奇速英语

Today is May 20th. It may seem like a normal day for you, but for others, especially in China, today is a very special day! It’s a day of love, like Valentine’s day. On this lovely day, couples go on a date or spend time together. And for those who are single, well, it’s a perfect time for them to be brave and show their love to their crush!

Talking about this special event, you may wonder why it occurs on this day and not another one in Chinese. It’s all about the sounds. When you write May 20th in numbers, it’s written 5.20. When you pronounce the numbers 5. 2. 0 in Chinese, they sound very close to the words “wo ai ni” (I love you). See? They don’t sound the same, but they sound quite similar, and that’s enough! The Chinese love plays on homophonic (同音异义的) words and numbers with hidden meanings.

The Chinese people sure love this romantic day, as they have strong beliefs regarding numbers. Some numbers are considered lucky and some unfortunate in Chinese. Certain number combinations also have secret meanings. For example, did you hear of the wedding record set in China on 2012.12.12? In China, tons of couples got married on that special day because it was said to be a lucky day for lovers. See, in Chinese, the sound of “12” is close to the sound of “yao ai”, which means “to want love”. So 2012.12.12 stands for “to want love, to want love, to want love.” What a lovely day to get married!

As for 520, it is a great Chinese love word to say today to your loved one. When you do, make sure you pronounce each word individually, because saying “5” and “20” doesn’t work the same! Also, be careful not to mix it up with “250”, another number with a special meaning, but that means something totally different! “250” means “stupid”. Trust me, your lover won’t appreciate it if, instead of sending a cute 520 text or saying it to them, you write 250. 

Happy 520 love day!