The rush came because the Mandarin for 4 January 2013 sounds similar to the phrase "I will love you all my life".

BBC: 'Love you forever day' prompts Chinese wedding rush

Four, on the other, is traditionally perceived as unlucky because its pronunciation echoes the Mandarin word for "death".

BBC: 'Love you forever day' prompts Chinese wedding rush

Those are tiny numbers compared with the four million students studying Spanish in this country, but Mandarin's appeal is growing, both because of economic prospects and because of an expanding Chinese immigrant population here.

NPR: Chinese Classes Grow in Popularity with U.S. Students

Li, who turns 31 next month and will rise one place to No. 5 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings on Monday, joked that she felt like she was at the China Open, because of the number of Chinese flags and cheers, both in Mandarin and English at the arena.

WSJ: Azarenka Beats Li to Win Australian Open

Ms. Li, who turns 31 next month and will rise one place to No. 5 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings on Monday, joked that she felt like she was at the China Open, because of the number of Chinese flags and cheers, both in Mandarin and English at the arena.

WSJ: Azarenka Beats Li to Win Australian Open

Because of a previous trailer, I had thought that Tony would have been helped in his struggle against the Mandarin by his girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), but no.

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