<p>Only because you're asking about origins: (and don't take the explanations <em>too</em> seriously)</p>
<h1>4: Primitive pictograph 四. Unknown origin. Originally 4 strokes. Meaning four.</h1>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/RPOoY.png" alt="4" /></p>
<h1>5: Primitive pictograph 五. {Sears: 二 top and botom bars for of beeds on the 5+2 abacus 㐅 the separation}. Meaning 5.</h1>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NaNCf.png" alt="5" /></p>
<h1>6: Primitive pictograph 六. A yurt, pronounced like liu. Meaning 6.</h1>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/aKHeA.png" alt="6" /></p>
<h1>7: Primitive pictograph 七. Originally looked like 十. Some say a modification of 乂 which meant to cut 切, which was pronounced like seven. Meaning seven.</h1>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PEvCQ.png" alt="7" /></p>
<h1>8: Primitive pictograph 八. Two lines indicating separation. Meaning separaton. Now maning 8.</h1>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/G6d8H.png" alt="8" /></p>
<h1>9: Primitive pictograph 九. A couple of hooks 九. Borrowed for sound to mean nine.</h1>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/37H2v.png" alt="9" /></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-19T04:54:09.637Z
Don't think that will really help you make it easier to explain but you never know...
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-19T06:46:45.570Z
It helps a little bit especially on the 5 since I can just quickly build a short story to make the association in peoples heads.
srcspider
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-23T11:54:36.453Z
your pic is broken...
zsf222
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-19T04:53:23.290Z
2014-05-19T04:53:23.290Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>I know a lot of Chinese characters are either a symbol of something or a combination of symbols in the space of one character, <strong>so what's the origin of the symbol for numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9?</strong> since knowing what the symbol is suppose to represent does make it much easier to remember, eg. the symbol for tree is a simplified tree branches with roots.</p>

<p>-</p>

<p><em>Some context...</em></p>

<p>I need to explain a fairly large group of people how to count from 1 to 9 in chinese, in at most 3min.</p>

<p>I personally memorized them fairly easily, but don't think most people have any chance in 3min to just pick them up on the spot, so is there a pattern to them (for 4 and above) that can be used to help people pick them up quickly?</p>

<p>I've considered teaching the Chinese 1-9 single-hand gestures as a "teaching tool" but don't know what the pattern/correlation between those is either.</p>

<p>-</p>

<p>To avoid confusion I'm referring to the traditional chinese numerals (modern ones are very much the same as far as I know). Not the so called "capital notation" used in checks and official documents, and not the so called "mercantile notation."</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-19T01:48:36.407Z
For the "origin", I've wrote [this post](http://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/3887/2816) before. But maybe that's not what you want.
Stan
<meaning><etymology><glyph-origin>
Pattern in the Chinese numbers 1 to 9
# Pattern in the Chinese numbers 1 to 9

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-18)

I know a lot of Chinese characters are either a symbol of something or a combination of symbols in the space of one character, **so what's the origin of the symbol for numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9?** since knowing what the symbol is suppose to represent does make it much easier to remember, eg. the symbol for tree is a simplified tree branches with roots.

-

*Some context...*

I need to explain a fairly large group of people how to count from 1 to 9 in chinese, in at most 3min.

I personally memorized them fairly easily, but don't think most people have any chance in 3min to just pick them up on the spot, so is there a pattern to them (for 4 and above) that can be used to help people pick them up quickly?

I've considered teaching the Chinese 1-9 single-hand gestures as a "teaching tool" but don't know what the pattern/correlation between those is either.

-

To avoid confusion I'm referring to the traditional chinese numerals (modern ones are very much the same as far as I know). Not the so called "capital notation" used in checks and official documents, and not the so called "mercantile notation."

**Tags:** meaning, etymology, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: For the "origin", I've wrote [this post](http://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/3887/2816) before. But maybe that's not what you want.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-05-19. Score: 3

Only because you're asking about origins: (and don't take the explanations *too* seriously)

# 4: Primitive pictograph 四. Unknown origin. Originally 4 strokes. Meaning four.

![4](https://i.sstatic.net/RPOoY.png)

# 5: Primitive pictograph 五. {Sears: 二 top and botom bars for of beeds on the 5+2 abacus 㐅 the separation}. Meaning 5.

![5](https://i.sstatic.net/NaNCf.png)

# 6: Primitive pictograph 六. A yurt, pronounced like liu. Meaning 6.

![6](https://i.sstatic.net/aKHeA.png)

# 7: Primitive pictograph 七. Originally looked like 十. Some say a modification of 乂 which meant to cut 切, which was pronounced like seven. Meaning seven.

![7](https://i.sstatic.net/PEvCQ.png)

# 8: Primitive pictograph 八. Two lines indicating separation. Meaning separaton. Now maning 8.

![8](https://i.sstatic.net/G6d8H.png)

# 9: Primitive pictograph 九. A couple of hooks 九. Borrowed for sound to mean nine.

![9](https://i.sstatic.net/37H2v.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Don't think that will really help you make it easier to explain but you never know...  
> **username_0**: It helps a little bit especially on the 5 since I can just quickly build a short story to make the association in peoples heads.  
> **username_3**: your pic is broken...  

---

