How to Read the Chinese Almanac (黃曆 / Tung Shing)

To read the Chinese almanac, you interpret several interlocking layers for each day together: the ganzhi pillar, the 12 Day Officers, the Golden and Black Road day gods, the 28 Lunar Mansions, the 宜/忌 activity lists, Peng Zu's taboos, and the auspicious hours. The Chinese almanac (黃曆, huánglì, or in Cantonese "Tung Shing") has been compiled annually for centuries. Scholarship on this long calendrical tradition is archived at JSTOR. Its core purpose is to annotate every day of the year with a set of traditional evaluations: which activities are auspicious, which should be avoided, and what kind of energy the day carries according to multiple overlapping systems.

Most people encounter the almanac as a list of "good days" and "bad days" for major life events. But the underlying systems are considerably richer. This guide explains each layer, what governs it, and how to read the information together.

What Is the Day's Ganzhi Pillar?

Every day in the Chinese solar calendar has a corresponding ganzhi (干支) pillar: a heavenly stem and earthly branch from the 60-unit sexagenary cycle. This is the day pillar, and it is calculated from a fixed anchor (January 31st, 1900 is Jia Zi, index 0). The day's element, its hidden stems, and its relationship to the current month and year all contribute to the almanac reading. The five elements that give each day its elemental character are described by the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

The day pillar is also the basis for calculating the day's clashing zodiac animal. A Zi (Rat) day clashes with the Wu (Horse) branch, so those born in Horse years or with Horse as a prominent branch in their chart may find certain things slightly more challenging on Rat days. This is a tendency reading, not a prohibition.

What Are the 12 Day Officers (建除十二神)?

The most fundamental almanac layer is the Twelve Day Officers (建除十二神, jiàn chú shí èr shén). Each of the twelve Chinese solar months cycles through the same twelve officers in sequence, starting from the officer that matches the month's branch at the month's opening solar term. The twenty-four solar terms are recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. The twelve officers are:

Officer	Chinese	Overall Tone	Best Uses
Establish (建)	建	Generally auspicious	New beginnings, official matters, construction
Remove (除)	除	Clearing, mixed	Clearing, healing, removing obstacles
Full (滿)	滿	Auspicious for receiving	Completion, receiving wealth, filling stores
Balance (平)	平	Neutral, stable	Routine activities, neither bold nor cautious
Stable (定)	定	Good for settling	Signing contracts, settling disputes
Initiate (執)	執	Mixed	Construction, sealing agreements
Destruction (破)	破	Generally inauspicious	Demolition, removing what must go
Danger (危)	危	Caution advised	Minimal new activity recommended
Success (成)	成	Strongly auspicious	Weddings, openings, signings, launches
Receive (收)	收	Good for accumulating	Collecting debts, stocking goods, harvesting
Open (開)	開	Strongly auspicious	New ventures, travel, ceremonies
Close (閉)	閉	Good for closing	Completing cycles, quiet activity, filing, ending matters

黃道 and 黑道: Golden Road and Black Road Days

A second layer assigns each day to either the "Golden Road" (黃道, huángdào) or "Black Road" (黑道, hēidào) based on the relationship between the day's branch and a twelve-unit cycle of day gods starting from the Yin (Tiger) branch. Golden Road days are traditionally considered more favourable for major activities; Black Road days warrant more caution.

The six Golden Road day gods are: Azure Dragon (青龍), Gold Hall (金堂), Precious Light (寶光), Jade Hall (玉堂), Si Ming (司命), and Heavenly Virtue (天德). The six Black Road gods are: Vermilion Bird (朱雀), White Tiger (白虎), Heavenly Punishment (天刑), Heavenly Prison (天牢), Xuanwu (玄武), and Gou Chen (勾陳).

It is worth noting that even within these categories, individual day gods carry specific associations. White Tiger days, classified as Black Road, are considered deeply inauspicious for weddings but acceptable for medical procedures. Si Ming days, Golden Road, are specifically good for prayers and worship. The broad road classification is a starting point; the specific god gives more detail.

What Are the 28 Lunar Mansions (二十八宿)?

The 28 Lunar Mansions (二十八宿, èrshíbā xiù) divide the sky into 28 segments and were used in ancient Chinese astronomy to track the moon's position. In the almanac tradition, each day is assigned to one mansion based on a cycle anchored to the day pillar. Each mansion has a quality (auspicious, inauspicious, or neutral) and specific associations with different types of activities.

The mansions are grouped into four palaces corresponding to the four cardinal directions, each governed by one of the four divine animals: Azure Dragon (East, 7 mansions), Vermilion Bird (South, 7), White Tiger (West, 7), and Black Tortoise (North, 7). Within each group, individual mansions have specific associations with wealth, travel, construction, marriage, and other activities.

宜/忌: Recommended and Cautioned Activities

The most practically accessible part of the almanac is the 宜/忌 (yí/jì) list: a compilation of activities that are recommended (宜, auspicious to do) and activities to approach cautiously or avoid (忌) on a given day. These lists draw on the combined reading of all the systems above: the Day Officer, the day god, the Mansion quality, and any specific combinations that apply.

Common 宜 activities include: marriage, moving house, signing contracts, starting construction, travel, business opening, ancestor worship, and beginning medical treatment. Common 忌 activities include: major surgery (on certain days), confrontational or litigious actions, or large financial movements on days with destructive or dangerous officers.

These lists represent the accumulated consensus of the almanac tradition, not absolute prohibitions. Many practitioners treat them as nudges for scheduling rather than hard rules. Someone who must sign a contract on a challenging day can still proceed; the almanac reading is one factor among many, not a veto.

Peng Zu's 100 Taboos (彭祖百忌)

One of the oldest almanac layers is the Peng Zu Hundred Taboos (彭祖百忌), a set of specific prohibitions linked to the day's heavenly stem and earthly branch. The stem-based taboos warn against specific activities on days carrying that stem; the branch-based taboos similarly warn on branch days. For example, a traditional stem taboo might caution against long-distance travel on a particular stem day, while a branch taboo might note caution around a specific domestic activity.

These taboos are folk tradition and read best as cultural notes. They are not universally observed, and their origins in specific agricultural and social contexts mean some have limited practical relevance today.

Which Hours Are Auspicious (吉時)?

Just as days have a day officer and day god cycle, hours carry the same 黃道/黑道 pattern applied to the 12 two-hour time blocks. Each hour is assigned a branch (Zi for 23:00-01:00, Chou for 01:00-03:00, and so on), and the hour's god is determined by the same twelve-god cycle anchored from Yin (Tiger) hour.

Auspicious hours are those falling on Golden Road gods. Additionally, the three hours whose branches form a San He (三合, three-harmony) combination with the day's branch are considered particularly resonant with the day's energy. For a Zi (Rat) day, the three-harmony hours are Zi, Chen (Dragon), and Shen (Monkey).

Putting It Together

A day with a Success (成) officer, an Azure Dragon (Golden Road) day god, a fortunate Mansion, and no active clashes with a personal chart is about as strong as the almanac can show. A day with a Destruction (破) officer, a White Tiger (Black Road) day god, and an inauspicious Mansion would warrant deferring major decisions where possible.

In practice, perfect days are rare and waiting for one for every significant action is impractical. The almanac reading is more useful as a tiebreaker when you have flexibility in scheduling, or as a reflection tool to understand the general character of a period.

For a number-based lens on the same questions, the free numerology calculator at Birth Chart Numbers offers a complementary perspective to reflect on.

BeyondBazi is for cultural interest and self-reflection only. Almanac readings reflect traditional Chinese folk calendar conventions and are not predictions, medical advice, or directives for action.