China's Lunar Calendar 2013 07-29

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT July 29.............................................................................................................July 22 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
(top to bottom; right to left) 
廿
九

一期星

Seventh Month, Twenty-ninth Day

Astral Period One
Monday, July 29

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Section Two

Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)

陽六歲
德合支

Generational Branch
Six Unities
Yang Virtue

—————————————————

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

吉凶吉

酉己丑

吉吉凶

戌午寅

吉中凶

亥未卯

凶吉中

23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 Inauspicious
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 Auspicious
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) 

忌

安作修
牀灶廚

Kitchen Repairs
Stove Work
Positioning Beds

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

廿
二
丙
申
火
畢
除

Twenty-second Day (sixth lunar month)

Cyclical day: bingshen (33/60)

Phase (element): Fire

Constellation: Net (19/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Discard (2/12)

————————————————— 

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

宜

 上交沐
樑易浴
栽移掃
種徙舍
除修治
服造病
安動開
葬土市
兀下
 陰猴五
將口虛

Appropriate Activities  
Bathing and Bubbling
Sweeping Rooms
Treating Illness
Opening Markets
Trade and Commerce
Moving Residences
Repairing and Building
Moving Soil
Erecting Beams
Planting Crops
Discarding Clothing
Positioning Graves 

Lower Amputee

Miscellaneous Information 
Five Voids
Monkey Mouth
Yin General

————  

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars

(right to left)
人 火
Person, Fire

—————————————————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities

(Top to bottom; right to left)
廚
爐 灶
Kitchen
Furnace, Stove