In the Chinese digraph system, an empty digit (no bamboo stick) is equivalent to zero. Simply tilting the bamboo stick 90° allows it to grow from single digits to tens and above, thus avoiding confusion. As with our counting system, the length of a digit is proportional to its size. This is not necessarily the case in the Mayan, Babylonian or binary numbering systems. This ancient Chinese counting system is the closest to the decimal system used in modern society.