China's Lunar Calendar 2020 11-30

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
12/06................................................................................................................................11/29

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

一期星

Eleventh Month, Thirtieth Day
Monday, November 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) 
申辰甲

中中吉

酉巳丑

吉凶中

戌午寅

中凶中

亥未卯

吉凶凶

23:00-1:00 Auspicious

1:00-3:00 In-Between

3:00-5:00 In-Between

5:00-7:00  Inauspicious

7:00-9:00 In-Between

9:00-11:00 Inauspicious

11:00-13:00 Inauspicious

13:00-15:00  Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 In-Between

17:00-19:00 Auspicious

19:00-21:00 In-Between

21:00-23:00 Auspicious

 ————

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

忌
行理

喪髮

Patterning Hair (Haircuts and Styling)

Mourning Visits

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

十

六

丁

丑

水

危

滿

Sixteenth Day (Tenth Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: dingchou (14/60)

Phase (element): Water
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Danger (12/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Fullness (3/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

宜

會

友

補

垣

塞

穴

結

網

歸月

忌厭

大三

煞喪

————

Appropriate Activities

Meeting Friends

Patching Embankments

Plugging Caves

Binding Nets

Baleful Astral Influences

Lunar Repression

Three Mournings

Return Taboo

Great Balefulness

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

Bifurcation, Mountain
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items 
(the Chinese should be read top-to-bottom, and right-to-left;
the English translation is under the bottom of each character)

倉

廁 庫

Granary

Toilet, Storehouse

China's Lunar Calendar 2020 11-29

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
12/06................................................................................................................................11/29

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

日期星

Eleventh Month, Twenty-Ninth Day
Sunday, November 29
————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

天吉官

馬期日

Official Days

Auspicious Time-Slice

Heavenly Equinity

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

中凶吉

酉巳丑

吉凶吉

戌午寅

吉凶中

亥未卯

吉中中

23:00-1:00 Auspicious

1:00-3:00 Auspicious

3:00-5:00 In-Between

5:00-7:00 In-Between

7:00-9:00 Inauspicious

9:00-11:00 Inauspicious

11:00-13:00 Inauspicious

13:00-15:00 In-Between

15:00-17:00 In-Between

17:00-19:00 Auspicious

19:00-21:00 Auspicious

21:00-23:00 Auspicious

 ————

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

忌
除作修

服灶廚

Repairing Kitchens

Stove Work

Discarding Clothing

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

十

五

丙

子

水

虛

除

Fifteenth Day (Tenth Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: bingzi (13/60)

Phase (element): Water
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Void (11/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Discard (2/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

元下

————

宜

上移出

樑徙行

安理訂

牀髮婚

安開裁

葬市衣

池咸

復伏暗

喪斷金

————

Later Primacy (Xia Yuan Festival)

(a traditional festival celebrated on the full moon of the tenth lunar month)

Appropriate Activities

Going Out (and about)

Marriage Engagements

Cutting-out Clothing (Sewing and Tailoring)

Moving Residences

Patterning Hair (Haircuts and Styling)

Opening Markets

Raising Beams

Positioning Beds

Positioning Graves

Widespread Pond

Baleful Astral Influences

Dark Metal

Prostrate Severance

Repeat Mourning

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

Bifurcation, Fire
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items 
(the Chinese should be read top-to-bottom, and right-to-left;
the English translation is under the bottom of each character)

廚

碓 灶

Kitchen

Pestle, Stove

China's Lunar Calendar 2020 11-28

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
11/28..................................................................................................................11/20

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

八

六期星

Eleventh Month, Twenty-Eighth Day
Saturday, November 28
————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

合歲

日德

Generational Exemplarity

Linked Days

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

吉中吉

酉巳丑

中凶吉

戌午寅

中凶吉

亥未卯

中吉吉

23:00-1:00 Auspicious

1:00-3:00 Auspicious

3:00-5:00 Auspicious

5:00-7:00 Auspicious

7:00-9:00 In-Between

9:00-11:00 Inauspicious

11:00-13:00 Inauspicious

13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Auspicious

17:00-19:00 In-Between

19:00-21:00 In-Between

21:00-23:00 In-Between

 ————

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

忌
嫁栽

娶種

Planting and Cultivating

Marriage Alliances

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

十

四

乙

亥

火

女

建

Fourteenth Day (Tenth Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: yihai (12/60)

Phase (element): Fire
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Maiden (10/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Establish (1/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

宜

祭

祀

出

行

沐

浴

建

屋

重短

日星

土月

府忌

————

Appropriate Activities

Venerating Ancestors

Going Out (and about)

Bubbling and Bathing

Establishing Rooms

Baleful Astral Influences

Short Star

Lunar Taboo

Doubled Days

Earth Palace

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

White, Spirit
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items 
(the Chinese should be read top-to-bottom, and right-to-left;
the English translation is under the bottom of each character)

碓

牀 磨

Pestle

Bed, Mortar

China's Lunar Calendar 2020 11-27

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
11/28..................................................................................................................11/20

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

七

五期星

Eleventh Month, Twenty-Seventh Day
Friday, November 27
————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

四月

相德

Lunar Exemplarity

Four Facings

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

酉巳丑
中凶吉

戌午寅
中凶吉

亥未卯

中吉吉

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 Inauspicious
9:00-11:00 Inauspicious

11:00-13:00 Inauspicious
 13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 In-Between
17:00-19:00 In-Between

19:00-21:00  In-Between

21:00-23:00 In-Between

 ————

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

忌
出開

財倉

Opening Granaries

Capital Outflow

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

十

三

甲

戌

火

牛

閉

Thirteenth Day (Tenth Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: jiaxu (11/60)

Phase (element): Fire
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Oxen (9/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Closed (12/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

宜

祭

祀

安

牀

補

塞

————

天

氣

上

藤

地

氣

下

降

————

火上

星兀

————

Appropriate Activities

Venerating Ancestors

Positioning Beds

Patching and Plugging

Heaven's Vapors Rise; Earth's Vapors Recede and Fall

(the fifty-ninth of seventy-two five-day solar micro-periods on the agricultural calendar)

Baleful Astral Influences

Upper Amputee

Fire Asterism

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

White, Earth
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items 
(the Chinese should be read top-to-bottom, and right-to-left;
the English translation is under the bottom of each character)

門

栖 碓 

Gate

Perch, Pestle