China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-08

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's date is marked by the 
asterisk to the right:                               *

[a] February 1-9, 2013

This is one in a never-ending series—following the movements of the calendar—in Round and Square perpetuity. It is today's date in the Chinese lunar calendar, along with basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying lunar calendars (and Chinese culture) for many years, you will likely find yourself asking "what does that mean?" I would caution that "it" doesn't "mean" any one thing. There are clusters of meaning, and they require patience, reflection, careful reading, and, well, a little bit of ethnographic fieldwork. The best place to start is the introduction to "Calendars and Almanacs" on this blog. I teach a semester-long course on this topic and, trust me, it takes a little bit of time to get used to the lunar calendar. Some of the material is readily accessible; some of it is impenetrable, even after many years. 

As time goes on, I will link all of the sections to lengthy background essays. This will take a while. In the meantime, take a look, read the introduction, and think about all of the questions that emerge from even a quick look at the calendar.

 

Section One
Solar Calendar Date

八

日

星期五

Eighth Day

Weekday Five

(Friday, February 8) 

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars

相天

日貴
Heavenly Preciousness

Mutual Days

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶中吉

酉己丑

吉凶吉

戌午寅

吉中中

亥未卯

凶中中
23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 In-Between
05:00-07:00 In-Between

07:00-09:00 In-Between
09:00-11:00 Inauspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 In-Between

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Auspicious
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious 

*The hours above are for Hong Kong. It is up to you if you want to recalibrate or to assume that the cyclicality of the calendar "covers" the rest of the world. This is a greater interpretive challenge than you might think.
 

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Section Four
Activities to Avoid

 忌

遠☐＊

行種

Plowing and Planting
Long Journeys

*Once in a while the almanac uses a character that is not to be found on any computer program. Although this particular one is not "rare," it is a variant that shows up in none of the computer selections I can access.

Look for Figure [a], above, to see it. 
 

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 Section Five
 Cosmological Information
廿

八
乙
巳

火

婁

平
Twenty-eighth day (twelfth lunar month)

Cyclical day: yisi (42/60)

Phase (element): Fire

Constellation: Mound (16/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Level (4/12)

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Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜

平

治

道

塗

鷙
蟲
始 
振

Appropriate Activities
Smooth Rule, Road Coating

Dormant Creatures Start to Twitch

(the second of 72 five-day mini-periods in the solar year)

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 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
丫地
White, Spirit

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Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities

 碓

牀磨

Pestle
Bed, Grindstone