SHANGHAI — The vendors exhibit their wares proudly, separating them into a spectrum of premium, regular and discount. Signs highlighting the "specials of the day" entice shoppers looking for a cherished commodity in today's China: lucky cell-phone numbers. 

For Chinese executives, homemakers and students, prestige with a mobile phone is less about Nokia, Ericsson or Motorola than about 6, 8 and 9. Across the country, stores have window displays with their best numbers. A 9 in the number might signal longevity, whereas 168 might bring "a road of prosperity." 

Auspicious license plates, telephone numbers and contract prices have long been in the sights of the numerically conscious in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. But with 65 million users, China's exploding mobile-phone market has provided the latest numerological bonanza. 

In large cities, auctions lure hundreds of buyers with special numbers set aside by mobile phone companies. One number fetched nearly $40,000 at a charity auction in August in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. 

"The best are 8's," said Zhang Haosheng, a telephone number vendor in Shanghai. "Four or five 8's at the end is very prestigious; 6's and 9's are good too, but one 6 or 9 is nothing special. You need at least two in a row." 

Certain sequences are highly sought because they sound like Chinese phrases in different dialects. In Mandarin, the popular sequence 518 can be interpreted as, "I want to prosper," and 168 sounds like, "A road of prosperity." In Cantonese, the sequence 289 sounds like, "Easy long-term prosperity."
In China, phone numbers are generally preassigned to cards purchased separately from the phones themselves. The cards, and therefore the number, can be transferred from one phone to another. 

Most are bought wholesale from mobile phone companies and then sold by independent vendors for a base price of about $30. But it is not unusual for desirable numbers to double, triple or quadruple the price. 

Some shoppers are simply looking for telephone numbers that are not an 11-digit jumble. But the most highly appraised numbers stem from Chinese numerology, a cultural relationship not unlike the West's partiality toward 7 and aversion to 13. 

The number 8, pronounced "ba" in Mandarin, is considered desirable because it rhymes with the word for prosper, "fa." In Mandarin, the number 9 is pronounced identically to the word for long-lasting, "jiu." Thus Sept. 9, 1999, was a particularly popular day for Chinese weddings.
The number 6 is popular for a variety of reasons. Depending on the dialect, its interpretation ranges from "longevity" to "joy." 

"It's a herd mentality," Mr. Zhang said. "Other people want 8's. So they want 8's, too."
Numbers full of those digits will often be priced in the thousands of dollars. In December, Li Songwei, 28, received a present from his father, a number ending in 8889988, purchased for $2,500 at a charity auction in Xiamen, the port city. 

Since then, the number has given Mr. Li minor celebrity status. "The phone never stops ringing," said Mr. Li, a businessman. He has received offers to buy the number, invitations to join associations, overtures of friendship and requests for interviews. 

The numbers set has its pariah, too. The number 4 is pronounced "si" in Mandarin, similar to the word for death. 

"We lose money on the numbers ending in 4," Mr. Zhang said, nodding toward his list of discount numbers, all ending in 4. "I have to sell them below cost." 

Those, he said, often go to families who are buying mobile phones for elderly members of the household. "They just want a phone to make sure Grandma doesn't get lost," he said. 

Some sequences are to be avoided, as well. In Cantonese, 14 or 1414 is interpreted as "immediate death," and 53 or 5353 means "poor health." 

Some argue that a number is just a number. Li Gang, a senior at Beijing University, recently turned down a number ending in 8 when the vendor wanted him to pay an extra $6 for it. "It's not worth it," said Mr. Li, who chose a number ending in 7. 

But others say the prestige is in the perception. "Of course, it's worth it," said Zhou Liwei, a consultant in Beijing, who paid an extra $40 for a number that ended in 66. "A good number gives you a good feeling. That feeling is worth the extra money. 

"Others will hear your number and know you are an accomplished person. If you are willing to invest extra money in your number, it shows you are already successful in your career." 

Independent businessmen, especially young ones, form the bulk of those willing to pay the most for acclaimed numbers. 

But even in China, the numerically superstitious clash daily with the numerically skeptical. A woman wandering by Mr. Zhang's booth scanned the list of available numbers, wrinkled her nose and walked away. 

"I don't like 4's," she said, nodding toward the list of Mr. Zhang's available numbers, all with at least one 4. At the next counter, she settled on a number that ended in the relatively innocuous 92. The clerk crossed it off the list. 

Mr. Zhang rolled his eyes. "I have 8's in my number and I haven't prospered," he said. "I have 4's and I haven't died." 

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/16/technology/16CELL.html