China's Lunar Calendar 2014 04-30

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT May 3 .......................................  ........April 29.......................Monthly Information 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
三
十

三期星

Fourth Month, Thirtieth Day

Astral Period Three
Wednesday, April 30

———————————————— 

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

六歲
合支

Generational Branch
Six Linkages

—————————————————

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

酉己丑

凶吉凶
戌午寅
凶吉吉

亥未卯

中中吉

23:00-01:00 Inauspicious
01:00-03:00 Inauspicious
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 In-Between

15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
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
造合
酒醬

Mixing Sauces
Making Liquor

—————————————————  

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

初
二
辛
未
土
壁
平

Second Day (Fourth Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: xinwei (8/60)

Phase (element): Earth

Constellation: Eastern Wall (15/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Even (4/12)

—————————————————  

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

宜
平
治

道

塗

————

 裁

勝

降

于

桑
————
死月
神虛

Appropriate
Leveling Roadways
Painting Roadways

裁勝降于桑
(A thoroughly perplexing phrase with dollops of tailoring and mulberries; I'll get back to you) 

Baleful Astral Influences

Lunar Void
Death Spirit

————
 Section Seven

Inauspicious Stars 
(right to left) 
白 州
White, Landmass
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Information 
(Top to bottom; right to left)
廚
厠 灶

Kitchen
Toilet, Stove

China's Lunar Calendar 2014 04-29

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT May 3 .......................................  ........April 29.......................Monthly Information 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
廿四
九月

一期星

Fourth Month, Twenty-Ninth Day

Astral Period Two
Tuesday, April 29

———————————————— 

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

月時
恩德

Temporal Virtue
Lunar Kindness

—————————————————

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

酉己丑

吉中吉
戌午寅
凶吉吉

亥未卯

中吉中

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

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

15:00-17:00 Auspicious
17:00-19:00 Auspicious
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
苫結
蓋綱

Binding Nets
Thatched Coverings

—————————————————  

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

初
一
庚
午
土
室
滿

First Day (Fourth Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: gengwu (7/60)

Phase (element): Earth

Constellation: Room (14/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Fullness (3/12)

—————————————————  

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

————
 日
還
食
————
香
港
地
區
不
見
宜
灾上
煞兀
俱水
將痕

Sun's Roundness Eaten
(Complete Solar Eclipse)
Not Seen in the Hong Kong Area

Baleful Astral Influences

Upper Amputee
Water Scar
Baleful Disaster
Everything General

————
 Section Seven

Inauspicious Stars 
(right to left) 
白 水
White, Water
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Information 
(Top to bottom; right to left)
占
磨 碓

Divination
Mortar, Pestle

Goofus and Gallant Teach History and Ethnography—Petty Theft and Fruit Handling

Click here for the "Goofus and Gallant History and Ethnography Resource Center"—(all posts available)
Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Goofus and Gallant History and Ethnography"
This is a "small" (小) post—click here for an explanation of Round and Square post lengths.

 ***  ***

On this date in Round and Square History 

28 April 2013—China's Lunar Calendar 2013 04-28
28 April 2013—Ruptured Civility: Introduction
28 April 2012—La Pensée Cyclique: Mulan Granet (b)
28 April 2011—Lectures: Knowledge Blooming

[a] Highlights Magazine, January 1961

You probably didn't see this coming. Here is one of the oddest pedagogical experiments in the twentieth century, and it makes the Republic of China (on Taiwan) primary school readers look almost tame in comparison (well, sometimes). It began as early as 1936, depending on the hoary sources you investigate. By 1948, it was a part of Highlights magazine for children, and I got my copy every week (several decades after 1948, I might add) at Randall School in Madison, Wisconsin, back when the Badgers lost eighty percent of their football games. 

This series will teach us a great deal about culture, society...and history. I lived some of it. I would be lying if I said that I didn't aspire to be Gallant...even as I recognized the stupid lack of irony in all of these unreflective adults-writing-for-children-DIDACTIC posts. Still, throughout my childhood, I aspired to be Gallant.

[b] Pawprint RF

And off they go, for another round of late-Eisenhower, early-Kennedy administration sociality (this includes the "anti-" kind that has been honed to a fine buff by Goofus).

So Mrs. Amundsen down the street (adults call her "Thelma") misplaces her purse. Even if you're Goofus, you probably will return it to her...but not without rifling through it to find all sorts of things the neighborhood might be talking about, even into the Carter administration. 

What was that...? Never mind.

Really, Goofus. Never mind.

And don't even think of touching the paraphernalia of daddy's patriarchy. Oh, my.

But Goofus can't keep his paws off the grocery store fruit, either. Well, fruit isn't a particular problem, and gemüse isn't, either. They can be washed, at least after a fashion. 

[c] Move Along RF

Remember that G&G are teaching us ethnography and history. Times have changed.

The problem is that the way we think of grocery stores today is much more "plastic" than in 1961. Today, the meat is wrapped; so is the cheese.

Candy usually comes in wrappers.

And do you really want snot-nosed Goofus groping your Milk Duds?

I thought not.

[d] Hands Off, Goofball RF

China's Lunar Calendar 2014 04-28

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

LEFT April 28 ........................................................................................................April 20 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
廿
八

一期星

Fourth Month, Twenty-Eighth Day

Astral Period One
Monday, April 28

———————————————— 

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

合歲
日德

Generational Virtue
Linked Days

—————————————————

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

酉己丑

中中凶
戌午寅
凶吉吉

亥未卯

凶吉中

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

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

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

Distant Journeys
Discarding Clothing

—————————————————  

 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

廿
九
己
巳
木
危
除

Twenty-Ninth Day (Third Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: jisi (6/60)

Phase (element): Wood

Constellation: Danger (12/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Discard (2/12)

—————————————————  

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

宜
開會
市友
動裁
土衣
上移
樑徙
作掃
灶舍
五
虛
孤重
辰日

Appropriate Activities

Meeting Friends
Cutting-out Clothing
Moving Households
Sweeping Rooms
Opening Markets
Moving Soil
Putting-up Beams
Stove Work

Five Voids

Baleful Astral Influences

Doubled Days
Orphaned Dawn

————
 Section Seven

Inauspicious Stars 
(right to left) 
白 人
White, Person
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Information 
(Top to bottom; right to left)
占
牀 門

Divination
Bed, Gate