Friday, April 29, 2011


FOUR = manifestation, a perfect fit, strength, stability, safety, fidelity, predictability, depth, dimension, resistance, solidity, order, distinction, foundation, Creation
  • also known as quad, quattro, tetra, quartet
  • squares = strongest and most stable - all corners evenly spaced - only shape with right angles - most practical building element
  • basis for grid
  • most furniture has four legs
  • most vehicles have four wheels / tires
  • other shapes with four sides (quadrilaterals) include rectangles, parallelograms, rhombuses
  • the human body has: four fingers (+ one thumb), four chambers in the heart, four canine teeth, four incisors and four wisdom teeth
  • all insects (except flies) have four wings
  • four is the atomic number of beryllium
  • "Almost from prehistoric times, the number four was employed to signify what was solid, what could be touched and felt. Its relationship to the cross (four points) made it an outstanding symbol of wholeness and universality, a symbol which drew all to itself." (Wikipedia)
  • the only number whose value is the same as the number of letters in its name
  • "four" in french means "oven"
  • on a computer keyboard, Shift+4 gives you a dollar sign ($)
  • in internet slang / SMS, 4 can be used in lieu of "for"
  • on telephone keypads, the "4" key is associated with the letters G, H & I
  • 4.00 denotes a grade-point average of "A"
  • Roman numeral is IV
  • in astrology, the fourth sign of the Zodiac is Cancer, the Crabs (June 21 - July 22)
  • quadruplets are four offspring in the same pregnancy
  • in astrology, 4 is ruled by Mars
  • 4 ball in billiards is solid purple
  • "on the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree"
  • fourth wedding anniversary gift is linen/silk
  • most English swear words have four letters
  • four is considered an unlucky number in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese cultures because it sounds like the word "death"
  • four leaf clovers bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally; according to legend, each leaf has meaning: hope, faith, love, lucky
  • symphonies have four movements
  • string quartets have four musicians, usually two violinists, a violist, and a cellist; violins, violas, cellos and double basses all have four strings
  • the Olympics are held ever four years, as is the World Cup
  • a close encounter of the fourth kind involves visiting an alien world
  • Four Corners is the only location in the USA where four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah) meet at a single point
  • the four card suites (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) correspond to four social divisions (military/nobles, church, commerce, common men)
  • in theatre, the "fourth wall" is the imaginary wall between the actors and the audience
COMMON FOURs:
  • four corners of the earth
  • four cardinal directions (North, South, East, West)
  • four elements of alchemy (earth, air, water, fire)
  • four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter)
  • four blood types (A, B, O, AB)
  • four states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasma)
  • four colour process colours / CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
  • four mathematic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
  • four humours (blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm)
  • four Christian gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
  • Fab Four / Beatles (John, Paul, George, Ringo)
  • Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing)
  • four Cs of Diamonds (cut, carat, clarity, colour)
  • four food groups (meat, dairy, grain, fruits/vegetables)
  • 4-H club mandate (head, heart, hands, health)
  • 4D / four dimensions (length x width x height x time)
  • four families of instruments (string, woodwind, brass, percussion)
  • four musical voices (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)
  • four tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter)
  • The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz):
  1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
  2. Don't Take Anything Personally
  3. Don't Make Assumptions
  4. Always Do Your Best