“I Love You” or “520” meaning in Chinese
In Chinese, the number 520 means “I love you” because its pronunciation, “wǔ èr líng,” sounds similar to the Mandarin phrase “wǒ ài nǐ” (我爱你). This has led to May 20th (5/20) being celebrated as an unofficial Valentine’s Day in China, especially online.
Phonetic similarity: The numbers 5 (wǔ), 2 (èr), and 0 (líng) sound like 我 (wǒ), 爱 (ài), and 你 (nǐ), respectively.
Cultural significance: Because of this phonetic link, 520 has become a popular expression of love, similar to internet slang like “ILY” in English.
“520 Day”: May 20th has become an unofficial Valentine’s Day in China, where couples celebrate by exchanging gifts and expressing their love.
Extended meaning: The number combination 5201314 is also used to mean “I love you for a lifetime,” as 1314 (yī sān yī sì) sounds like “yī shēng yī shì” (一生一世).