Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"
⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
5/6..........................................................................................................4/28
5/6..........................................................................................................4/28
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.
Fourth Month, Thirtieth Day
Thursday, April 30
Thursday, April 30
————
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
(top to bottom, right to left)
五官
合日
Official Days
Five Linkages
合日
Official Days
Five Linkages
Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰子
中中吉
酉巳丑
凶中中
戌午寅
凶凶吉
亥未卯
中凶吉
23:00-01:00 Auspicious
23:00-01:00 Auspicious
01:00-03:00 In-Between
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious
07:00-09:00 In-Between
9:00-11:00 In-Between
11:00-13:00 Inauspicious
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious
15:00-17:00 In-Between
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 Inauspicious
21:00-23:00 In-Between
03:00-05:00 Auspicious
05:00-07:00 Auspicious
07:00-09:00 In-Between
9:00-11:00 In-Between
11:00-13:00 Inauspicious
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious
15:00-17:00 In-Between
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 Inauspicious
21:00-23:00 In-Between
————
Section Four
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
忌
穿詞
井訟
穿詞
井訟
Lawsuits and Litigation
Boring Wells
Boring Wells
Section Five
Cosmological Information
Cosmological Information
初
八
癸
卯
八
癸
卯
金
井
閉
井
閉
Eighth Day (Fourth Lunar Month)
Cyclical day: guimao (40/60)
Phase (element): Metal
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Well (22/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Closed (12/12)
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Well (22/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Closed (12/12)
————
Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
宜
宜
作裁
灶衣
成補
服塞
安安
葬牀
戴
勝
降
于
桑
月血
害支
灶衣
成補
服塞
安安
葬牀
戴
勝
降
于
桑
月血
害支
————
Appropriate Activities
Cutting-out Clothing (Sewing and Tailoring)
Patching and Plugging
Positioning Beds
Stove Work
Completing Clothing
Positioning Graves
Patching and Plugging
Positioning Beds
Stove Work
Completing Clothing
Positioning Graves
Hoopoe Alights on Mulberry
(the eighteenth of seventy-two five-day solar micro-periods on the agricultural calendar)
Baleful Astral Influences
(the eighteenth of seventy-two five-day solar micro-periods on the agricultural calendar)
Baleful Astral Influences
Blood Branch
Lunar Harm
Lunar Harm
Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left,
but the English translation is underneath each character)
白 山
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left,
but the English translation is underneath each character)
白 山
White, Mountain
————
————
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)
Miscellaneous Items
(the Chinese should be read top-to-bottom, and right-to-left;
the English translation for is under the bottom characters)
房
門 牀
門 牀
Edifice
Gate, Bed
Gate, Bed