Lucky Number Three, Meaning of Number 3 in Chinese Culture (2024)

General Analysis

People with the lucky number 3 have strong personalities. They possess mystical abilities and a powerful creativity. With an instinct for art, they prefer to create the sense of beauty in life. These people are sociable and talented at convincing others that their own view on life is to be easygoing and contented. Also, they have a magnetism that inspires a secure and peaceful atmosphere around them. They have a high self-esteem and will do everything to gain the attention of others. However, they are more likely to be conceited and refuse to face the reality when disappointed like a spoiled child. The life lesson for them is to learn to listen to others.

Strong points: They have the potential to be a star because of their versatility and excellent social skills. As they are open and friendly, they have many friends. Their talents in creating inspiring and romantic atmosphere make them popular in all situations. Besides, they are enthusiastic and have the capability to encourage stymied people to move forward.

Weak points: In the eyes of other people, they must be a conceited person. They are self-centered and like to boss others around. They are endowed with good arguing skills, but in most cases, they seem to criticize others too much. They are also extravagant in daily life.

Romantic Relationship

As far as their love relationship, they prefer an extraordinary partner. They are eager for a long time to find someone who is perfect in their eyes, or tend to change their partners constantly. The sticking point is also the idealized aim in life. Partners of these people shouldbe considerate and patient to rectify them properly.

When they find a compatible person, they wish to stay with their mates permanently. It is hard for them to accept anything that does not meet their demands.Then they would argue a lot (after all, they have great arguing skills) to make their partners change for them. However, as time passes by, the passion of their partners will lessen due to their moods. Therefore, it is advisable for them to change themselves a little.

Number 3 in Chinese Culture

Chinese tradition considers Three a lucky number. There was once a man in Beijing paid $215,000 for the lucky mobile numbers of 133-3333-3333 in 2004. The first is not 3 because all mobile numbers in mainland China begin with 1. It isbelieved that groups of 3 in Chinese culture are even luckier. It has a meaning of more than two, many and several. For example, Confucius said: ‘Three people are walking together; at least one of them is good enough to be my teacher.’ A Chinese proverb goes that “The wisdom of three ordinary people exceeds that of the wisest individual.” Here Three means not only the exactly number, but also ‘many’ abstractly. So as in ‘San Shen Wu Ling’ (San is 3) and ‘Bing Dong San Chi’. The former means repeated orders, and the latter describes similarly that Rome wasn't built in a day. In some cases, Three represents a boundary, for example, ‘San Jia’ means the top three in a race, competition or examination. And ‘San Fu’ refers to the three periods of hottest days in a year when it is used to talk about weather.

Moreover, Three has its origin in Confucianism and Taoism. It stands for Heaven, Earth and Human being; philosophically, ‘Tao’ means the amiableness among the above three elements. In Chinese tradition, the phrase ‘San Huang Wu Di’ (Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns) generally refers to all emperors of ancient China. Besides, much wider uses of this number can be found in Chinese culture, concerning proverbs, history and common sense:
1.Three Character Classic (Chinese traditional enlightening book)
2.Three visits to the thatched cottage of the great sage, Zhuge Liang (a well-known story that Liu Beiasked for a talented assistant in the Three Kingdoms Period 220 - 280)
3.Three Kingdoms: Kingdom of Wu, Wei and Shu
4.Three Gorges of Yangtze River: Qutang Gorge, WuGorge and Xiling Gorge
5.Three Great Halls of Forbidden City in Beijing: Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian), Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghedian) and Hall of Preserved Harmony (Baohedian)
6.Three Sages in Chinese History: Confucius, Lao Tzu and Mo-tse
7.Three Emperors: There are many versions, among which the expression of Fu His, Nue Wa and Shennong is the most popular.
8.Three Ancient Moral Guidelines: Courtiers being obedient to their emperors, sons being obedient to fathers and wives being obedient to husbands.

- Last updated on Oct. 07, 2022 -

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