China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2024 04-30

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
5/7............................................................................................................................................................4/30

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 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

十

二期星

Fourth Month, Thirtieth Day

Tuesday, April 30

————

 Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

不進天歲

將神喜德

Generational Exemplarity

Heavenly Happiness

Entering Spirits

Not General

————

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

吉吉吉

酉巳乙

中中吉

戌午寅

凶凶吉

亥未卯

中吉中

23:00-1:00 Auspicious

 01:00-03:00 Auspicious

 03:00-05:00 Auspicious

 05:00-07:00 In-Between

07:00-09:00 Auspicious

  09:00-11:00 In-Between

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 Inauspicious

21:00-23:00 In-Between

————

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

忌

動問出開

土卜財倉

Opening Granaries

Cash Outflow

Divinatory Inquiries

Moving Soil

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

廿

二

甲

子

金

翌

成

Twenty-Second Day (Third Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: jiazi (1/60)

Phase (element): Metal

"Constellation Personality: Wings (27/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Completion (9/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top to bottom; left to right)

宜

作交出祭

灶易行祀

醞竪裁祈

釀柱衣福

納上醫入

畜樑病學

安安開會

葬牀市友

桑於降勝戴

歸地班下

忌囊煞兀

Appropriate Activities

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Venerating Ancestors

Inquiring-into Fortune

Entering Study

Meeting Friends

Going Out (and about)

Cutting-out Clothing

Physician Visits

Opening Markets

Trade and Commerce

Erecting Pillars

Raising Beams

Positioning Beds

Stove Work

Fermenting Beverages

Livestock Payments

Positioning Graves

Hoopoe Alights in Mulberry

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

Baleful Asterisms

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Lower Amputee

Classified Balefulness

Earth Duffel (Dirt Bag)

Return Taboo

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English, however, "fits" directly below each character)

人 地

Person, Earth

————

Section Eight

Miscellaneous Items

(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English,

however, "fits" intuitively in the configuration of characters)

碓 門 占

Pestle, Gate, Divination

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2024 04-29

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
4/29............................................................................................................................................................4/21

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 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

九

一期星

Fourth Month, Twenty-Ninth Day

Monday, April 29

————

 Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

玉母

堂倉

Maternal Granary

Jade Hall

————

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

中吉中

酉巳乙

中凶中

戌午寅

凶吉吉

亥未卯

吉凶吉

23:00-1:00 In-Between

 01:00-03:00 In-Between

 03:00-05:00 Auspicious

 05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 Auspicious

  09:00-11:00 Inauspicious

11:00-13:00 Auspicious

13:00-15:00 Inauspicious

15:00-17:00 In-Between

17:00-19:00 In-Between

19:00-21:00 Inauspicious

21:00-23:00 Auspicious

————

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

忌

嫁詞

娶訟

Lawsuits and Litigation

Marriage Alliances

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

廿

一

癸

亥

水

張

危

Twenty-First Day (Third Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: guihai (60/60)

Phase (element): Water

"Constellation Personality: Drawn Bow (26/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Danger (8/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top to bottom; left to right)

宜

沐

浴

掃

舍

游上

禍朔

天重

賊日

Appropriate Activities

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Bubbling and Bathing

Sweeping Rooms

Baleful Asterisms

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Upper Decade

Doubled Days

Natatorial Disaster

Heavenly Thief

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English, however, "fits" directly below each character)

人 林

Person, Copse

————

Section Eight

Miscellaneous Items

(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English,

however, "fits" intuitively in the configuration of characters)

占

牀 房

Divination

Bed, Edifice

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2024 04-28

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
4/29............................................................................................................................................................4/21

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 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

八

日期星

Fourth Month, Twenty-Eighth Day

Sunday, April 28

————

 Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

月天

德德

Heavenly Exemplarity

Lunar Exemplarity

————

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

凶凶中

酉巳乙

中吉中

戌午寅

凶中吉

亥未卯

吉吉吉

23:00-1:00 In-Between

 01:00-03:00 In-Between

 03:00-05:00 Auspicious

 05:00-07:00 Auspicious

07:00-09:00 Inauspicious

  09:00-11:00 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 Inauspicious

21:00-23:00 Auspicious

————

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

忌

放開

水娶

Opening Irrigation Sluices

Putting-into Water

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

二

十

壬

戌

水

星

破

Twentieth Day (Third Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: renxu (59/60)

Phase (element): Water

"Constellation Personality: Asterism (25/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Destroy (7/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top to bottom; left to right)

宜

破

屋

壞

垣

大歲

耗破

俱上

將兀

Appropriate Activities

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Destroying Rooms

Smashing Embankments

Baleful Asterisms

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Rooster Orifice

Generational Destruction

Upper Amputee

Great Squander

Everything General

Section Seven
Inauspicious Stars
(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English, however, "fits" directly below each character)

人 天

Person, Heaven

————

Section Eight

Miscellaneous Items

(the Chinese is read from right to left; the English,

however, "fits" intuitively in the configuration of characters)

倉

栖 庫

Granary

Perch, Storehouse

China's Lunar-Solar Calendar 2024 04-27

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

⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦ From right to left: ⇦⇦⇦⇦
4/29............................................................................................................................................................4/21

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 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

七

六期星

Fourth Month, Twenty-Seventh Day

Saturday, April 27

————

 Section Two
Beneficent Stars 

(top to bottom, right to left)

普德歲

護日支

Generational Branch

Exemplary Days

Universal Protection

————

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

中吉中

酉巳乙

凶吉中

戌午寅

凶吉吉

亥未卯

中中凶

23:00-1:00 In-Between

 01:00-03:00 In-Between

 03:00-05:00 Auspicious

 05:00-07:00 Inauspicious

07:00-09:00 Auspicious

  09:00-11:00 Auspicious

11:00-13:00 Auspicious

13:00-15:00 In-Between

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

動造合

土酒醬

Mixing Sauces

 Making Liquor

Moving Soil

Section Five 
Cosmological Information

十

九

辛

酉

木

柳

執

Nineteenth Day (Third Lunar Month)

Cyclical Day: xinyou (58/60)

Phase (element): Wood

"Constellation Personality: Willow (24/28)

"Day Personality" Cycle: Grasp (6/12)

————

Section Six

Appropriate Activities

and Miscellaneous Information

(top to bottom; left to right)

宜

除捕祭

服捉祀

化田沐

靈獵浴

移求理

柩醫髮

安治掃

葬病舍

符土

咸小雞

池耗口

Appropriate Activities

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Venerating Ancestors

Bubbling and Bathing

Patterning Hair (Haircuts and Styling)

Sweeping Rooms

Seizing and Capturing

Field Venery (Goin' Huntin')

Seeking Physicians

Treating Illness

Discarding Clothing

Transforming Spirits

Moving Biers

Positioning Graves

Soil Charm

Baleful Asterisms

(top down, starting on the right; two characters each)

Rooster Orifice

Small Squander

Widespread Pond

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)

厨

門 灶

Kitchen

Gate, Stove