88 (bā bā) — Bye bye — 88 sounds like 拜拜 (bāi bāi)

Bye bye — 88 sounds like 拜拜 (bāi bāi), the Mandarin phonetic borrowing of the English "bye bye." The quickest and most universal numeric farewell in Chinese digital communication.

Example Usage

下线了，88！

Going offline — bye bye!

Cultural Context

One of the oldest Chinese internet codes, dating back to BBS and chatroom culture in the 1990s. Because 8 is also the luckiest number in Chinese culture (sounds like 发, fā, meaning prosperity), 88 carries a doubly positive feel — a lucky goodbye.

Category: internet-culture