China's Lunar Calendar 2015 05-30

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦
6/6..............................................................................................................5/30

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
三
十

六期星

Fifth Month, Thirtieth Day

Astral Period Six
Saturday, May 30

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

合天六歲
日德合支
Generational Branch
Six Linkages
Heavenly Virtue
Linked Days

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
吉凶凶
酉己丑

吉吉凶

戌午寅
吉吉中
亥未卯
凶中中

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

07:00-09:00 Inauspicious
9:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 Auspicious
13:00-15:00 In-Between

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
成除作修
福靈灶廚
Repairing Kitchens
Stove Work
Exorcising Spirits
Completing Clothing

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Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

十
三
丙
午
水

胃
除

Thirteenth Day (Fourth Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: bingwu (43/60)

Phase (element): Water

Constellation: Stomach (17/28)

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

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

宜
動移訂祭
土徙婚祀
上開納祈
樑市菜福
安交裁入
牀易衣學
栽修理會
中造髮友
將陽
復重大咸
日喪敗池

————
Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Entering Study
Meeting Friends
Marriage Engagements
Grain Payments
Cutting-out Clothing
Patterning Hair
Moving Residences
Opening Markets
Trade and Commerce
Repairing and Building
Moving Soil
Raising Beams
Positioning Beds
Planting and Cultivating

Yang General

Baleful Astral Influences

 Widespread Pond
Great Defeat
Repeat Mourning
Returning Days

Section Seven

Inauspicious Stars 
白
White

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Section Eight

Miscellaneous

庫 灶 廚

Storehouse, Stove, Kitchen