Feng shui began with the tortoise crawling out of the Yel­low River some five thousand years ago. The markings on its shell formed the basis of feng shui, the I Ching, Chinese astrology, and Chinese numerology. The magic square on the tortoises back contained all the numbers from one to nine. Consequently, numbers have always been an integral part of feng shui.

Every number has a meaning that can be looked at in a number of different ways. If your house number is 2368, for instance, each of the numbers could be looked at indi­vidually, or they can all be added together and reduced down to a single digit. In the West, it is standard for numerologists to pay more attention to the final result of adding all the numbers up and reducing them to a single digit. In the East it is more common to evaluate each sep­arate number.

Numbers are divided into yin and yang. Even numbers are yin and odd numbers are yang. Yang numbers are considered to be more favorable that yin numbers, but balance is required. Consequently, it is better for your house number to contain both yin and yang elements than to be either all yin or all yang.

You may have noticed that Asian people like the num­ber eight. This is because the Cantonese word for “eight” sounds like “prosperity.” They also like the number two as it sounds like “easy.” However, they dislike number four as it sounds like “death.” If your house number is 24, they would interpret this as “easy death.” All of this is because the Chinese use homophones to help determine the meanings of numbers. If the number sounds like something pleasant or desirable, it is considered good. This is the reason why number eight is so positive and four is negative. Traditionally, number four relates to the positive traits of love, sex, and education.1 Here are the homophonic interpretations for each number:

One sounds like “honor.” It also sounds like “won.”

Two sounds like “easy.”

Three sounds like “growth.”

Four sounds like “death.”

Five sounds like “nothing.”

Six sounds like “wealth.”

Seven sounds like “sure.”

Eight sounds like “prosperity.”

Nine sounds like “long life.”

Naturally, house numbers usually contain more than one number, and homophones are also used here. The number twenty-eight, for instance, sounds like “easy money.” Fifty-eight does not fare nearly as well as it sounds like “no wealth.” Forty-eight, even though it con­tains the number four, is still a good number as it sounds like “much wealth.” You would expect four and eight to represent “death wealth,” but, in fact, it is a positive com­bination. This is because four also represents hard work. Consequently, forty-eight means great wealth through hard work and effort.

A friend of mine in Taiwan has a house number of four. He obtained permission to change it to 4B, and made the “B” look much like an eight on his letter box. He told me that his fortunes improved as soon as he made the change. He also still seems to be receiving his mail! This friend told me of someone who lived in number fourteen doing the same thing. “Fourteen” sounds like “surely die” in Cantonese.

Not surprisingly, certain numbers are worth big money as personalized number plates around the world. In Hong Kong, the Transport Department began auctioning license-plate numbers in 1988. In its first year, number “8″ sold for $650,000, still a record according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The proceeds of these auctions go to charity, and the owners of the license plates can keep them until they die, when the plates are auctioned off again.

The license plate “2828,” which means “easy money, easy money,” sold for more than $63,000.2 Incidentally, if you visit Hong Kong, see if you can stay in Room 2828 on the 28th floor of your hotel. You will have to book well ahead to get this room, but your stay will be an extremely pleasant one!

The standard numerological interpretations of each mmber bear little relationship to the homophonic ones:

One represents independence and attainment.

Two represents tact, diplomacy and close relationships.

Three represents creativity and expressing the joys of life.

Four represents limitations, restrictions, and slow and steady progress.

Five represents travel, change, and variety.

Six represents service and home, and family responsibilities.

Seven represents analysis, spirituality, and growing in knowledge and wisdom.

Eight represents money and power. Nine represents love and completion.3

If your house number is 2457, for instance, life in your home would be tactful and loving (two), but also restrictive in some ways (four). There would be plenty of variety (five) and you would gradually grow in knowledge and wisdom (seven).

You can also total the four numbers and reduce them down to a single digit. For example, 2 + 4 + 5 + 7=18, and 1 + 8 = 9. Nine is the number of love and completion. It also represents good luck and future prosperity. It sounds as if life in this home would be pleasant for the most part, even though you would feel hemmed in and restricted at times. The nine numbers also relate to colors, elements, and directions and can be used to represent any of these when required. Here are the numbers and colors that relate to each element:

Direction    Number         Color            Element
North             1             Blue, black      Water
South            9             Red                Fire
East              3,4          Green             Wood
West             6,7          White             Metal
Center           2,5,8        Yellow            Earth

If desired, this can be taken still further to include all eight directions as well as the center:

Direction Number Color    Trigram   Element
North              1         Black         K’an         Water
Southwest       2         Yellow        K’un         Earth
East                3         Green        Chen        Wood
Southeast        4         Green         Sun         Wood
Center             5         Yellow        —            Earth
Northwest        6         White         Chien       Metal
West               7         White         Tui          Metal
Northeast         8         Yellow        Ken         Earth
South              9          Red           Li            Fire

Some authorities suggest that you arrange the numbers on your letter box in an uphill progression, saying that this will encourage the ch’i to rise. This is a good idea, except when the final number is a four. Arranging the numbers in this way tends to put most significance on the final number. If the final number of your house number is a four, arrange the numbers in a straight line to place equal emphasis on each number.

Numbers play only a small role in feng shui. However, they can make a big difference as to how easy or hard it is to sell a house. Some years ago, a developer in the city I live in built several identical houses in a new subdivision. Number eight was the first to sell and number four was the last. Even more interesting though, is that although the houses were identical, the developer was forced to sell number four at a loss, simply to get it off his hands. The others all sold for good prices.

Feng Shui Tips

85 If you are choosing a new home, try to buy one with both yin and yang numbers as part of the street address.

86 Arranging the numbers on your letter box so that each number is placed slightly higher than the one before is a good idea, except when the final digit is a four.