my, as though we needed one more thing to worry about when buying a house.

Person who says house that when you add all numbers of the house and get number 4 ( 1+1+2) or house number that basically has any number that’s include 4 (134)
Who is right ?