China's Lunar Calendar 2020 12-19

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
12/19...........................................................................12/15....................................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

(top to bottom, right to left)

十

九

六期星

Twelfth Month, Nineteenth Day
Saturday, December 19
————

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

天三歲歲

喜合支祿

Generational Emolument

Generational Branch

Three Linkages

Heavenly Happiness

————

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

吉凶吉

酉巳丑

吉吉吉

戌午寅

吉凶凶

亥未卯

吉吉中

23:00-1:00 Auspicious

1:00-3:00 Auspicious

3:00-5:00 Inauspicious

5:00-7:00 In-Between

7:00-9:00 Inauspicious

9:00-11:00 Auspicious

11:00-13:00 Inauspicious

13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Auspicious

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
動安作修

土牀灶廚

Repairing Kitchens

Stove Work

Positioning Beds

Moving Soil

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

初

五

丙

申

火

氐

成

Fifth Day (Eleventh Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: bingshen (33/60)

Phase (element): Fire
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Foundation (3/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Completion (9/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top-to-bottom; right to left) 

宜

上理納入

樑髮采學

納醫嫁會

畜病娶友

成開裁出

服市衣行

安交移訂

葬易徙婚

離五

俱土月猴

將符忌口

Appropriate Activities

Entering Study

Meeting Friends

Going Out (and about)

Marriage Engagements

Grain Payments

Marriage Alliances

Cutting-out Clothing (Sewing and Tailoring)

Moving Residences

Patterning Hair

Physician Visits

Opening Markets

Trade and Commerce

Raising Beams

Livestock Payments

Completing Clothing

Positioning Graves

Five Separations

Baleful Astral Influences

Monkey Mouth

Lunar Taboo

Soil Charm

Everything General

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

Bifurcation, 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)

盧 灶 廚

Furnace, Stove, Kitchen