For episode #888, I couldn’t resist going down a rabbit hole about the number eight and what it can tell us about luck, language, money, and fate. Join me for a nerdy tour of China, Japan, and Korea, including a million-dollar license plate, disappearing hotel floors, a casino room designed around one gambler’s birthday, and the lucky number hiding in Toyota’s name. This is my excuse to dust off some of my East Asian Studies background and indulge a few wonderfully weird interests.
Please enjoy!
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- AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim
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Transcripts
- This episode (coming soon)
- All episodes
Show Notes
Language and number symbolism
- Chinese numerology | Wikipedia
- The Yijing: A Guide | Oxford University Press
- Fā cái (發財) | Taiwan Ministry of Education
- Gōngxǐ fācái / gung hei fat choi (恭喜發財) | CantoDict
Money, architecture, and casinos
- Sichuan Airlines and the 88888888 phone number | South China Morning Post
- Hong Kong’s “88” license-plate auction | South China Morning Post
- Beijing Olympics opening time | General Administration of Sport of China
- Adrian Smith on Jin Mao Tower | Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
- Superstition and “lucky” apartments: Evidence from transaction-level data
- Casinos turn to feng shui to lure Chinese high rollers | AAJA Voices
- Typhoon | Merriam-Webster
- “8888” Lucky Money Sheet | Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Japan: writing, Toyota, and pilgrimage
- How Kanji Capture Meaning and Emotion in a Single Character | Highlighting Japan
- Kanji, hiragana, and katakana | Web Japan
- Suehiro / suehirogari (末広) | Kotobank
- Changes in Toyota Trademarks and Emblems | Toyota
- Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage | Tourism Shikoku
- Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan (#803) | The Tim Ferriss Show
Fate, protective symbols, and 666
- Four Pillars of Destiny / saju | Wikipedia
- Revelation 13:18 | USCCB
- Horned Hand, Corsica | Pitt Rivers Museum
- Ronnie James Dio interview | Alternative-Zine
- “666” Has Nothing to Do With Satan in China | TechNode
- Chinese internet slang and “886” | People’s Daily
Timestamps
Timestamps:
00:00 Episode 888: How do you design luck?
01:44 Why eight is lucky in Chinese culture.
04:48 Expensive phone numbers, license plates, and Olympic dates.
07:04 Lucky skyscrapers and apartment prices.
08:00 Four, death, and disappearing hotel floors.
09:31 Casinos, feng shui, and designing for good fortune.
12:12 A gaming room designed around one gambler’s birthday.
13:47 Uncle Sam’s lucky-money products.
14:20 Japan: Tim’s exchange-student experience.
14:36 How Japanese writing works: kanji, hiragana, and katakana.
16:53 Hachi, suehirogari, and the shape of growing prosperity.
18:33 From Toyoda to Toyota: eight lucky strokes.
19:25 The Shikoku pilgrimage, 88 temples, and Craig Mod.
19:57 Sponsor: AG1.
21:32 Korea: saju palja, eight characters, and the language of fate.
23:43 666 and the number of the beast.
24:20 Heavy metal, the evil eye, and Ronnie James Dio’s grandmother.
26:21 Why six and 666 can mean good fortune in China.
27:24 88, 886, and a numerological goodbye.
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