The proliferation of pager, chat rooms, instant messaging, and phone text messaging has created a whole new set of acronyms and codes designed to minimize the amount of typing. First it was fairly simple acronyms like IMHO (“in my humble opinion“) or AFAIK (“as far as I know'). Telephone and pagers, lacking a full keyboard required more inventive approaches such as using 07734 for “hello“ (read upside down) or “10“ for “you are perfect“ (as in a perfect 10). Modern communications technologies, especially the cell phones, are if anything, more popular in Asia than in the West. So what do the Chinese use for codes? The Chinese language, not being alphabetic, does not lend itself to the use of acronyms. However, a few acronyms based on pinyin spellings do exist. Examples include GG for older brother (哥哥, gege) or MM for younger sister (妹妹, meimei).
Fortunately, long before the invention of the telephone, the Chinese already had a tradition of associating certain words with numbers or things based on the similarities of sound. For example, the number eight (八) is considered a lucky number because it is pronounced “ba“, which sounds like the Chinese word for prosperity (發, fa). Similarly, the number four (四) is associated with bad luck because it is pronounced “si“, which sounds like the Chinese word for death (死,si). Given this tradition, it should be no surprise that there is in fact a large number of numeric codes in existence. Most of the words are represented with numbers having a similar sound or a least a similar leading consonant. One notable exception is the number used to represent the word “you“, the number 0. Although the Chinese word for zero does not sound much like like the word for “you“, the choice may have resulted from the fact that there is no close-sounding candidate while the same number is used in English codes to represent the same meaning.
| Code | 繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp | English |
|---|---|---|
| 026 | 你来啦 | You are here |
| 028 | 你来吧 | Come here |
| 0358 | 你想我吧 | You miss me |
| 04551 | 你是我唯一 | You are the one and only for me |
| 04592 | 你是我最爱 | You are my beloved |
| 0564335 | 你无聊时想想我 | You think of me when you are bored |
| 0594184 | 你我就是一辈子 | You and me for a lifetime |
| 0654335 | 你若无事想想我 | If you have nothing to do, think of me |
| 08056 | 你不理我啦 | You ignore me now? |
| 08358 | 你不想我吧 | Don't think of me |
| 08376 | 你别生气了 | Don't be angry |
| 086 | 你发了 | You made a fortune |
| 0896 | 你不走了 | You are not leaving |
| 095 | 你找我 | You're looking for me |
| 096 | 你走了 | You are leaving |
| 1299 | 一来就走 | Leave as soon as you arrive |
| 12937 | 一来就想吃 | Thinking of eating as soon as you got here |
| 12945 | 要爱就是我 | I'm the one who wants love |
| 130926 | 一想你就来啦 | Just one thought of you and you arrived |
| 1314921 | 一生一世就爱你 | Love you for a lifetime |
| 1372 | 一厢情愿 | One-sided willingness |
| 1392010 | 一生就爱你一人 | You are the person I'll love for a lifetime |
| 1573 | 一往情深 | Long-lasting, focused love (Chinese idiom) |
| 1698 | 一路走吧 | Let's go together |
| 1799 | 一起走走 | Let's stroll around |
| 20863 | 爱你到来生 | Love you till the next life |
| 234 | 爱相随 | Follow you with love |
| 246 | 饿死了 | Starving to death |
| 246437 | 爱是如此神奇 | Love is so magical |
| 25184 | 爱我一辈子 | Love me for a lifetime |
| 258 | 爱我吧 | Love me |
| 25873 | 爱我到今生 | Love me till death |
| 259695 | 爱我就了解我 | To love me is to know me |
| 3207778 | 想和你去吹吹风 | Want to go out with you |
| 3344 | 生生世世 | For generations |
| 338 | 想想吧 | Let's think about it a bit |
| 3399 | 长长久久 | For a long time |
| 35925 | 想我就爱我 | To think of me is to love me |
| 360 | 想念你 | Miss you |
| 3726 | 想起来啦 | Thinking of getting up |
| 38726 | 想不起来啦 | I can't think of it |
| 409 | 罚你走 | Punish you by your leaving |
| 456 | 是我啦 | It's me |
| 476 | 死机了 | Dead phone |
| 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 |
| 51476 | 我也死机了 | My phone is dead too |
| 516 | 我要溜 | I have to go |
| 517 | 我要吃 | I want to eat |
| 5179 | 我要吃酒 | I want to drink wine |
| 5196 | 我要走喽 | I must leave now |
| 520 | 我爱你 | I love you |
| 5201314 | 我爱你一生一世 | I want you for a lifetime |
| 52033 44587 | 我爱你生生 世世不变心 | I love for a lifetime with an unchanging heart |
| 521 | 我愿意 | I'm willing |
| 5240 | 我爱是你 | You are my love |
| 526 | 我饿啰 | I'm hungry |
| 530 | 我想你 | I'm thinking of you |
| 5366 | 我想聊聊 | I want to chat for awhile |
| 53719 | 我深情依旧 | I still have deep love for you |
| 5376 | 我生气了 | I'm upset |
| 53770 | 我想亲亲你 | I'm thinking of kissing you |
| 53880 | 我想抱抱你 | I'm thinking of hugging you |
| 546 | 我输了 | I lost |
| 548 | 无事吧 | Are you OK? |
| 555 | 呜呜呜 | Wu wu wu (sobbing sound) |
| 558 | 午午安 | Good afternoon |
| 564335 | 无聊时想想我 | Think of me when you are bored |
| 5689 | 我溜不走 | I can't sneak out |
| 57520 | 吾妻我爱你 | My wife, I love you |
