China's Lunar Calendar 2013 04-14

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"  

From right to left: 

LEFT April 14..............April 10 RIGHT        Monthly Calendar Information

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
(top to bottom; right to left)  
十
四

日期星

Fourth month, fourteenth day

Astral Period Sun

Sunday, April 14

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Section Two

Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)

德歲
日支

Generational Branch
Virtuous Days

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子

吉凶凶

酉己丑

中中吉

戌午寅

凶吉中

亥未卯

凶吉中

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

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

15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
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.

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Section Four
Activities to Avoid 
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

忌

開結
市綱

Binding Nets
Opening Markets

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 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

初
五

庚

戌
金

星

破

Fifth Day (third lunar month)

Cyclical day: gengxu (47/60)

Phase (element): Metal

Constellation: Asterism (25/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Destroy (7/12)

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Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

 宜

求
醫
治
病
破
屋
壊

月月
忌破
上大
兀耗

Appropriate Activities
Seeking Medical-treatment
Relieving Sickness
Tearing-down Walls
Toppling Embankments    

Miscellaneous Information
Lunar Repression
Great Squander
Lunar Taboo
Upper Amputee 

 ————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(right to left)
丫 天
Bifurcation, Heaven

————————————————— 

Section Eight 
Miscellaneous Activities

(Top to bottom; right to left) 
碓

祈 磨 
Pestle

Perch, Mortar