Ah, numbers and superstitions.
啊，数字和迷信。
An area we are familiar with, although you might not think about it on any sort of analytical level. With the slightest spotlight, it doesn’t make much sense; why do many Western cultures consider 13 unlucky and just what is it about the number four that China can’t abide by?
这是一个我们熟悉的领域，尽管你可能不会从任何分析层面上考虑它。 有了最轻微的聚光灯，就没有什么意义了；为什么许多西方文化都认为13是不吉利的，而中国不能遵守的第四名是什么？
Especially when you consider that numbers are just that; neutral entities, a way of counting and measuring, surely not things associated with heavy emotions. And the superstitions attached to the numbers often have far-flung historical or cultural explanations (if they have satisfactory explanations at all).
特别是当你认为数字就是那样的时候；中立的实体，一种计数和衡量的方式，当然不是与沉重情绪有关的东西。 与数字相关的迷信往往有深远的历史或文化解释（如果它们有令人满意的解释的话）。
If science has moved us out of the darkness of misunderstanding in so many areas, why not when it comes to superstitions?
如果科学让我们摆脱了这么多领域误解的黑暗，那么在迷信方面为什么不呢？
It is so very human of us to paste stories over neutrality.
把故事放在中立性之上，这对我们来说太人性化了。
And while we may know, on a logical level, that it doesn’t make sense to avoid the number 13, favour odds over evens or have a “favourite” number, most of us still do it.
虽然我们可能知道，从逻辑层面上讲，避免数字13是没有意义的，偏爱赔率而不是偶数或有一个“最喜欢的”数字，但我们大多数人仍然这样做。
We can’t deny the power of human superstition, especially in the face of facts.
我们不能否认人类迷信的力量，尤其是在面对事实时。
Many high-rise buildings in the West skip the 13th floor entirely. Many in China do the same with the 4th floor; I’ve even seen one that skipped every 10 floors ending with the number 4! And every time a Friday the 13th arrives, the US economy loses hundreds of millions of dollars in lost trading, as people hedge and hold their money to swerve this dodgy day. So, let’s take a tour around some possible reasons for this.
西部的許多高層建築完全跳過了13楼。 在中国，许多人在4楼也是这样做的；我甚至见过一个跳过每10层以数字4结尾的！ 每次13号星期五到来，美国经济都会在亏损交易中损失数亿美元，因为人们在这个可疑的日子里对冲和持有他们的钱。 所以，让我们来参观一下这的一些可能的原因。
Starting with 13, the most well known. Theories abound. There is an idea that the number 12 is “complete”; equal, well-balanced, divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6, representing 12 months, 12 zodiac signs, and in the Christian tradition, 12 apostles. By contrast, then, 13 is incomplete, extra, odd. It’s 12 but corrupted and left hanging.
从13开始，最知名的。 理论很多。 有一种观点认为，数字12是“完整的”；相等、平衡，可被2、3、4和6整除，代表12个月、12星座，在基督教传统中，12个使徒。 相比之下，13是不完整的、额外的、奇怪的。 是12岁，但被损坏了，悬而未决。
Continuing the Christianity connection, 13 is the number of Judas, the betrayer of Jesus. He was the 13th guest at the Last Supper, and the negativity around 13 could stem from there. Just as religious but a little more rock and roll, the superstition could come from Norse mythology, where a 13th guest to a party of 12 gods led to the death of one of them, and widespread Viking-style destruction.
延续基督教的联系，13是背叛耶稣的犹大的数字。 他是最后的晚餐的第13位客人，13点左右的负面情绪可能源于此。 就像宗教，但更像摇滚一样，迷信可能来自北欧神话，12个神的派对的第13位客人导致其中1人死亡，并普遍受到维京式的破坏。
Clearly, these fanciful stories don’t explain any tangible reason for the misfortune around the number 13. They prove an opposing point; humans love a story, even when unencumbered by any hard fact. Spare a thought for those born on the 13th of a month, especially a Friday!
显然，这些奇思妙想的故事并不能解释围绕数字13的不幸的任何具体原因。 他们证明了一个相反的观点；人类喜欢故事，即使不受任何硬事实的制。 想想那些在月13号出生的人，尤其是星期五！
So, what about something a little closer to our adopted home?
那么，离我们收养的家近一点的地方怎么样？
The Chinese aversion to 4 is well documented; the pronunciation for “four” (四; si4), is too close to “death” (死, si3). This, at least, has a more solid explanation. Homophones form a huge part of the Chinese language, so it makes sense that they hold influence on its culture too. The “four” belief is widespread; aside from the floor numbering, you are unlikely to see 4 used in any company advertising or contact numbers. You will recall, I would bet, seeing a different number over-represented in phone numbering; 8.
