China's Lunar Calendar 2016 04-21

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦
4/27.................................................................................................................4/20

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
廿
一

四期星

Fourth Month, Twenty-First Day

Astral Period Four
Thursday, April 21

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

除寶六普
神光合護

Universal Protection
Six Linkages
Precious Rays
Discarding Spirits

————

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

戌午寅
凶中凶
亥未卯 

中凶凶

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

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 In-Between
19:00-21:00 Inauspicious
21:00-23:00 In-Between

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
動栽開詞
土種倉松
Lawsuits and Litigation

Opening Granaries

Planting and Cultivating

Moving Soil 

————

Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

十
五
癸
酉
金
斗
執
Fifteenth Day Day (Third Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: guiyou (10/60)

Phase (element): Metal
Constellation: Ladle (8/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Grasp (6/12)

————

Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜
醞理裁祭
釀髮衣祀
捕掃合祈
捉舍帳福
伐建求訂
木屋醫婚
安安治嫁
葬門病娶
池咸
俱土小五
將符耗虛

————

Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Marriage Engagements

Marriage Alliances

Cutting-out Clothing

Making Banners

Seeking Physicians

Treating Illness

Patterning Hair

Sweeping Floors

Establishing Rooms

Positioning Gates

Fermenting Beverages

Seizing and Capturing

Felling Timber

Positioning Graves      

Widespread Pond

Baleful Astral Influences

Five Voids
Small Squander
Soil Charm
Everything General

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars

丫

Bifurcation
———— 

Section Eight

Miscellaneous Activities

門 牀 房

Gate, Bed, Edifice