Question
Here is the question : WHICH FLOOR DO CHINESE BUILDINGS OFTEN SKIP?
Option
Here is the option for the question :
- 7th
- 13th
- 9th
- 4th
The Answer:
And, the answer for the the question is :
Explanation:
When you go to press the elevator button in North America, it’s not unusual to find the 13th floor gone. Yet, it’s unlikely that the fourth level will be offered in China. In extreme instances, the entire floor with the number four can even be gone! This is due to the fact that, similar to the number 13 in North America, if you are superstitious, the number four is unlucky. Yet, the intricacies of the unlucky number in Chinese culture are a little clearer than the explanation for why the number 13 makes us nervous. In Mandarin and Cantonese, the word for four and the word for death have extremely similar sounds. As a result, some people will often go out of their way to avoid the number four, like avoiding license plates ending in four, for example. This particular quirk has a real impact on traffic as well since Chinese laws often ban cars from traveling on certain days based on the last number of their license plates.
VancouverSun.com source | March 8, 2023 update
In many Chinese buildings, it is common for the fourth floor to be skipped in numbering, with the floor above the third often being labeled as the fifth. This practice is known as “tetraphobia,” or the fear of the number four, which is considered unlucky in many parts of Chinese culture.
The origins of tetraphobia are unclear, but they may be related to the fact that the word for “four” in Chinese sounds similar to the word for “death.” This association with death and bad luck has led to a widespread superstition that the number four should be avoided whenever possible.
tetraphobia can also be seen in other aspects of Chinese culture, such as the use of gift giving, where presents of four items are considered unlucky, and in the design of license plates, where numbers containing the digit four are often avoided.
While tetraphobia may seem like a curious superstition to outsiders, it is an important part of Chinese culture and should be respected and understood. By skipping the fourth floor in buildings and avoiding the number four in other contexts, Chinese people are simply following a tradition that has been passed down through generations, and which has helped to shape their beliefs and values.
the practice of skipping the fourth floor in Chinese buildings is just one example of the rich and fascinating cultural traditions that can be found around the world. By learning about and appreciating these traditions, we can gain a deeper understanding of the world around us and the diverse and complex societies that inhabit it.