Nine, as the last single-digit number, shows us the end of a cycle that will be renewed with ten. After that, the next number that ends in nine (nineteen) will show us the end of the second cycle. Similarly, in China, the number nine takes its personality from being the highest single-digit number and is associated with something that is high, great, or long (the words for “nine” and “long-lasting” sound similar in Mandarin). This was the number of the Emperor of China, as well as the heavens, which there are said to be nine of. Many other Asian cultures universally regard the number nine to be auspicious, usually because it is three times three or because it is the highest single-digit number.