Fuddland

To bridge the gap between the many different dialects in China, some [almost] universal hand gestures have developed to facilitate trade and bargaining by representing the numbers one to ten, which differ from the usual Western signs by using only one hand [with one exception].

Numbers one to five are as you might expect, holding up the requisite number of fingers [caveat: the number two should be a “V-for-Victory” sign as opposed to a thumb-and-index-finger]. Below are the gestures for the numbers six to ten.

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten [two variations, both in common usage]

Context is important — for example, the sign for six could represent sixty, six hundred, six thousand and so on. Becoming fluent with these gestures makes shopping a lot easier, especially early on when it’s hard to distinguish the sounds of the spoken numbers, as well as when visiting places where many people speak a different dialect from the one you’ve been studying.

#1

felicity | 2006 / 09 / 07 – 05:26

ten makes sense - the X. although not sure about the closed fist. and eight looks like VIII. is zero not included then as each number could represent the singular, ten, hundred etc etc???

#2

Jann | 2006 / 09 / 08 – 05:42

Jeez, the more you write, the more I know that China’s not the place for me…I wouldn’t last five minutes before insulting someone or losing my shirt simply trying to purchase a chicken…

Commenting on this post is closed. Thanks to all those who left comments. If you'd still like to say something about this entry, feel free to email me.