From Round to Square (and back)

For The Emperor's Teacher, scroll down (↓) to "Topics." It's the management book that will rock the world (and break the vase, as you will see). Click or paste the following link for a recent profile of the project: http://magazine.beloit.edu/?story_id=240813&issue_id=240610

A new post appears every day at 12:05* (CDT). There's more, though. Take a look at the right-hand side of the page for over four years of material (2,000 posts and growing) from Seinfeld and country music to every single day of the Chinese lunar calendar...translated. Look here ↓ and explore a little. It will take you all the way down the page...from round to square (and back again).
*Occasionally I will leave a long post up for thirty-six hours, and post a shorter entry at noon the next day.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2022 05-31

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
6/3...............................,,,,,,,,,,,................................5/30..............................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

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 tha"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 calendarSome 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 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)
二期
Fifth Month, Thirty-First Day
Tuesday,, May 31

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)
不歲
將馬
Generational Equinity
Not General

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left

申辰甲
酉巳丑
戌午寅
亥未卯
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 Auspicious
9:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 Inauspicious
13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Auspicious
19:00-21:00 In-Between
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
————

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


安開
牀倉
Opening Granaries
Positioning Beds
————

Section Five 
Cosmological Information
Second Day (Fifth Lunar Month)
Cyclical Day: jiashen (21//60)
Phase (element): Water
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Wings (27/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Level  (4/12)
————

Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 
————
月歲
刑破
Appropriate Activities
Unhitching and Unloading
Sweeping Rooms

 Grains Ripen
(the twenty-fourth of seventy-two five-day solar micro-periods on the agricultural calendar)

Baleful Asterisms
Generational Destruction
Lunar Punishment
————

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left)
白 天
White, Heaven
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items
爐 門
Divination
Furnace, Gate

Monday, May 30, 2022

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2022 05-30

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
6/3...............................,,,,,,,,,,,................................5/30..............................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

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 tha"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 calendarSome 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 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)
三五
十月
一期
Fifth Month, Thirtieth Day
Monday,, May 30

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)
德歲
日支
Generational Branch
Exemplary Days

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left

申辰甲
中吉
酉巳丑
中吉
戌午寅
亥未卯
23:00-1:00 Auspicious
1:00-3:00 Inauspicious
3:00-5:00 Auspicious
5:00-7:00 Auspicious

7:00-9:00 In-Between
9:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 Auspicious
13:00-15:00 Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
————

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


行詞
喪訟
Lawsuits and Litigation
Mourning Visits
————

Section Five 
Cosmological Information
滿
First Day (Fifth Lunar Month)
Cyclical Day: guiwei (20//60)
Phase (element): Wood
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Drawn Bow (26/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Fullness  (3/12)
————

Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 
月水
厭痕
三火
喪星
Appropriate Activities
Setting-up Production
Planting and Cultivating
Binding Nets
Patching Embankments

Baleful Asterisms
Water Scar
Fire Star
Lunar Repression
Three Mournings
————

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left)
White
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items
厠 牀
Edifice
Toilet, Bed

Sunday, May 29, 2022

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2022 05-29

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
5/29...........................................................................................................................................5/22


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 tha"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 calendarSome 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 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)
廿
Fifth Month, Twenty-Ninth Day
Sunday,, May 29

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)
聖三歲歲
心合支德
Generational Exemplarity
Generational Branch
Three Linkages
Sagely Heart-Mind

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left

申辰甲
酉巳丑
中吉
戌午寅
亥未卯
23:00-1:00 Inauspicious
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 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 In-Between
13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 In-Between
19:00-21:00 In-Between
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
————

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


成除放開
服服水渠
Opening Irrigation Sluices
Entering Water
Discarding Clothing
Completing Clothing
————

Section Five 
Cosmological Information
廿
Twenty-Ninth Day (Fourth Lunar Month)
Cyclical Day: renwu (19//60)
Phase (element): Wood
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Asterism (25/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Discard (2/12)
————

Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 
修交理祭
倉易髮祀
安修醫祈
牀造病福
納動掃會
畜土佘友
安上開出
葬樑市行
池咸
俱復大大
將喪敗時
Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Inquiring-into Fortune
Meeting Friends
Going Out (and about)
Patterning Hair
Physician Visits
Sweeping Rooms
Opening Markets
Trade and Commerce
Repairing and Constructing
Moving Soil
Raising Beams
Repairing Granaries
Positioning Beds
Livestock Payments
Positioning Graves

Widespread Pond

Baleful Asterisms
Great Temporality
Great Defeat
Repeat Mourning
Everything General
————

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left)
White
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items
碓 庫 倉
Pestle, Storehouse, Granary

Saturday, May 28, 2022

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2022 05-28

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
5/29...........................................................................................................................................5/22


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 tha"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 calendarSome 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 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)
廿
六期
Fifth Month, Twenty-Eighth Day
Saturday,, May 28

Section Two
Beneficent Stars 
(top to bottom, right to left)
王天
日德
Heavenly Exemplarity
Kingly Days

Section Three
Auspicious Hours
(top to bottom, right to left

申辰甲
酉巳丑
戌午寅
亥未卯
23:00-1:00 In-Between
1:00-3:00 Auspicious
3:00-5:00 Auspicious
5:00-7:00 In-Between

7:00-9:00 In-Between
9:00-11:00 Auspicious
11:00-13:00 Auspicious
13:00-15:00 Auspicious

15:00-17:00 Inauspicious
17:00-19:00 Inauspicious
19:00-21:00 Auspicious
21:00-23:00 Inauspicious
————

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


遠合
行醬
Mixing Sauces
Distant Journeys
————

Section Five 
Cosmological Information
廿
Twenty-Eighth Day (Fourth Lunar Month)
Cyclical Day: xinsi (18//60)
Phase (element): Metal
"Constellation Personality" Cycle: Willow (24/28)
"Day Personality" Cycle: Establish (1/12)
————

Section Six
Appropriate Activities
and Miscellaneous Information
(top-to-bottom; right to left) 
移祭
徙祀
醫會
病友
上嫁
樑娶
納納
畜采
俱土
將府
Appropriate Activities
Venerating Ancestors
Meeting Friends
Marriage Alliances
Grain Payments
Moving Residences
Physician Treatments
Raising Beams
Livestock Payments

Doubled Days

Baleful Asterisms
Soil Palace
Everything General
————

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese should be read right to left)
白 州
White, Landmass
————

Section Eight
Miscellaneous Items
牀 灶
Kitchen
Bed, Stove