Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Calendars and Almanacs"
⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
1/5.......................................................................................................................................................12/28 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.
As for interpreting the translation, 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 (almost any "it" you will see). 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. And do not assume that people from China understand the traditional calendar particularly well, either. I have encountered confusion and furrowed brows for countless items in the calendar. It can seem "remote," in other words, from the world we live in these days, and yet it is printed anew every single year.
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 o
f 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. Solar Calendar Date
(top to bottom, right to left)
四期星
Twelfth Month, Twenty-Ninth Day
Thursday, December 29
————
Section Two
Beneficent Stars
(top to bottom, right to left)
十月臨三
靈空日合
Three Linkages
Welcoming Days
Lunar Vacancy
Ten Spirits
————
Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left)
申辰甲
凶凶吉
酉巳丑
吉吉中
戌午寅
凶凶中
亥未卯
吉中中
23:00-1:00 Auspicious
1:00-3:00 In-Between
3:00-5:00 In-Between
5:00-7:00 Auspicious
7:00-9:00 Inauspicious
9:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 Inauspicious
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
————
Section Four
Activities to Avoid
(top-to-bottom; right to left)
忌
進新作修
水船灶厨
Repairing Kitchens
Stove Work
New Boats
Entering Water
————
Section Five
Cosmological Information
初
七
丙
辰
土
奎
定
Seventh Day (Twelfth Lunar Month)
Cyclical Day: bingchen (53/60)
Phase (element): Earth
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Astride (15//28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Decide (5/12)
————
Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top to bottom; right to left)
宜
安立嫁祭
牀約娶祀
納交納祈
畜易采福
成修裁會
服造衣友
安動移出
葬土徙行
痕水
天死小下
牢氣亡空兀
Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Marriage Alliances
Grain Payments
Cutting-out Clothing
Moving Residences
Making Appointments
Trade and Commerce
Repairing and Constructing
Moving Soil
Positioning Beds
Livestock Payments
Completing Clothing
Positioning Graves
Water Scar
Baleful Asterisms
Lower Amputee
Small Loss-Vacancy
Death Vapor
Heavenly Punishment
————
Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English, however, "fits" directly below each character)
白
White
————
Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items
(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English,
however, "fits" intuitively in the configuration of characters)
栖 灶 厨
Perch, Stove, Kitchen