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08-28-2008, 11:19 PM | #1 |
Operations Operative
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 479
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August 28, 2008: Elevator in Taiwan
The Chinese word for '4' sounds like the word for 'die'. Thus, it's unlucky. Now you know why the elevators are numbered the way they are. Not only is there no 4th floor, there's not even a spot for the #4 button to go. It doesn't exist. (I apologize for the quality of this photo.) |
08-29-2008, 01:03 AM | #2 |
Salzburger Nockerl
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Salzburg, Austria
Posts: 37
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hmmm
do they celebrate 4th birthdays? (my daughter will be 4 next week - thank god we do not live in China or Taiwan) |
08-29-2008, 03:28 AM | #3 |
erika
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: "the high up north"
Posts: 6,127
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My building has a 4th floor... but my one in Hong Kong didn't have a 4th OR a 13th.
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08-29-2008, 05:05 AM | #4 |
Professor
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,911
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I bet there is a fourth floor. You hold the nine hit the minus sign and the 5.
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08-29-2008, 07:25 AM | #5 |
™
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 27,717
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They should color code them instead. Or maybe give them mascot names. "I live on Panda floor, how about you?"
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08-29-2008, 08:27 AM | #6 |
lives inside a Mobius strip
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,120
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I think I would be tempted to glue a 4th floor button on the empty spot but wire it so that whenever it was pressed it would deliver a mild shock. Love the idea of Panda floor. I'd live on Dollar Store floor.
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08-29-2008, 08:52 AM | #7 |
Snowflake
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dystopia
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The 4th floor is where all the John Malkoviches are.
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08-29-2008, 09:12 AM | #8 |
“Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo”
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Posts: 21,393
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From what I understand there is no 13th floor in their buildings either. At least there were none in Hong Kong when I was there in 1987.
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08-31-2008, 01:24 PM | #9 |
Operations Operative
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08-31-2008, 07:49 PM | #10 |
Doctor Wtf
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
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In Japan I noticed that too - there seemed to be a slightly higher concentration of foreigners on the 4th and 9th floors. 4 sounds like death, 9 sounds like suffering, so there is slightly less desire for these floors from Japanese people.
I have to wonder about architects bowing to superstition like this though. You reckon they put a rabbits foot in the foundations somewhere, to help keep the building from collapsing?
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09-03-2008, 09:22 AM | #11 | |
Goon Squad Leader
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Seattle
Posts: 27,063
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Quote:
Question for ZenGum, Ibram, etc. What can you tell me about the concept of rhymes in the Asian cultures? I don't think one culture is more or less superstitious than the other. I know for certain we have an abundance of ridiculous beliefs here based on... what? nothing. But I'm thinking about the ordinal names of the floors, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc etc. I can think of pleasant and unpleasant rhymes for those words but I don't see a change in popularity as a result. first worst second ...hm... blank third turd fourth worth fifth myth one hun nun two spew poo screw three pee four whore five dive six dicks So, anyway, what can you tell me about rhymes? What about a visual similarity between symbols? Does that carry a similar weight? Thanks in advance.
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09-03-2008, 09:41 AM | #12 |
To shreds, you say?
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet!
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I think they are referring to homonyms and not rhymes, but I may be wrong.
one won pear pair two too to three or in brooklyn tree four death
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09-03-2008, 11:10 AM | #13 |
polaroid of perfection
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09-03-2008, 12:49 PM | #14 |
UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 20,012
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I've also been told that since Chinese is a tonal language, you can't play with meaning through inflection--like saying something sarcastically isn't possible because you would literally be saying different words. So instead, the Chinese language uses puns a lot more seriously than we would in order to express meaning.
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09-03-2008, 02:38 PM | #15 |
Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya?
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Posts: 21,206
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Bite the Wax Tadpole
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