China's Lunar Calendar 2013 06-04

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT June 7.....................................................................................................May 31 RIGHT

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
(top to bottom; right to left)  
四
日

二期星

Sixth Month, Fourth Day

Astral Period Two

Tuesday, June 4

———————————————— 
Section Two

Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)

天天臨玉
醫喜日堂

Jade Courtyard
Adjacent Days
Heavenly Happiness
Heavenly Physician

—————————————————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子

吉中中

酉己丑

凶吉吉

戌午寅

中吉吉

亥未卯

凶凶吉

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

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

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

進新造合
水船酒醬

Mixing Sauces
Making Liquor
New Boats
Going-into Water

————————————————— 

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

廿
六
辛
丑

土
觜

成

Twenty-sixth Day (fourth lunar month)

Cyclical day: xinchou (38/60)

Phase (element): Earth

Constellation: Mouth (20/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Completion (9/12)

————————————————— 

Section Six
Appropriate Activities 
(and Miscellaneous Information)
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜
修醫出祭
倉病行祀
安修嫁祈
牀造娶福
成動納入
服土 采學
安上裁會
葬樑衣友
不債

歸厭火水
忌對星痕

Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Entering Study
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Marriage Alliances
Grain Payments
Cutting-out Clothing
Doctor Visits
Repairs and Building
Moving Soil
Erecting Beams
Repairing Granaries
Positioning Beds
Completing Clothing
Positioning Graves

Debt Not

Miscellaneous Information  
Water Scar
Heavenly Official
White Tiger
Yin General

 —————————————————  
Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars

(right to left)
丫 山
Bifurcation, Mountain

————————————————— 

Section Eight 
Miscellaneous Activities

(Top to bottom; right to left) 

厠 磨 廚

Toilet, Mortar, Kitchen