China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-11

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:                                    *

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

十
一

星期一

Eleventh Day

Weekday One

(Monday, February 11) 

———————————————— 
Section Two
Beneficent Stars

解歲

神德

Generational Virtue

Unleashing Spirits

—————————————————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶吉中

酉己丑

中吉吉

戌午寅

中中凶

亥未卯

凶吉中
23:00-01:00 In-Between
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 Inauspicious
05:00-07:00 In-Between

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

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
19:00-21:00 In-Between
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.

————————————————— 

Section Four
Activities to Avoid

 忌

安置
牀產

Manufacturing

Positioning Beds 

 

————————————————— 

 Section Five
 Cosmological Information 

初 
二
戊

申

土

畢

破
Second day (first lunar month)

Cyclical day: wushen (45/60)

Phase (element): Earth

Constellation: Complete (19/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Destroy (7/12)

————————————————— 

Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜 
沐
浴
治
病
破
屋
壊
垣 
天月
牢破
俱大
將耗

Appropriate Activities

Bathing

Doctor Visits

Reconstructing Rooms

Breaking Down Walls

Miscellaneous Information

Lunar Repression, Great Harvest 

Heavenly Prison, Genéral Entière

 

 ————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
白鬼
White, Ghost

————————————————— 

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities

 房
爐牀

Room
Stove, Bed