<p>Here are some common choices</p>

<h2>Use Arabic numerals</h2>

<p>This is the most common way nowadays.</p>

<pre><code>1) 第一点
2) 第二点
3) ……
</code></pre>

<h2>Use numbers in Chinese</h2>

<p>It's OK but why not use Arabic numerals?</p>

<pre><code>一）第一点
二）第二点
三）……
</code></pre>

<p>And their 大写数字 form</p>

<pre><code>壹）第一点
贰）第二点
叁）……
</code></pre>

<h2>Use 天干 and 地支</h2>

<p>They are quite rarely used today. </p>

<ul>
<li>天干：甲(jiǎ)、乙(yǐ)、丙(bǐng)、丁(dīng)、戊(wù)、己(jǐ)、庚(gēng)、辛(xīn)、壬(rén)、癸(guǐ)</li>
<li>地支：子(zǐ)、丑(chǒu)、寅(yín)、卯(mǎo)、辰(chén)、巳(sì)、午(wǔ)、未(wèi)、申(shēn)、酉(yǒu)、戌(xū)、亥(hài)</li>
</ul>

<p>Use them like this:</p>

<pre><code>甲）第一点
乙）第二点
丙）……
</code></pre>

<p>and</p>

<pre><code>子）第一点
丑）第二点
寅）第三点
</code></pre>

<h2>Use Latin Letters</h2>

<p>Use a ~ z would be acceptable some how. I would say they would appear more common than 天干/地支 system.</p>

<hr>

<p>When try to write hex numbers, you should use 0-9A-F as they are in English. At least I don't know any other way to write it in Chinese.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-02T05:14:21.580Z
[Japanese wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%BC%A2%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97#.E5.BA.95.E3.81.8C.E5.8D.81.E3.82.92.E8.B6.85.E3.81.88.E3.82.8B.E5.A0.B4.E5.90.88) says that You may use `〇一二三四五六七八九十甲乙丙丁戊 ` as `0-9A-F` for hex numbers in Japanese. But I had never seen this method in Chinese.
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-02T04:40:23.433Z
2019-03-02T07:11:54.010Z
2019-03-02T07:11:54.010Z
tsh
<p>In English, especially in the software/programming world, you use letters as numbers a lot such as with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hex encoding</a>, using the alphabet <code>0123456789abcdef</code> for 16 numbers, so you might write a number as <code>af</code>. Other times we might do a bulleted list and go:</p>

<pre><code>a) something...
b) another thing...
c) ...
</code></pre>

<p>I'm wondering if there is anything like that in Chinese, for example, like a list like:</p>

<pre><code>顧) ...
書) ...
媽) ...
找) ...
...
</code></pre>

<p>Or a hexidecimal-like system, numbering <code>123...顧書..</code>.</p>

<p>If so, wondering what are some examples of it so I can see what it looks like.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-02T04:35:18.837Z
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavenly_Stems
user6065
<writing>
If Chinese characters are ever used like numbers like in English
# If Chinese characters are ever used like numbers like in English

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-02)

In English, especially in the software/programming world, you use letters as numbers a lot such as with hex encoding, using the alphabet 0123456789abcdef for 16 numbers, so you might write a number as af. Other times we might do a bulleted list and go:
a) something...
b) another thing...
c) ...

I'm wondering if there is anything like that in Chinese, for example, like a list like:
顧) ...
書) ...
媽) ...
找) ...
...

Or a hexidecimal-like system, numbering 123...顧書...
If so, wondering what are some examples of it so I can see what it looks like.

**Tags:** writing
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavenly_Stems  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-03-02. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Here are some common choices
Use Arabic numerals
This is the most common way nowadays.
1) 第一点
2) 第二点
3) ……

Use numbers in Chinese
It's OK but why not use Arabic numerals?
一）第一点
二）第二点
三）……

And their 大写数字 form
壹）第一点
贰）第二点
叁）……

Use 天干 and 地支
They are quite rarely used today. 

天干：甲(jiǎ)、乙(yǐ)、丙(bǐng)、丁(dīng)、戊(wù)、己(jǐ)、庚(gēng)、辛(xīn)、壬(rén)、癸(guǐ)
地支：子(zǐ)、丑(chǒu)、寅(yín)、卯(mǎo)、辰(chén)、巳(sì)、午(wǔ)、未(wèi)、申(shēn)、酉(yǒu)、戌(xū)、亥(hài)

Use them like this:
甲）第一点
乙）第二点
丙）……

and
子）第一点
丑）第二点
寅）第三点

Use Latin Letters
Use a ~ z would be acceptable some how. I would say they would appear more common than 天干/地支 system.

When try to write hex numbers, you should use 0-9A-F as they are in English. At least I don't know any other way to write it in Chinese.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: [Japanese wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%BC%A2%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97#.E5.BA.95.E3.81.8C.E5.8D.81.E3.82.92.E8.B6.85.E3.81.88.E3.82.8B.E5.A0.B4.E5.90.88) says that You may use `〇一二三四五六七八九十甲乙丙丁戊 ` as `0-9A-F` for hex numbers in Japanese. But I had never seen this method in Chinese.  

---

