888

888 is a very lucky number. Revered by the Chinese as an especially auspicious total, it is in great demand for car numberplates, telephone numbers and even birthdays of children. To the right is the Chines character for "eight".

The reason why 888 is such a lucky number? Well, 8 is considered lucky because it sounds similar to the word for "prosperous" in Cantonese ("fa"). In Chinese, numbers are either "yin" (with more feminine qualities) or "yang" with more masculine qualities. Odd numbers are yang (1,3,5,7,9) and even numbers are yin (2,4,6,8).

The number 8 is the "most yin" of the yin numbers, and represents a change from low to high or poorer to richer.

Three digit numbers sound similar in Chinese to "business will easily prosper", so 888 is doubly lucky!