Mainlanders Couldn T Give A Damn About Altering Level 4 To 3a On Lifts Unlike Malaysian Chinese

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SOME Chinese superstitions are so prevalent here as to be normalised; most Malaysians will be cognisant of lifts that are missing the digit “4” given its Cantonese/Hokkien/Mandarin pronunciation sounds similar to ‘death’.
Hence the preference of many developers to affix “3A” instead, much to the amusement of many non-Chinese Malaysians.
It was thus noted with no small amount of irony by Lee Seng Foo (@sengfoo88) on X that this trepidation over the number “4” is not shared by mainland Chinese.
Sharing an image of a lift control panel with the full set of numerals, the self-proclaimed sports propogandist noted that “Mainland Chinese don’t care as much about 3A as Malaysian Chinese”.
One bemused Malaysian queried then where this obsession with removing the digit “4” came from when it appears that Mainland Chinese are seemingly unbothered by this.

A number of history buffs put this phenomenon down to the Cultural Revolution which killed off many old traditions, including practices such as feng shui (geomancy) alongside once deeply held superstitions such as removing the number “4” from signages.

In contrast, the Chinese community in Malaysia could still hold on to their beliefs and culture as they migrated before the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). One commenter even shared a YouTube link explaining precisely why this phenomenon exists.

It was also noted that this superstition was especially prevalent among the Cantonese and Hokkien communities in Malaysia.

Nevertheless, some commenters contended that they have noticed similar lift panels in China which excluded the digit “4”, denoting that what was revealed by the poster could be a modern trend given some still hold on these old beliefs.

However, it was observed that that despite it being 2025, this practice of removing the digit “4” from project names, home addresses, lifts and car registration plates remain strong in Malaysia.

One commenter joked that if a developer wants a neighbourhood to have zero Chinese residents, it can name it ‘44’ or call the area ‘Section 44’. (Editor’s note: This though ignores that there is a Section 4 in Petaling Jaya which boasts many Chinese residents.)

Some commenters wondered if this practice is fading with younger generation being “more westernised”.

One commenter saw this as one way to differentiate between local Chinese and their mainland brethren.

Whether this is still prevalent in China is not the issue here. Instead of viewing it as Chinese superstition becoming an unwelcome part of Malaysian landscape, why not celebrate it as a reflection of the country’s rich cultural tapestry? 

- focus malaysia

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