Auspicious dates guide
Auspicious dates: calendars, almanac terms, and events
Date-selection traditions combine calendar conventions with event-specific preferences. First confirm the local date and time conversion, then learn the almanac terms and compare candidate dates; the result is a traditional decision aid, not a guarantee or a replacement for practical requirements.
Move from calendar to event
- 1Date Selection (Ze Ri)
Start with the goal and scope of date selection.
- 2Chinese Almanac (Huang Li)
Learn what an almanac contributes to the process.
- 3Lunar Calendar (农历)
Check the calendar basis before comparing labels.
- 4Auspicious Day (Ji Ri)
Understand the term as one traditional classification.
- 5Wedding Date Selection (结婚择日)
Finish with a concrete event and its real-world constraints.
Connect timing with place and method
Birth-time interpretation and date selection both depend on calendar conventions.
I Ching divination: question, casting, and readingChoosing a time and interpreting a question are separate tasks, even when both refer to timing.
Feng Shui: reading place, orientation, and timeSpace planning and event timing can meet in moves or renovations, but each needs its own checks.
Auspicious dates: calendars, almanac terms, and events
Check the calendar basis first
Calendar and time terms help you understand which date a method is actually using.
- Date Selection (Ze Ri)
Learn what date selection is in Chinese tradition—how auspicious dates are determined, what factors are considered, and how to apply this thoughtfully.
- Chinese Almanac (Huang Li)
Learn what the Chinese Almanac (Huang Li) is—the traditional calendar that records daily do's and don'ts, auspicious activities, and fortune indicators.
- Lunar Calendar (农历)
The Chinese agricultural calendar is lunisolar: months follow the Moon while solar terms anchor seasonal alignment.
- Solar Terms (Jie Qi)
Learn about the 24 Solar Terms in Chinese calendar — the astronomical markers that divide the year and influence date selection calculations.
- Chinese Hours (Shi Chen)
Learn about Chinese Hours — the traditional 12-part division of the day, each two hours long and associated with an earthly branch.
- Stems and Branches (Gan Zhi)
Learn about the Gan Zhi system — the foundation of Chinese calendrical calculations combining 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches.
- Heavenly Stems in Date Selection
Learn how the Ten Heavenly Stems apply to Chinese date selection — understanding stem qualities and their influence on day selection.
- Earthly Branches in Date Selection
Learn how the Twelve Earthly Branches apply to Chinese date selection — understanding branch qualities, clashes, and combinations.
- Chinese New Year (春节 / 农历新年)
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the first day of the first month of the traditional Chinese calendar.
Learn the almanac language
Auspicious, avoid, and day-officer labels belong to traditional systems; compare their definitions instead of treating a single label as a universal rule.
- Auspicious Day (Ji Ri)
Learn about auspicious days in Chinese date selection — how favorable dates are determined and what makes a day suitable for important activities.
- Inauspicious Day (Xiong Ri)
Learn about inauspicious days in Chinese date selection — what makes a day unfavorable and when to postpone important activities.
- Dos and Donts (Yi Ji)
Learn about Yi Ji in the Chinese almanac — how the dos (suitable activities) and donts (activities to avoid) are determined for each day.
- Twelve Day Officers (Shi Er Jian Chu)
Learn about the Twelve Day Officers — a 12-day cycle in the Chinese almanac that determines the fundamental quality of each day.
- Break Day (Po Ri)
Learn about Break Day in the Chinese almanac — one of the twelve day officers, generally considered unfavorable for most activities.
- Monthly Break (Yue Po)
Learn about Monthly Break in Chinese date selection — a highly inauspicious condition when the day branch clashes with the month branch.
- Auspicious Deities (Ji Shen)
Learn about auspicious deities in Chinese date selection — the beneficial celestial influences that make certain days more favorable.
- Malevolent Sha (Xiong Sha)
Learn about malevolent sha in Chinese date selection — the negative celestial influences that make certain days less favorable or dangerous.
- Deities and Sha (Shen Sha)
Learn about Shen Sha in Chinese date selection — the system of auspicious deities and malevolent sha that influence each day's suitability.
- Three Killings (San Sha)
Learn about the Three Killings in Chinese date selection — three directional sha that change yearly and should be avoided for important activities.
- Six Clashes (Liu Chong)
Learn about the Six Clashes in Chinese date selection — the six pairs of earthly branches that directly oppose each other.
- Tai Sui (太岁)
Tai Sui is a traditional annual deity or directional marker associated with the year's Earthly Branch.
- Year Breaker (岁破)
Year Breaker, Sui Po, is the branch or direction opposite the year's Tai Sui position in the traditional twelve-branch scheme.
- Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (Er Shi Ba Xiu)
Learn about the 28 Lunar Mansions in Chinese date selection — ancient star divisions used to determine day quality and suitable activities.
Apply the method to a defined event
Different decisions have different practical constraints. These guides name the event before discussing a traditional date choice.
- Wedding Date Selection (结婚择日)
Wedding date selection compares an event with traditional almanac categories such as marriage, day officers and stem-branch clashes.
- Moving Date Selection (搬家择日)
Moving date selection applies almanac categories such as relocation or entering a dwelling to a planned move.
- Business Opening Date (开业择日)
Business opening date selection is an almanac consultation for opening or commencing trade.
- Travel Date Selection (出行择日)
Travel date selection compares a departure with traditional almanac entries for journeys.
- Signing Contract Date (签约择日)
Contract-signing date selection applies traditional almanac entries for agreements or transactions to a proposed signing.
More date-selection entries
Follow these related terms when a specific detail in the chart, method, space, or calendar is relevant to your question.
- Five Elements in Date Selection
Learn how the Five Elements apply to Chinese date selection — understanding the elemental quality of days and matching them to your needs.
- Establish Day (建日)
Establish, Jian, is the first label in the Twelve Day Officers cycle.
- Remove Day (除日)
Remove, Chu, is the second of the Twelve Day Officers, following Establish.
- Full Day (满日)
Full, Man, is the third of the Twelve Day Officers, after Establish and Remove.
- Balance Day (平日)
Balance, Ping, is the fourth Day Officer, following Full.
- Danger Day (危日)
Danger, Wei, is the eighth label in the Twelve Day Officers: Establish, Remove, Full, Balance, Settle, Hold, Break, Danger, Success, Receive, Open, Close.
- Success Day (成日)
Success, Cheng, is the ninth of the Twelve Day Officers, after Danger.