On the Character: 數

A character with numerous functions

數字賦能，無限可能

Text by Huang Weijia （黃偉嘉） and Yang Tingting （楊婷婷）

Illustration by Wang Siqi and Xi Dahe

How did one become a virtuous man in ancient China？ Known as junzi（君子）， the ideal man as envisioned by Confucius had to master the “six arts，” which were “rites， music， archery， charioteering， calligraphy， and mathematics （禮樂射御書數lǐ yuèshèyùshūshù），” according to theRites of Zhou（《周禮》）， a work on politics and culture during Confuciuss time. This meant that in ancient times， knowing your math made you a gentleman.

First appearing in bronze script in the Warring States period （475 – 221 BCE）， the character 數 （shǔ） was one of many Chinese terms meaning “to count.” The left part婁indicates pronunciation， while 攴 on the right， shaped like a hand tying a knot on a string， means to calculate， according to the second centurysAnalytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters（《說文解字》）. The character was simplified over centuries into its present form.

The character， when read in the fourth （falling） tone， also appears in a number of terms related to numbers， which are themselves called 數字 （shùzì）. For example， the study of numbers is generally called 數學 （shùxué， mathematics）， and mathematicians work with 整數（zhěngshù， integers）， 未知數 （wèizhīshù， unknown numbers）， and 代數 （dàishù， algebra）. You can use 次數 （cìshù） to refer to frequency， like 和朋友打電話的次數越來越少 （Hépéngyou dǎ diànhuà de cìshùyuèláiyuèshǎo， My calls with friends have become less and less frequent）.

Read with the third tone， 數 （shǔ） can also mean “to calculate.” For example， 你去數數有多少學生 （Nǐ qùshǔshǔ yǒu duōshaoxuéshēng， Please count how many students there are）. The character also indicates quantity， which is 數量 （shùliàng）. Stars in the night sky are countless， or 數不勝數 （shǔbúshèngshǔ）， while something countable in small quantities is 屈指可數 （qūzhǐ kěshǔ）—which means “can be counted on one hand.”

When you want to express that something is numerous， but cant give an exact number， 數 can be used to indicate “many” or “several.” 數百 （shù bǎi） means “hundreds，” 數千 （shùqiān） is “thousands，” and a big family can be described as 數口之家 （shù kǒu zhījiā）. The character can also be read as shuò， meaning “several times” as in the idiom 數見不鮮 （shuòjiànbùxiān）， which describes something thats very commonly seen and is no longer novel.

Another meaning for the character is “to list.” For example， 歷數 （lìshǔ） means to list a series of items one by one， 數落 （shǔluo） is to scold someone by enumerating their wrongdoings， and a 數典 （shǔdiǎn） is a list of historical tales. But you cannot recount history while omitting your ancestors， otherwise you will be criticized as 數典忘祖 （shǔdiǎnwàngzǔ）， a term later used to scold those who forget their roots and origins.

數 can also mean to excel over others. If you want to praise Mr. Zhang as the best singer among your colleagues， you can say， “歌就數小張唱得最好聽 （GējiùshǔXiǎoZhāngchàng de zuìhǎotīng）.” The top performer can be called 數一數二 （shǔyīshǔèr）， as in 他的成績數一數二 （Tā de chéngjìshǔyīshǔèr）. By contrast， if someone is subpar， then they are 數不上（shǔbushàng）， or 數不著 （shǔbuzháo）.

In classical Chinese， 數 was also used to indicate fate， as in the term 命數 （mìngshù）. If a persons days are numbered， then they are 氣數將盡（qìshujiāngjìn）; if they were born with a doomed fate， you can describe them as 在數難逃 （zàishùnántáo）.

In the information age， 數 also refers to digital technology. As we live in a digital society （數字化社會shùzìhuàshèhuì） and embrace big data （大數據dàshùjù） and smart devices such as digital cameras （數字相機shùzìxiàngjī）， digital TVs （數字電視shùzìdiànshì） and digital phones （數字電話shùzìdiànhuà）， we must not forget to count our blessings—or calculate the costs we pay for such conveniences.