Are numbers just numbers? Well, not really. Everyone has their own favorite number, it could be a birthday date, your wedding day, a number that brought you luck in the past, wherever the reason may be, one thing is certain is that they are not just simple numbers for us.
Chinese people also do the same, but a step above, in the sense that sometimes they communicate not only with words but also with numbers!
The Chinese language has a very unique grammatical structure, where each word is constructed as an isolated block of meaning and more characters together are just like the pieces of a puzzle. If you think about it, numbers are quite similar in this regard, all of them have a meaning which is the quantity they indicate, but they can be separated and combined to create different numbers.
What if some numbers sound similar to real words? Bam, then you have a match made in heaven. You can literally write a sentence in Mandarin using just numbers.
For example, try reading aloud 520 in Mandarin, what does it sound like? Well, 520 is hom*ophonic to “I love you” in Chinese! In fact, the 20th of May (520) is pronounced （wǔ èr líng）which sound very similar to 我爱你（wǒ ài nǐ）I love you, that is why the 20th (and 21st) have been labeled as the Internet Valentine’s Day（网络情人节）.
Ok, we get the part about Valentine’s Day, but why “internet”? Unlike International Valentine’s Day (February 14th) and Chinese Valentine’s Day (七夕) which are primarily for “real” lovers who are in a confirmed love relationship or even married, 520 is more about expressing your love to your crush, what in Mandarin is called 表白（confess one’s love）.
And since it may be too difficult for many to say “I love you” face-to-face, some people decide to use Chinese social media （like WeChat, Weibo, QQ…） to confess their feelings by typing messages with 520 or 521, maybe even attaching a gift ! Here comes the business side of this special day. And as an old Chinese saying goes: “only when there is demand there can be business”.
Companies such as florists, chocolate brands, travel agencies, jewelry, cosmetics & fashion brand have used this online phenomenon and turned it into an efficient marketing strategy to engage with Chinese consumers. At the same time, with the popularity of e-commerce, many people choose to buy their Valentine’s Day gift online to express their feelings and hope for the best.
520 is not the only way to communicate in Mandarin, you can also take note of another expression 5201314! 520 means love, whereas 1314 represents 一生一世 yīshēng yīshì (for a lifetime). So, if you say 5201314, you are saying “I love you for a lifetime”.
FAQs
Well, 520 is hom*ophonic to “I love you” in Chinese! In fact, the 20th of May (520) is pronounced （wǔ èr líng）which sound very similar to 我爱你（wǒ ài nǐ）I love you, that is why the 20th (and 21st) have been labeled as the Internet Valentine's Day（网络情人节）.
What is the meaning of 520 in Chinese slang? ›
520 originally started as an online slang word used by Chinese people as a shortcut to say "I love you," similar to "ILY" in English. Over time, it became associated with the date May 20th (5.20), transforming it into a day filled with romance and affection!
What is the Chinese Valentine's day 520? ›
The numbers “520” (五二零 wǔ èr líng) sound like “I love you” (我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ) in Chinese. Therefore, May 20th has become yet another Chinese Valentine's Day! Although not as popular as the Qixi Festival, it is still a day for couples to exchange love notes, money-filled red envelopes, and small gifts.
What is the code 5201314? ›
The meaning of 5201314 is 'I love you for a lifetime' and has been used by couples to express their love for their partner.
What is the meaning of 520 flowers in Chinese? ›
The reason that 520 has risen to significance within Hong Kong is due to the way 5-2-0 is pronounced, which is similar to I love you. 520 soon became a shorthand way to say, I love you and soon the day rose in prominence. Share your love on 520 day with a floral delivery in Hong Kong.
What is the hidden meaning of 520? ›
The Chinese love plays on hom*ophonic words and numbers with hidden meanings. 520 originally started as a slang word used by the Chinese online as a shortcut to say I love you in Chinese, like ILY in English. It then came to be associated with the date May 20th (5.20), which became a very romantic day!
Does 520 mean anything? ›
Well, 520 is hom*ophonic to “I love you” in Chinese! In fact, the 20th of May (520) is pronounced （wǔ èr líng）which sound very similar to 我爱你（wǒ ài nǐ）I love you, that is why the 20th (and 21st) have been labeled as the Internet Valentine's Day（网络情人节）.
Does 520 mean I love you? ›
The Chinese characters for five and two zeros (w èr lng) have similar sounds to the phrase “w ài n.” This phrase means “I love you.” As a result, 520 Chinese Meaning gained fame as a shortcut for ILY among the Chinese online community.
What is a 520 gift in China? ›
520 Day held on May 20 is seen as the Chinese version of Valentine's Day. If you sell items frequently given as gifts such as jewelry, watches, handbags or even vehicles, you need to know about 520 Day! In China, Valentine's Day (February 14) isn't the big day to declare your love for someone with gifts and flowers.
What is the story behind Chinese Valentine's day? ›
The Qixi Festival celebrates the ancient love story of Zhinu and Niulang. While Zhinu was a weaver girl with celestial lineage, Niulang was a cowherd. The legend goes that the two lovers were separated by the Milky Way, so they could meet only once a year – that is on the night of Qixi.
A 520 status code is related to Cloudflare. It is used by Cloudflare as a catch-all response for when the origin server sends something unexpected. It might be caused by some technical issues on the website. However, it can also be caused if your requests do not contain the required data that the website is expecting.
What does 52014 mean in chat? ›
The number 5201314 which has gone viral on the Internet means "I love you for a lifetime". But how? In Chinese, "I love you for a lifetime" is translated as "我愛你一輩子". It is pronounced as "Wǒ ài nǐ yībèizi". The numbers 5 2 0 are pronounced as "Wǔ'èr líng" in Mandarin.
What number means "I love you" in Chinese? ›
This number 520 is quite popular among Chinese people. On social media, Chinese people have started using 520 as a slang word to communicate their "I love you" in Mandarin.
What is 520 festival in China? ›
The 520 Festival is a kind of unofficial Valentine's Day in China and is celebrated on May 20th. 520 sounds a bit like 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ, which means "I love you" in Chinese.
Does 512 mean I love you? ›
Like in western culture the young generation make up their own language like text talk, the Chinese youngsters do the same with numbers. 512 means I love you, 1314 means for your whole life.
What is the luckiest number Chinese? ›
The numbers 6 and 8 are widely considered to be lucky, while 4 is considered unlucky. These traditions are not unique to Chinese culture, with other countries with a history of Han characters also having similar beliefs stemming from these concepts.
Do the numbers 520 have a significance in China? ›
Expressing Love (我爱你 – Wǒ Ài Nǐ): At its core, 520 (五二零) is a heartfelt and straightforward way of saying “I love you” in Chinese. It's a simple yet powerful expression of deep affection and love for someone special.
What does 510 mean in Chinese slang? ›
Chinese Reading Center Chinese Chat Codes
| Code | 繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp | English |
|---|
| 510 | 我已来 | I'm already here |
| 51020 | 我依然爱你 | I still love you |
| 511314 20 | 我要一生一世 爱你 | Love you for a lifetime |
| 51396 | 我要睡觉了 | I want to go to sleep now |
119 more rowsThese numbers sound like specific Chinese words and are a form of chat speak among younger generations. This is a more subtle way to tell someone your feelings, and are basically the Xs and Os in Chinese. 520 (wǔ èr líng) = 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) “I love you.” 530 (wǔ sān líng) ＝ 我想你 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ) “I miss you.”
