Chinese characters that represent numbers also have their own special meanings.
One (yi, “一”)
The Chinese people believe that “one” (“一”) represents the beginning of everything. The famous ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi once said that, in the beginning of the universe, “’dao’ created one”. “One” here refers to the chaotic state that existed before anything in the universe was created. This was the transition from nothingness to existence.
The ancient Chinese people greatly revere the number “one”. The most distinguished god in heaven is known as “Taiyi”. When China was united, people said: “There can not be two kings for the people, just as there can not be two suns in heaven.” In other words, “There is only one sun in the sky, and the country has only one emperor.”
There are also some other expressions like these, “there can not be two tigers on the same mountain”. It also has the meaning of “unification” and “togetherness”.
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