Numbers which can “Talk” - 会说话的数字

In this lesson, we'll talk about how to use numbers to communicate with young Chinese. In fact, numbers can express many meanings beside representing quantity in Chinese. In this essay, we will tell you why numbers can express love and communicate in Chinese.

单词及短语

Key words and phrases

说话 [shuō huà]
 
v. talk [HSK 2]
数字 [shù zì]
 
n. number [HSK 4]
知道 [zhī dào]
 
v. know [HSK 2]
表达 [biǎo dá]
 
v. express [HSK 5]
特别 [tè bié]
 
adv. especially [HSK 3]
年轻人 [nián qīng rén]
 
n. young people [HSK 3]
经常 [jīng cháng]
 
adv. often [HSK 3]
用 [yòng]
 
v. use [HSK 3]
意思 [yì si]
 
n. meaning [HSK 2]
比如 [bǐ rú]
 
conj. such as, for example [HSK 4]
代表 [dài biǎo]
 
v. be representative of [HSK 5]
向 [xiàng]
 
prep. to [HSK 3]
表白 [biǎo bái]
 
v. express
选择 [xuǎn zé]
 
v. choose [HSK 3]
一生一世 [yì shēng yí shì]
 
the whole life
表示 [biǎo shì]
 
v. indicate [HSK 4]
交流 [jiāo liú]
 
v. communicate [HSK 4]
既……又…… [jì……yòu……]
 
both……and……
简单 [jiǎn dān]
 
adj. simple [HSK 3]
有意思 [yǒu yì si]
 
adj. interesting [HSK 2]

短文

Reading Transcripts

zhī
dào
ma
?
Do you know?
Zài
Hàn
zhōng
,
In Chinese,
shù
biǎo
hěn
duō
si
.
numbers can express a lot of meaning.
bié
shì
Zhōng
guó
de
nián
qīng
rén
,
Especially the young people in China,
jīng
cháng
yòng
shù
lái
biǎo
tóng
de
si
.
often use numbers to express different meanings.
,
Such as,
88
88
dài
biǎo
zài
jiàn
,
88 can stand for goodbye,
yīn
wèi
tīng
lái
bái
bái
hěn
xiàng
.
because it sounds like “bye bye” in Chinese.
520
520
tīng
lái
xiàng
ài
,
520 sounds like “I love you” in Chinese,
suǒ
,
therefore,
hěn
duō
rén
huì
yòng
520
520
lái
xiàng
huan
de
rén
biǎo
bái
.
many people will use 520 to express their love to the people they like.
yīn
wèi
zhè
yàng
,
And because of that,
5
5
yuè
20
20
hào
chéng
le
Zhōng
guó
nián
qīng
rén
de
biǎo
bái
,
May 20th become a love confession day of young people in China,
měi
nián
dōu
huì
yǒu
hěn
duō
nián
qīng
rén
xuǎn
zài
zhè
tiān
biǎo
bái
huò
zhě
jié
hūn
.
many young people choose to express their love or to get married on this day every year.
1314
1314
dài
biǎo
shēng
shì
.
1314 represents the whole life.
guǒ
yǒu
Zhōng
guó
rén
duì
shuō
5201314
5201314
,
If a Chinese says 5201314 to you,
jiù
biǎo
shì
zhè
ge
rén
ài
shang
le
,
it means that the person has fallen in love with you,
zài
yòng
shù
xiàng
biǎo
bái
.
he is expressing his love by using numbers.
Yòng
shù
lái
jiāo
liú
,
Communicating with Numbers
jiǎn
dān
,
yòu
yǒu
si
.
is simple and fun.
Hěn
duō
Zhōng
guó
nián
qīng
rén
dōu
huan
.
Many young Chinese like it.