I just encountered another example of Chinese number superstition.

As I said before, I work in the post office of a university. Today 3 new Chinese students came to the window, accompanied by their advisor, to get their mailbox assignments and the combinations to their locks (which are more or less randomly assigned).

One of them cheered because she got a "good" number. One groaned because he got a "bad" number. The third one got a different type of mailbox that uses letters instead of numbers, so he had no reaction one way or the other.

I suspect some people pretend to take this stuff more seriously than they really do. Numerology gives you a safe way to make small talk with a stranger. It's like complaining about the weather, or praising it. We all do this. How often does Friday the 13th pass without anyone remarking about it?