China's Lunar Calendar 2020 03-01

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
3/7.........................................................................................................2/28

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-solar (or "luni-solar" calendar; I call it the "lunar" calendar in order to distinguish it from the kinds of calendars most Westerners use. It has a basic translation and minimal interpretation. Unless you have been studying 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. You will likely find that several of the translations seem quite "fanciful" in English. I am simply trying to convey that they also sound fairly fanciful in Chinese.

Section One

Solar Calendar Date
一三
日月
日期星

Third Month, First Day 
Sunday, March 1

————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

玉吉官鳳
宇期日凰
Phoenix
Official Days
Auspicious Time-Slice
Jade Universe

————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
凶中吉
酉巳丑
凶中中
戌午寅
吉凶吉

亥未卯
中凶吉

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

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

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 In-Between

 ————

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

忌
補開穿詞
塞池井訟

Lawsuits and Litigation
Boring Wells
Opening Ponds
Patching and Plugging

 
Section Five 
Cosmological Information

初
八
癸
卯

金
昂
除

Eighth Day (Second Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: guimao (40/60)

Phase (element): Metal
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Pleiades (18/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Discard (2/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information  

(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜

入開嫁入
倉市娶學
開立理會
光約髮友
除交醫出
服易病行
安安掃訂
葬門舎婚

口兔

陰朱咸密
將雀池日

————

Appropriate Activities
Entering Study
Meeting Friends 
Going Out (and about)
Marriage Engagements 
Marriage Alliances
Patterning Hair (Haircuts and Styling)
Physician Treatments
Sweeping Rooms
Opening Markets
Making Appointments
Trade and Commerce
Positioning Gates
Entering Granaries
Invocation Ceremonies
Discarding Clothing
Positioning Graves

Hare Orifice

Baleful Astral Influences

Mysterious Days
Widespread Pond
Vermilion Bird
Yin General

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left, 
but the English translation is underneath each character)
白 林

White, Copse

 ————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items 
(the Chinese should be read top-to-bottom, and right-to-left;
the English translation for is under the bottom characters)

門 牀 房

Gate, Bed, Edifice