How to read today’s almanac
The Chinese almanac — the Tong Shu (通勝), popularly the Huang Li (黃曆) — has guided daily decisions for centuries: when to open a shop, sign a contract, marry, travel, or simply stay home and tidy. Each day is named by its ganzhi pillar (a pairing of one heavenly stem and one earthly branch from the sixty-day cycle) and governed by one of the Twelve Day Officers, whose character sets the day’s favorable and unfavorable activities.
The lucky directions point to where the Joy God (喜神) and Wealth God (財神) reside for the day — tradition suggests facing or setting out toward them for celebrations and money matters respectively. The clash animal marks whose zodiac year sits opposite the day’s branch; if it is yours, save the big moves for tomorrow. Check your own animal first with the zodiac calculator, then come back each morning — or begin the day with a single private cast of the I Ching coins.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Chinese almanac (Tong Shu / 黃曆)?
- The Tong Shu is a traditional Chinese day-planning almanac used for over a thousand years. For each day it lists activities considered auspicious or inauspicious, the day's sexagenary (ganzhi) pillar, lucky directions for the Joy God and Wealth God, the zodiac sign the day clashes with, and the auspicious two-hour periods. People still consult it before weddings, business openings, travel, and moving house.
- How are the auspicious activities for each day decided?
- Classical almanacs assign each day one of the Twelve Day Officers (建除十二神) — Establish, Clear, Full, Balance, Settle, Grasp, Break, Danger, Complete, Harvest, Open, and Close — based on the relationship between the day's earthly branch and the solar month. Each officer favors certain activities and warns against others; our almanac follows this traditional system in a simplified form.
- What does it mean when a day 'clashes' with my zodiac sign?
- Each day carries one of the twelve earthly branches, and the branch directly opposite it on the wheel is in clash (冲). If today's branch clashes with your birth-year animal, tradition advises scheduling important events — signing contracts, weddings, long journeys — on another day. It is a scheduling nudge, not a doom sentence.
- What are auspicious hours?
- The Chinese day divides into twelve two-hour periods, each ruled by an earthly branch. Hours whose branch forms a harmony (六合) or trine (三合) with the day's branch are considered smooth windows for important actions, while the hour that clashes with the day is best avoided for launches and signings.
- Is the daily hexagram the same for everyone?
- The 'Hexagram of the day' is shared — one figure watches over the whole realm each day, derived from the date itself. 'Your daily draw' is a private cast of the three coins, different for every visitor, and you can draw exactly once per day. Return daily to keep your streak alive.