From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

China's Lunar Calendar 2013 03-02

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

二
日
六期星
Third month, second day
Astral Period Six
(Saturday, March 2) 
———————————————— 
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
不天官天
將恩日德
Heavenly Virtue
Official Days
Heavenly Grace
Not General
—————————————————
Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子
凶中中
酉己丑
凶中中
戌午寅
中吉吉
亥未卯
凶吉凶
23:00-01:00 In-Between
01:00-03:00 In-Between
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Inauspicious

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

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Auspicious
19:00-21:00 Inauspicious
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 
開穿裁理
池井衣髮 
Patterning Hair
Cutting-out Clothing
Boring Wells
Opening Ponds
————————————————— 
 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 
廿
一
丁
卯
火
女
除
Twenty-first day (first lunar month)
Cyclical day: dingmao (4/60)
Phase (element): Fire
Constellation: Woman (10/28)
Jianchu Cycle: Discard (2/12)
————————————————— 
Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)
宜
上開嫁祭
樑市娶祀
安交納祈
牀易采福
納修移會
畜造徙友
安動醫出
葬土病行
 口兔
下朱咸短
兀雀池星
Appropriate Activities
Paying Reverence
Inquiring into Fortune
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Marriage Alliances
Grain Payments
Moving Residences
Doctor Visits
Opening Markets
Trade and Commerce
Repair and Building
Moving Earth
Erecting Beams
Positioning Beds
Livestock Payments
Positioning Graves      
 
Hare Mouth
   
Miscellaneous Information
Short Star
Harmonious Pond
Vermillion Bird
Lower Amputee
 ————————————————— 
 Section Seven
Inauspicious Star
人林
Copse, Person
————————————————— 
Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities 
門庫倉
Gate, Storehouse, Granary
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)