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)
卅
一
日期星
Third month, Thirty-first day
Astral Period Sun
(Sunday, March 31)
————————————————
Section Two
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
(top to bottom, right to left)
(top to bottom, right to left)
六歲
日支
Generational Branch
Six Suns
—————————————————
Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
吉凶吉
酉己丑
戌午寅
凶吉吉
吉中凶
亥未卯
凶吉中
01:00-03:00 Auspicious
03:00-05:00 Inauspicious
05:00-07:00 In-Between
07:00-09:00 Inauspicious
09:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Auspicious
15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
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.
—————————————————
Section Four
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
忌
安作
牀灶
Stove Work
Positioning Beds
—————————————————
Section Five
Cosmological Information
Cosmological Information
二
十
十
丙
申
火
虛
虛
執
Twentieth Day (second lunar month)
Cyclical day: bingshen (33/60)
Phase (element): Fire
Constellation: Void (11/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Grasp (6/12)
—————————————————
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
上祭
樑祀
補出
捉行
結移
綱徙
安理
葬髮
下
兀
葬髮
下
兀
猴劫
口煞
Appropriate Activities
Paying Reverence
Going Out (and about)
Moving Residences
Patterning Hair
Erecting Beams
Seizing and Capturing
Binding Nets
Positioning Graves
Lower Amputee
Miscellaneous Information
Baleful Plunder
Monkey Mouth
Baleful Plunder
Monkey Mouth
—————————————————
Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
人 水
Person, Water
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
人 水
Person, Water
—————————————————
Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities
Miscellaneous Activities
(Top to bottom; right to left)
廚
爐灶
Kitchen
Furnace, Stove
廚
爐灶
Kitchen
Furnace, Stove
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