China's Lunar Calendar 2019 11-30

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
12/08.........................................................................................................11/30

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
三
十
六期星

Eleventh Month, Thirtieth Day 
Saturday, November 30

————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

三歲天臨
合支喜日
Entering Days
Heavenly Happiness
Generational Branch
Three Linkages

————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
吉中中
酉巳丑
凶凶凶
戌午寅
中吉吉

亥未卯
中中吉

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

07:00-09:00 In-Between
9:00-11:00 Inauspicious
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 In-Between
21:00-23:00 In-Between

 ————

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

忌
取詞造合
魚訟酒醬

Mixing Sauces
Making Liquor
Lawsuits and Litigation
Garnering Piscinity

 
Section Five 
Cosmological Information

初
五
辛

未
土
女
成

Fifth Day (Eleventh Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: xinwei (8/60)

Phase (element): Earth
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Maiden (10/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Completion (9/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information  

(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜

修交嫁祭
倉易娶祀
作修納祈
灶造采福
納動裁入
畜土衣學
安上開會
葬樑市友
兀下
厭羊月反
對口忌支

————

Appropriate Activities

Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Entering Study

Meeting Friends

Marriage Alliances

Grain Payments

Cutting-out Clothing (Tailoring)

Opening Markets

Trade and Commerce

Repairing and Cultivating

Moving Soil

Raising Beams

Repairing Granaries

Stove Work

Livestock Payments

Positioning Graves  

Lower Amputee

Baleful Astral Influences

Opposed Branch
Lunar Taboo
Goat Orifice
Mutual Repression

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

Bifurcation

 ————

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)

厠 灶 廚

Toilet, Stove, Kitchen

China's Lunar Calendar 2019 11-29

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
11/29..........................................11/26..............Monthly Calendar Information

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
廿
九
五期星

Eleventh Month, Twenty-Ninth Day 
Friday, November 29

————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

不合天歲
將日德祿
Generational Emolument
Heavenly Exemplarity
Linked Days
Not General

————

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left) 
申辰子
吉中凶
酉巳丑
吉凶吉
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
9:00-11:00 Inauspicious
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

 ————

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

忌
田搭苫結
獵厠蓋網

Binding Nets
Thatched Coverings
Building Toilets
Field Venery (Hunting)

 
Section Five 
Cosmological Information

初
四
庚

午
土
牛
危

Fourth Day (Eleventh Lunar Month)

Cyclical day: gengwu (7/60)

Phase (element): Earth
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Oxen (9/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Danger (8/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information  

(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜

上開嫁祭
樑市娶祀
安交納祈
牀易采福
作修裁會
灶造衣友
安動移訂
葬土徙婚
虛五
致天四 大
  死吏耗方亡空

————

Appropriate Activities

Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Meeting Friends
Marriage Engagements
Marriage Alliances
Grain Payments
Cutting-out Clothing (Sewing and Tailoring) 
Opening Markets
Trade and Commerce
Repairing and Constructing
Moving Soil
Raising Beams
Positioning Beds
Stove Work
Positioning Graves 

Five Voids

Baleful Astral Influences

Great Loss-Void
Four Squander-Directions
Heavenly Official
Toward Death

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

Bifurcation

 ————

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)

磨 碓 占

Mortar, Pestle, Divination