Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"
Today's calendar date: *
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.
Today's calendar date: *
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 OneSolar Calendar Date
(top to bottom; right to left)
廿
四
日期星
Third month, twenty-fourth day
Astral Period Sun
(Sunday, March 24)
————————————————
Section Two
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
(top to bottom, right to left)
(top to bottom, right to left)
生時合月
氣陽日德
Lunar Virtue
Collection of Days
Timely Yang
Birth Vapors
—————————————————
Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
吉中吉
酉己丑
戌午寅
凶吉凶
中中吉
亥未卯
凶凶吉
01:00-03:00 Inauspicious
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious
07:00-09:00 In-Between
09:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious
15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
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
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
忌
塞補伐栽
塞補伐栽
穴垣木種
Planting Crops
Felling Trees
Solidifying Embankments
Sealing Caves
—————————————————
Section Five
Cosmological Information
Cosmological Information
十
三
三
己
丑
火
房
開
房
開
Thirteenth Day (second lunar month)
Cyclical day: jichou (26/60)
Phase (element): Fire
Constellation: Building (4/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Open (11/12)
—————————————————
Section Six
Appropriate Activities
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
Appropriate Activities
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜
上醫出祭
樑病行祀
安開嫁祈
門市娶福
作修納入
灶造采學
置動移會
業土徙友
——————————————
虛五
虛五
——————————————
九勾無密
九勾無密
空陳祿日
Appropriate Activities
Paying Reverence
Inquiring-into Fortune
Entering Study
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Marriage Alliances
Grain Payments
Moving Residences
Medical Appointments
Opening Markets
Repairing and Constructing
Moving Soil
Erecting Beams
Positioning Beds
Stove Work
Setting-up Industry
Miscellaneous Information
Mysterious Day
Without Emolument
Narrative Hook
Nine Vacancies
—————————————————
Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
白 林
White, Copse
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
白 林
White, Copse
—————————————————
Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities
Miscellaneous Activities
厠
門 占
(Top to bottom; right to left)
Toilet
Toilet
Gate, Divination
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