Makes certain numeric domains valuable — Why rhyming
Why are some numeric domains more valuable than others?
I look at domain sales almost every day. Still, when it comes to numeric domains, I must admit that I’m still ignorant. Often, I find myself not being able to understand why a certain numeric domain could fetch such a high price. Nevertheless, sometimes I do come across a numeric domain that I know is valuable since of its meaning. 7732.com is a good example. The domain sold for $49,500 on October 20.
Numeric domains are unique to China where they can actually be used to run a serious business. For example, 1688.com is a wholesale marketplace owned by Alibaba. 1688.com is valuable since it is easy to remember due to the meaning “making a fortune all the way” in Chinese.
Actually, numeric domains do not have any intrinsic Chinese meanings. Instead, meanings are created. If a meaning can be created for a numeric domain, this makes the domain easy to remember and therefore valuable.
The method is called rhyming. When pronounced in Chinese, 0 to 9 can each rhyme with (sound like) many Pinyin words. I call them (0 to 9) the building blocks. Below is only a modest sample of the Pinyin words corresponding to the building blocks, using 7732 as an example.
| Building block | Rhyme with |
|---|---|
| 0 | Ling (令=command), Lin (林=forest), Ying (赢=win) |
| 1 | Yi (依=depend on), Yi (医=medical), Yi (易=easy) |
| 2 | Er (儿=son), Ai (爱=love), e (饿=hungry) |
| 3 | Shang (商=business), Shan (山=mountain), Xiang (相=mutual) |
| 4 | Shi(世=life), Shi (视=view), Si (死=death) |
| 5 | Wo (我=me), Wu (武=martial), Wu (舞=dance) |
| 6 | Le (乐=fun), Lu (路=road), Liu (流=flow) |
| 7 | Qin (亲=kiss), Qi (妻=wife), Qi (奇=wonder) |
| 8 | Ba (吧=drinking bar), Ba (爸=father), Fa (發=making a fortune) |
| 9 | Jiu (久=a long time), Jiu (救=save someone), Jiu (酒=wine) |
By combining the building blocks to form a numeric domain, you are actually combining the corresponding Pinyin words. If the combination produces a meaningful Chinese phrase, then the numeric domain becomes easy to remember. For 7732.com, you can form many combinations, and four are suggested in the table below.
| 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qin (亲) | Qi (妻) | Shang (商) | Er (儿) |
| Qi (妻) | Qi (妻) | Shan (山) | Ai (爱) |
| Qi (奇) | Qi (奇) | Xiang (相) | e (饿) |
| Qin (亲) | Qin (亲) | Xiang (相) | Ai (爱) |
I then examine each Pinyin combination and see if the combination makes sense as a phrase. In this exercise, Qin Qin Xiang Ai (亲亲相爱=kiss, kiss, love each other) is the best one I’ve found. Based on this meaning, 7732.com can be used in dating, match-making, or anything related to love.
Obviously, this method may be time-consuming. Also, not every numeric domain can have a Chinese meaning. The longer the numeric domain, the more difficult the task becomes. Finally, remember that the meaning is confined to the Chinese culture and will be lost outside China.
