China's Lunar Calendar 2013 02-09

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs" 
Today's date is marked by the 
asterisk to the right:            *

[a] February 1-9, 2013

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

九

日

星期六

Ninth Day

Weekday Six

(Saturday, February 9) 

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Section Two
Beneficent Stars

鳳凰

月德
時德
月恩
Phoenix

Lunar Virtue

Timely Virtue

Lunar Benevolence

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Section Three
Auspicious Hours
申辰子

凶凶凶

酉己丑

吉吉中

戌午寅

吉吉中

亥未卯

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

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

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

 忌

搭苦作修

厠蓋灶廚
Kitchen Repairs
Stove Work
Thatched Roofs
Building Outhouses 

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 Section Five
 Cosmological Information
廿

九
丙

午

水

胃

定
Twenty-ninth day (twelfth lunar month)

Cyclical day: bingwu (43/60)

Phase (element): Water

Constellation: Stomach (17/28)

Jianchu Cycle: Decide (5/12)

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Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)

宜

樑開行祭

醞市嫁祀

釀交娶祈

開易納福

倉修采入

安造裁學

牀動衣會

安土移友

葬上徒出

陽死白上

將氣虎兀

Appropriate Activities

Paying Reverence, Inquiring into Fortune, Studying, Meeting Friends, Going Out
Marriage, Grain Taxes, Making Clothing, Moving Residence,
Going to Market, Engaging in Commerce, Repairs and Building, Moving Earth 
Erecting Beams, Fermenting Beverages, Opening Granaries, Positioning Beds and Graves

————————————————— 

 Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
白火
White, Fire

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Section Eight
Miscellaneous Activities

 碓灶廚

Pestle, Stove, Kitchen