| 5776 | 我出去了 | I'm going out now |
| 58 | 晚安 | Good night |
| 5810 | 我不依你 | I won't listen to you |
| 584520 | 我发誓我爱你 | I swear I love you |
| 586 | 我不来 | I'm not coming |
| 587 | 我抱歉 | I am sorry |
| 5871 | 我不介意 | I don't mind |
| 52667 | 我俩遛遛去 | Let's leave slowly |
| 594230 | 我就是爱想你 | I'm thinking of you |
| 596 | 我走了 | I'm leaving |
| 667 | 遛遛去 | Let's stroll around |
| 6785753 | 老地方不见不散 | Meet at the same old place and don't leave until we meet |
| 6868 | 溜吧！溜吧！ | Sneak out! Sneak out! |
| 70345 | 请你相信我 | Please believe me |
| 71817 | 请你干要气 | Please don't get upset |
| 721 | 亲爱的 | Dear |
| 7456 | 气死我啦 | Angers me to death |
| 745839 | 其实我不想走 | Actually, I don't want to leave |
| 748 | 去死吧 | Go to hell |
| 74839 | 其实不想走 | Actually, not thinking of leaving |
| 765 | 去跳舞 | Go dancing |
| 768 | 吃了吧 | Let's eat |
| 770 | 亲亲你 | Kiss you |
| 770880 | 亲亲你抱抱你 | Kiss you, hug you |
| 775 | 亲亲我 | Kiss me |
| 775885 | 亲亲我抱抱我 | Kiss me, hug me |
| 786 | 吃饱了 | Done eating already |
| 7998 | 去走走吧 | Go for a walk |
| 8006 | 不理你了 | Not paying attention to you anymore |
| 801314 | 伴你一生一世 | Your companion forever |
| 8074 | 把你气死 | Upset you to death |
| 809 | 保龄球 | Bowling |
| 810 | 不要脸 | Shameless |
| 812 | 不要来 | Don't want to come |
| 8170 | 不要瞎动 | Don't move recklessly |
| 8172 | 不要瞎来 | Don't act recklessly |
| 82475 | 被爱是幸福 | Being loved is happiness |
| 825 | 别爱我 | Don't love me |
| 837 | 别生气 | Don't be angry |
| 865 | 别惹我 | Don't annoy me |
| 885 | 抱抱我 | Hug me |
| 886 | 拜拜了 | Bye Bye |
| 898 | 分手吧 | Let's split |
| 910 | 就要你 | Just want you |
| 918 | 加油吧 | Cheer up |
| 940 | 就是你 | It's you |
| 9482 | 就是不来 | Just don't come |
| 98 | 早安 | Good morning |
| 987 | 对不起 | Excuse me |
| 99013 148875 | 求求你一生 一世别抛弃我 | Beg you for a lifetime not to leave me |
| 9958 | 救救我吧 | Save me |
As an enthusiast with a deep understanding of communication technologies and linguistic nuances, especially in the realm of acronyms and codes, I can confidently provide insights into the fascinating world of messaging codes and acronyms across different cultures. The article you provided delves into the evolution of codes and acronyms used in communication, specifically in the context of Chinese messaging. Let's break down the concepts used in the article:
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Acronyms and Codes in Communication: The article discusses the historical development of acronyms and codes to minimize typing in communication. It mentions the early acronyms like IMHO and AFAIK in Western communication. The need for inventive approaches in telephony and pagers, such as using numbers like 07734 for "hello" or "10" for "you are perfect," is highlighted.
See Alsoyou need to know this stuff -
Chinese Language and Codes: The Chinese language, being non-alphabetic, poses a unique challenge for the use of acronyms. However, the article points out that some acronyms based on pinyin spellings exist in Chinese, like GG for older brother (哥哥, gege) or MM for younger sister (妹妹, meimei). Additionally, it introduces the tradition of associating certain words with numbers based on their sounds.
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Numeric Codes in Chinese Culture: The article emphasizes the Chinese tradition of associating words with numbers based on sound similarities. For example, the number eight (八) is considered lucky because it sounds like the word for prosperity (發, fa), while the number four (四) is associated with bad luck because it sounds like the word for death (死, si). This tradition has led to the creation of numeric codes with similar sounds or leading consonants representing various words.
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Examples of Chinese Numeric Codes: The article provides a list of numeric codes and their corresponding meanings in Chinese messaging. These codes range from expressing emotions (e.g., 7456 for "Angers me to death") to conveying affectionate messages (e.g., 520 for "I love you").
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Cultural Differences in Communication Technologies: It notes that modern communication technologies, especially cell phones, are more popular in Asia than in the West, leading to different approaches in code creation. The Chinese numeric codes serve as a unique way to convey messages concisely in a non-alphabetic language.
In conclusion, the article highlights the cultural and linguistic nuances in the evolution of messaging codes, with a specific focus on Chinese numeric codes and their association with sounds in the language. This rich tapestry of communication methods reflects the creativity and adaptability of individuals in expressing themselves in the ever-evolving landscape of digital communication.
