China's Lunar Calendar 2016 03-12

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦
3/13......................................................3/9...........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
十
二

六期星

Third Month, Twelfth Day

Astral Period Six
Saturday, March 12

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

六歲歲
合支祿

Generational Emolument
Generational Branch
Six Linkages
—————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
吉吉吉
酉己丑
凶吉中

戌午寅
吉中凶

亥未卯
凶凶吉

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

07:00-09:00 Auspicious
9:00-11:00 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 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
動遠詞
土行訟
Lawsuits and Litigation
Distant Journeys
Moving Soil

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Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

初
四
癸
巳
水
柳
滿
Fourth Day (Second Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: guisi (30/60)

Phase (element): Water
Constellation: Willow (24/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Fullness (3/12)

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

結立祭
網約祀
安交祈
門易福
安納會
牀財友
作經開
灶絡市
星長
土五重
符虛日

————
Appropriate Activities
 Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Meeting Friends
Opening Markets
Making Appointments
Trade and Commerce
Tax Payments
Energy Channels
Binding Nets
Positioning Gates
Positioning Beds
Stove Work   

Long Star

Baleful Astral Influences

Doubled Days
Five Vacancies
Earth Charm
 

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars

丫 火

Bifurcation, Mountain
———— 

Section Eight

Miscellaneous Activities

占
牀 房 

Divination
Bed, Edifice