In China, the number 4 (四) is considered to be unlucky because it shares a pronunciation with the word for death (死); only the tones are different. As a result, people often go to great lengths to avoid using the number 4. Mobile phone numbers that have lots of 4’s typically cost less money (my Chinese number has 4 4’s, so it was really cheap!). Elevators often do not have a 4th floor labeled. And no one in their right mind would want a license plate with a 4 in it!
So imagine my surprise when I spotted this license plate in China last week:
Talk about tempting fate!
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