中国人对4的厌恶是有据可查的；“四”（四；si4）的发音太接近“死”（死，si3）。 这至少有一个更可靠的解释。 同音词是汉语的重要组成部分，因此它们对其文化也有影响是有道理的。 “四”信念很普遍；除了楼层编号外，你不太可能在任何公司广告或联系号码中看到4使用。 我敢打赌，你会记得，看到一个不同的号码在电话号码中代表过高；8。
Eight holds the privilege of being the “luckiest” Chinese number, again thanks to a (near) homophone. Eight in Mandarin is pronounced “八” (ba1), which rhymes with “发” (fa1), as in “发财” (fa1 cai2), meaning “to get rich”.
八拥有“最幸运”的中国数字的特权，这再次归功于一个（最）同音字。 八在普通话中发音为“八”（ba1），与“发”（fa1）押韵，就像“发财”（fa1 cai2）一样，意思是“致富”。
Companies fall over themselves to secure a contact number with as many eights as possible, car registration plates with eights can fetch a premium, and the hand gesture for the number eight is associated with positivity and happiness when posing.
公司为了确保尽可能多的八号的联系电话而倒下，带有八号的车牌可以获得溢价，八号的手势与摆姿势时的积极性和快乐有关。
Other numbers in Chinese pick up associations for similar reasons. Nine in Mandarin sounds like the word for “long” (久; jiu3) and so 9 often represents longevity. Wishing for longevity (and having the resources to build for it!) explains why there are 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
出于类似的原因，中国的其他数字也拾取了关联。 九在普通话中听起来像“久”（jiu3）的词，所以9通常代表长寿。 希望长寿（并有资源为它建设！） 解释了为什么北京故宫有9999个房间。
What about elsewhere? Italy has a superstition with at least a viable explanation. Some Italians are superstitious about the number 17 because rearranging the Roman numeral XVII can create the word “VIXI”. This in turn can be translated to mean, “I lived”, or, “My life is over” (more on four letter Latin words later).
其他地方呢？ 意大利有一个迷信，至少有一个可行的解释。 一些意大利人对数字17有迷信，因为重新排列罗马数字XVII可以产生“VIXI”一词。 这反过来又可以翻译为“我活着”或“我的生活结束了”（稍后将更多关于四个字母的拉丁语单词）。
Clearly, then, this worldwide trend is as much a part of the human experience as anything more evidence based.
那么，很明显，这种全球趋势是人类经验的一部分，就像任何更基于证据的东西一样。
The sticking power of these beliefs, despite the clear lack of fact behind them, tells us that humans love to assign meaning to the meaningless, to paint over arbitrary events with an overall “pattern”.
尽管这些信念背后明显缺乏事实，但这些信念的坚持力告诉我们，人类喜欢为毫无意义的东西赋予意义，用整体的“模式”描绘任意事件。
But what is “meaningless” in this context? Don’t we make meaning by what we do, what we choose to focus on, what we privilege or leave out? Throughout this article I have been grouping ideas in threes. Some of the time I don’t even realise I’m doing it; it’s become an ingrained part of my rhetoric. A well-known trick called the “rule-of-three”; it’s supposed to work by making the information “sticky”, as if it can somehow adhere to the inside of our heads.
但在这种情况下，什么是“毫无意义”的？ 我们不是通过我们做什么、我们选择关注什么、我们优先考虑或放弃什么来赋予意义吗？ 在整篇文章中，我一直把想法分成三组。 有些时候，我甚至没有意识到我在做这件事；这已经成为我言辞中根深蒂固的一部分。 一个叫做“三法则”的众所周知的伎俩；它应该通过使信息“粘性”来发挥作用，好像它可以以某種方式粘附在我们的头脑中。
It is effective; think of constructs like “Veni, Vidi, Vici” or “blood, sweat and tears”.
它很有效；想想像“Veni、Vidi、Vici”或“血、汗和眼泪”这样的结构。
But why? We’ve spent time talking about the arbitrary connections between numbers and superstitions, so why would the number three suddenly hold more meaning? It’s because we love patterns. As I explained previously, humans will paint a pattern over most things, to help us make sense of our environments.
但是为什么呢？ 我们花时间谈论数字和迷信之间的任意联系，那么为什么数字三突然变得更有意义呢？ 这是因为我们喜欢图案。 正如我之前解释的那样，人类会在大多数事物上画一个图案，以帮助我们理解我们的环境。
And three is the smallest number which can create a pattern. Specifically, the first two parts of the rule of three can build an expectation, an understanding that there is a relationship between these three things. By the time our brain has connected the first two items, we’re ready for the third. It’s satisfying to receive that third thing and confirm our reasoning by connecting it to the first two.
三是可以创建模式的最小数字。 具体来说，三法则的前两部分可以建立一种期望，一种理解，即这三件事之间存在关系。 当我们的大脑连接了前两个项目时，我们就为第三个项目做好了准备。 收到第三件事，并通过将其与前两件事联系起来来确认我们的推理，这令人满意。
Numbers, superstitions and making meaning out of nothing. Psychology, then, instead of history, lights the way.
数字、迷信和无中有意义。 因此，心理学而不是历史，照亮了道路。