数字谐音 · number puns
Chinese number slang: 520, 1314, 88, 666
Digits are quick to type, and read aloud many strings of them sound like short phrases. Chinese texting and internet culture use them as codes. Most work by sound; a few, like 233 and 996, have other stories.
| Code | Read as | Stands for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 520 | wǔ èr líng | 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ | I love you |
| 1314 | yī sān yī sì | 一生一世 yīshēng yīshì | for a lifetime, forever |
| 5201314 | wǔ èr líng yī sān yī sì | 我爱你一生一世 wǒ ài nǐ yīshēng yīshì | I love you for ever |
| 88 | bā bā | 拜拜 bāibāi | bye-bye |
| 666 | liù liù liù | 溜 liū | awesome, well played (in game chat) |
| 233 | èr sān sān | not sound: emoticon number 233 on the forum Mop.com was a laughing face | LOL |
| 748 | qī sì bā | 去死吧 qù sǐ ba | drop dead (rude) |
| 996 | jiǔ jiǔ liù | not sound: the hours themselves | the 9am to 9pm, six-day working week |
Love codes: 520 and 1314
520 wǔ èr líng for 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ is the best known. The match is loose (only the rhythm and the vowels line up), which is typical: the codes are puns, not spellings. 1314 yī sān yī sì echoes 一生一世 yīshēng yīshì, “one life, one lifetime”, and the two together, 5201314, make a declaration.
Everyday chat: 88, 666, 233
88 bā bā is “bye-bye”, through 拜拜 bāibāi, itself borrowed from English. 666 is praise in game chat, from 溜 liū, slick. 233 is laughter, and it is not a pun at all: on the Chinese forum Mop.com, emoticon number 233 was a laughing face, and typing its number stuck. Extra 3s mean louder laughter (23333).
Rude ones: 748 and 250
748 qī sì bā sounds like 去死吧 qù sǐ ba, “go and die”. 二百五 èrbǎi wǔ, 250, calls someone a fool. As the lucky numbers page shows, a 4 (四, like 死, death) is usually what turns a code sour.
996 is a description rather than a pun: work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, the name of a long-hours schedule.
Questions from learners and teachers
What does 520 mean in Chinese?
"I love you." Read aloud, 520 is wǔ èr líng, close enough to 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ to work as a code. 5201314 adds "for ever": 一生一世, one life, one lifetime.
Why is 250 an insult?
Read 二百五 (èrbǎi wǔ), 250 is a common way of calling someone a fool. Only that wording carries the sting: said as 两百五 or 二百五十, or written as a price, it is just a number. The site’s worksheets print 两百五十 for 250 and accept 二百五 in the key, because as a number it is correct.
What does 666 mean?
Praise: "awesome", "well played", most often in game chat and live-stream comments. 六 liù sounds like 溜 liū, smooth or slick, so a string of sixes says a move went perfectly. It has none of the sinister meaning 666 carries in English.
Should I teach number slang?
It is a good hook for a class that has just learned 0 to 9, because decoding 520 or 88 uses exactly those syllables. Leave 748 and 250 out of a classroom list or explain them with care, since both are rude.