Lucky phone numbers fetch NT$10 mil. in Taiwan auction

Each of the ten numbers put up for auction by Chunghwa Telecom, the island’s largest mobile carrier, contained several 8s, a traditionally lucky number because its pronunciation in Chinese sounds like “fa,” meaning “to become rich,” “make money,” or “make a fortune.”

The starting price for each phone number was NT$50,000 (US$1,500), but with many eager bidders, prices soared. Most of the nearly 100 participants at the auction represented the owners of large enterprises.

The luckiest mobile number — 0988-888-888 — was sold for NT$6.3 million (US$195,000) to a woman who did not reveal her identity. Pronounced in Mandarin, “0988-888-888” sounds like “You will make money” — eight times.

The next-highest bid went to 0988-168-168, which can be loosely interpreted as “You will continue to make money.”

Equally auspicious was 0988-555-888, which sold for NT$412,000 (US$12,500). The 5 completes the fortune by with “I will make money.”

Many Chinese believe lucky-sounding names and numbers can bring good fortune. Therefore, cellular phone numbers and car plates with 8s usually command high prices those with 4s have a hard sell because “4” sounds like “death” in Mandarin. In Taiwanese, “4” is pronounced exactly the same as “death.”

The Chinese usually avoid saying “4” during the Chinese New Year holidays, and some apartment buildings in Taiwan do not label a 4th floor. Instead, 3rd floor is followed by the 5th floor.

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