<p>Here are some common choices</p>

<h2>Use Arabic numerals</h2>

<p>This is the most common way nowadays.</p>

<pre><code>1) 第一点
2) 第二点
3) ……
</code></pre>

<h2>Use numbers in Chinese</h2>

<p>It's OK but why not use Arabic numerals?</p>

<pre><code>一）第一点
二）第二点
三）……
</code></pre>

<p>And their 大写数字 form</p>

<pre><code>壹）第一点
贰）第二点
叁）……
</code></pre>

<h2>Use 天干 and 地支</h2>

<p>They are quite rarely used today. </p>

<ul>
<li>天干：甲(jiǎ)、乙(yǐ)、丙(bǐng)、丁(dīng)、戊(wù)、己(jǐ)、庚(gēng)、辛(xīn)、壬(rén)、癸(guǐ)</li>
<li>地支：子(zǐ)、丑(chǒu)、寅(yín)、卯(mǎo)、辰(chén)、巳(sì)、午(wǔ)、未(wèi)、申(shēn)、酉(yǒu)、戌(xū)、亥(hài)</li>
</ul>

<p>Use them like this:</p>

<pre><code>甲）第一点
乙）第二点
丙）……
</code></pre>

<p>and</p>

<pre><code>子）第一点
丑）第二点
寅）第三点
</code></pre>

<h2>Use Latin Letters</h2>

<p>Use a ~ z would be acceptable some how. I would say they would appear more common than 天干/地支 system.</p>

<hr>

<p>When try to write hex numbers, you should use 0-9A-F as they are in English. At least I don't know any other way to write it in Chinese.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-02T05:14:21.580Z
[Japanese wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%BC%A2%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97#.E5.BA.95.E3.81.8C.E5.8D.81.E3.82.92.E8.B6.85.E3.81.88.E3.82.8B.E5.A0.B4.E5.90.88) says that You may use `〇一二三四五六七八九十甲乙丙丁戊 ` as `0-9A-F` for hex numbers in Japanese. But I had never seen this method in Chinese.
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-02T04:40:23.433Z
2019-03-02T07:11:54.010Z
2019-03-02T07:11:54.010Z
tsh
<p>In English, especially in the software/programming world, you use letters as numbers a lot such as with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hex encoding</a>, using the alphabet <code>0123456789abcdef</code> for 16 numbers, so you might write a number as <code>af</code>. Other times we might do a bulleted list and go:</p>

<pre><code>a) something...
b) another thing...
c) ...
</code></pre>

<p>I'm wondering if there is anything like that in Chinese, for example, like a list like:</p>

<pre><code>顧) ...
書) ...
媽) ...
找) ...
...
</code></pre>

<p>Or a hexidecimal-like system, numbering <code>123...顧書..</code>.</p>

<p>If so, wondering what are some examples of it so I can see what it looks like.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-02T04:35:18.837Z
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavenly_Stems
user6065
<writing>
If Chinese characters are ever used like numbers like in English
# If Chinese characters are ever used like numbers like in English

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-02)

In English, especially in the software/programming world, you use letters as numbers a lot such as with [hex encoding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal), using the alphabet `0123456789abcdef` for 16 numbers, so you might write a number as `af`. Other times we might do a bulleted list and go:

```
a) something...
b) another thing...
c) ...

```

I'm wondering if there is anything like that in Chinese, for example, like a list like:

```
顧) ...
書) ...
媽) ...
找) ...
...

```

Or a hexidecimal-like system, numbering `123...顧書..`.

If so, wondering what are some examples of it so I can see what it looks like.

**Tags:** writing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavenly_Stems  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-03-02. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Here are some common choices

## Use Arabic numerals

This is the most common way nowadays.

```
1) 第一点
2) 第二点
3) ……

```

## Use numbers in Chinese

It's OK but why not use Arabic numerals?

```
一）第一点
二）第二点
三）……

```

And their 大写数字 form

```
壹）第一点
贰）第二点
叁）……

```

## Use 天干 and 地支

They are quite rarely used today.

* 天干：甲(jiǎ)、乙(yǐ)、丙(bǐng)、丁(dīng)、戊(wù)、己(jǐ)、庚(gēng)、辛(xīn)、壬(rén)、癸(guǐ)
* 地支：子(zǐ)、丑(chǒu)、寅(yín)、卯(mǎo)、辰(chén)、巳(sì)、午(wǔ)、未(wèi)、申(shēn)、酉(yǒu)、戌(xū)、亥(hài)

Use them like this:

```
甲）第一点
乙）第二点
丙）……

```

and

```
子）第一点
丑）第二点
寅）第三点

```

## Use Latin Letters

Use a ~ z would be acceptable some how. I would say they would appear more common than 天干/地支 system.

---

When try to write hex numbers, you should use 0-9A-F as they are in English. At least I don't know any other way to write it in Chinese.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: [Japanese wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%BC%A2%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97#.E5.BA.95.E3.81.8C.E5.8D.81.E3.82.92.E8.B6.85.E3.81.88.E3.82.8B.E5.A0.B4.E5.90.88) says that You may use `〇一二三四五六七八九十甲乙丙丁戊 ` as `0-9A-F` for hex numbers in Japanese. But I had never seen this method in Chinese.  

---

