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宜 Good for
忌 Avoid
- Day officer
- Day spirit
- Clashes with
- Lucky directions
- Lunar mansion
- Next solar term
Hour by hour
Gold hours fall under a yellow-path spirit and are traditionally favored for starting things.
黄历 · Huáng Lì · the Tong Shu
The Chinese almanac for today
What the traditional Chinese calendar says about today: what it favors, what to avoid, which zodiac sign it clashes with, and the luckiest hours. Step through the days or pick any date.
Pick your sign to see whether this day clashes with it.
Good days for the big moments of 2027
Use the Chinese auspicious date planner to compare wedding, moving, business-opening and haircut dates in one place.
Auspicious wedding dates in 2027Every date the almanac marks as good for a wedding.Good days to move house in 2027Days favored for moving into a new home.Lucky days to open a business in 2027Days favored for opening a shop or business.Lucky haircut days in 2027Days the almanac lists as good for a haircut.
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How to read the almanac
Every day carries a pair of Chinese characters, a heavenly stem and an earthly branch, like the pillars of a BaZi chart. From that pair and the season, the almanac assigns a day officer, a day spirit on the yellow (lucky) or black (unlucky) path, a lunar mansion and a list of activities that are favored or best avoided.
The twelve day officers
Establish 建A day for beginnings: favorable for offerings, travel, meetings, and launching new plans, while groundbreaking, digging, and burials are traditionally avoided.
Remove 除A day for clearing out the old: favorable for cleansing rites, cleaning, demolition, and fresh starts, while burials and funeral services are traditionally avoided.
Full 满A day of abundance: favorable for opening a business, trade, contracts, and social gatherings, while groundbreaking and moving into a new home are traditionally avoided.
Balance 平An even, ordinary day: suited to leveling roads, repairing walls, and routine offerings, while weddings, burials, and moving into a new home are usually avoided.
Stable 定A settled day for things meant to last: favorable for offerings, construction, moving house, and agreements, while lawsuits and disputes are traditionally avoided.
Initiate 执A day for holding firm: favorable for offerings, burials, building, and trapping pests, while opening a business and moving into a new home are traditionally avoided.
Destruction 破Widely seen as the least favorable day: suited mainly to demolition and simple offerings, while weddings, business deals, and moves are avoided.
Danger 危A day calling for caution: routine offerings and ordinary plans may proceed, but climbing heights, boating, and other risky ventures are traditionally avoided.
Success 成A day of completion and success: favorable for opening a business, signing contracts, construction, and consecrations, while lawsuits are traditionally avoided.
Receive 收A day for gathering in: favorable for collecting money, harvesting, storing goods, and trapping pests, while burials and business openings are traditionally avoided.
Open 开A day for openings and fresh starts: favorable for weddings, travel, prayers, and new ventures, while burials and funeral rites are traditionally avoided.
Close 闭A day for closing and sealing: suited to burials, filling holes, and mending walls, while consecrations, weddings, moving in, and new ventures are avoided.
Questions about the Chinese almanac
What is the Chinese almanac?
The Chinese almanac, called Tong Shu (通书) or Huang Li (黄历), is a day-by-day calendar that families have used for centuries to pick dates. For every day it lists activities that are favored and activities to avoid, based on the day’s stem and branch, the twelve day officers, the yellow and black path spirits and other traditional rules.
How do I use "good for" and "avoid"?
Look for your activity in the "good for" list, and make sure it is not in the "avoid" list. For weddings, moves and openings, many families also check that the day does not clash with the zodiac signs of the people involved. Treat it as tradition: practical needs and your own judgment come first.
What does it mean when a day clashes with my zodiac sign?
Each day has an earthly branch, and it clashes with the opposite branch, six signs away. On a day that clashes with your sign, tradition suggests keeping big launches, signings and moves for another day. It is a mild caution, not a warning of bad luck.
Why does the almanac use lunar months?
The almanac shows both calendars. Festivals follow the lunar calendar, while the day officers and the good and avoid lists follow the day’s stem and branch and the solar terms. That is why the same Gregorian date gives a different reading every year.
Do different almanacs disagree?
Sometimes. Printed almanacs follow different schools, so lists can differ slightly. This page follows a widely used modern edition. For a major event, many people also ask a practitioner to check the date against the birth charts involved.