China's Lunar Calendar 2014 07-20

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦
7/26..........................................................................................................................7/19

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
二
十

日期星

Seventh Month, Twentieth Day

Astral Period Sun
Sunday, July 20

———————————————— 
Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

天時
馬德

Timely Virtue
Heavenly Horse

—————————————————

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

吉吉凶

戌午寅
凶中吉
亥未卯

吉中吉

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 In-Between
13:00-15:00 In-Between

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

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
放開
水渠
Opening Sluice
Putting-into Water

—————————————————  
 Section Five 
Cosmological Information 

廿
四
壬
辰
水
虛
收

Twenty-fourthDay (Sixth Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: renchen (29/60)

Phase (element):  Water

Constellation: Woman (11/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Receive (10/12)

—————————————————  

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

————
土
王
用
事
————
宜

栽納
種財
納捕
畜捉
五
虛
陽天
將罡

Earth God Usage Matters
(a manner of dividing the solar year into five sections of seventy-two days/degrees each)

Appropriate Activities
Capital Outflow
Seizing and Apprehending
Planting and Cultivating
Livestock Payments

Five Voids

Baleful Astral Influences

Heavenly Dipper
Yang General

————

  Section Seven

Inauspicious Stars 
(right to left) 
白 天
White, Heaven
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Information
倉
栖 庫

Granary

Perch, Storehouse