Daily Almanac
How to Read the Chinese Almanac (Tung Shing)
What is the Chinese almanac?
The Chinese almanac — Huangli (黃曆), also known as the Tung Shing or farmer’s almanac — is a traditional calendar built on the stem-and-branch (ganzhi) system. For every day it lists the day’s heavenly stem and earthly branch, the five-element phase, the solar term, the presiding day officer and duty god, and the twenty-eight lunar mansions, then derives from them what the day is auspicious or inauspicious for. It has been the standard Chinese tool for date selection for centuries.
The almanac on this page is computed live with astronomical calendar algorithms. It shows the day’s do’s and don’ts, the zodiac sign in clash, lucky and unlucky double-hours, the fetal god position, the twenty-eight mansions, the directions of the wealth and joy gods, and daily fortunes for all twelve zodiac signs. You can page backward and forward to scout dates.
Where do the daily do’s and don’ts come from?
They are not random: each day’s stem-branch pair activates a system of “day officers” and auspicious or baleful stars. The Twelve Day Officers (Establish, Remove, Full, Balance, Stable, Initiate, Destruction, Danger, Success, Receive, Open, Close) set the day’s overall tone — a “Success” day favors completions and agreements, while a “Destruction” day suits little besides demolition. Layered on top are the yellow-path and black-path duty gods and a roster of favorable and unfavorable stars; the visible 宜/忌 lists are the synthesis of all of these.
A practical rule: for major events (weddings, moving house, opening a business) check the don’ts first and avoid clash days for the people involved; for everyday matters, treat the almanac as a cultural reference rather than a constraint.
What is a zodiac clash (沖)?
Each day’s earthly branch stands in direct opposition to one of the twelve branches — Rat–Horse, Ox–Goat, Tiger–Monkey, Rabbit–Rooster, Dragon–Dog, Snake–Pig — so every day one zodiac sign is “in clash.” Tradition advises that sign against scheduling its own major events that day. If the date cannot move, folk practice is simply to avoid the clashing double-hour and the day’s baleful direction. A clash describes the relation between the day and a sign, not a doomed day.
Today’s five elements energy
A signature feature of this page is the five elements energy chart. It is computed from the day’s year, month, and day pillars: each heavenly stem counts toward its element, each earthly branch is broken down into its hidden stems, and the day pillar carries the most weight. The result is the relative strength of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water today, drawn as a radar chart — the bulging direction is the element in season, the dented one is today’s weak element.
Two ways to use it. To ride the day’s current, echo the dominant element in your colors — green for Wood, red and purple for Fire, yellow and brown for Earth, white and metallics for Metal, black and blue for Water (the idea behind “five elements outfit of the day”). For a personal reading, first find your favorable element with the free BaZi calculator on this site, then schedule important matters on days when that element is strong.
How to pick an auspicious date and hour
Work in three steps: find days whose “auspicious” list includes your event; drop the days that clash with the zodiac signs of the people involved; then use the hour-by-hour table on this page to place the signing, opening, or departure in a lucky double-hour. For a more personalized selection keyed to your own BaZi chart, pair the almanac with the free BaZi calculator on this site.
Chinese Almanac · FAQ
- Is the Tung Shing the same as the Chinese farmer’s almanac?
- Essentially yes. Tung Shing, Huangli, and the farmer’s almanac all derive daily guidance from the stem-and-branch calendar; they differ mainly in how exhaustively they list the auspicious and baleful stars. This page covers the columns used most in everyday date selection.
- Are the daily do’s and don’ts the same for everyone?
- The base reading is — it is computed from the day itself. Whether the day suits you adds two personal layers: whether your zodiac sign is in clash that day (shown on this page), and how the day interacts with your own BaZi chart, which you can check with the site’s free BaZi calculator.
- What are today’s lucky colors by the five elements?
- Check the radar chart for today’s dominant element and dress in its colors to ride the day: green for Wood, red or purple for Fire, yellow or brown for Earth, white or metallics for Metal, black or blue for Water. Alternatively, wear the colors of your own favorable element — discoverable with the free BaZi calculator — to shore up what your chart lacks.
- Is there scientific evidence behind the almanac?
- The almanac is a cultural tradition a millennium deep, encoding the date-selection heuristics of classical China — not a body of scientific law. Enjoy it as a reference and a ritual of intention; ground major decisions in practical judgment.