| Hour | Stem-Branch | Fortune | Clash | Wealth God | Joy God | Fortune God | Auspicious/Taboos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zi 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 11 pm โ 1 am | Geng-Zi | Lucky | Horse ๐ ยท North | East | Northwest | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Chou 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 1 โ 3 am | Xin-Chou | Avoid | Goat (Sheep) ยท East | East | Southwest | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Yin 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 3 โ 5 am | Ren-Yin | Lucky | Monkey ๐ ยท South | South | South | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Mao 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 5 โ 7 am | Gui-Mao | Lucky | Rooster ๐ ยท West | South | Southeast | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Chen 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 7 โ 9 am | Jia-Chen | Avoid | Dog ๐ ยท North | Northeast | Northeast | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Si 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 9 โ 11 am | Yi-Si | Lucky | Pig ๐ ยท East | Northeast | Northwest | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Wu 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 11 am โ 1 pm | Bing-Wu | Lucky | Rat ๐ ยท South | West | Southwest | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Wei 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 1 โ 3 pm | Ding-Wei | Lucky | Ox ๐ ยท East | West | South | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Shen 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 3 โ 5 pm | Wu-Shen | Avoid | Tiger ๐ ยท West | North | Southeast | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
You 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 5 โ 7 pm | Ji-You | Lucky | Rabbit ๐ ยท South | North | Northeast | Center | |
Xu 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 7 โ 9 pm | Geng-Xu | Avoid | Dragon ๐ ยท North | East | Northwest | No Lucky Star at This Hour | |
Hai 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 9 โ 11 pm | Xin-Hai | Avoid | Snake ๐ ยท West | East | Southwest | No Lucky Star at This Hour |
How to Read the Chinese Almanac
The Chinese Almanac (also called Huang Li, Tong Shu, or Chinese Fortune Calendar) is a traditional daily guide that has been used in China for thousands of years. Unlike a regular calendar, it tells you which activities are considered lucky or unlucky on any given day โ from getting married and moving house to starting a business or traveling.
How does it work? Each day is assigned a combination of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (the Gan-Zhi system), creating a 60-day cycle. Based on this cycle, traditional rules determine which activities are favorable ("Good For") and which should be avoided ("Avoid"). The system also identifies lucky hours, auspicious directions, and which zodiac signs may face conflicts.
What should I look at? Start with the "Good For" and "Avoid" sections to see if your planned activity is listed. Then check the lucky hours for the best time of day, and the clash information to see if your zodiac sign is affected. The Wealth God direction shows the luckiest compass direction for the day.
Chinese Almanac FAQ
Is today a good day? How can I tell?
Check three things: First, look at the Jian-Chu value โ days marked as Chu (้ค), Wei (ๅฑ), Ding (ๅฎ), Zhi (ๆง), Cheng (ๆ), or Kai (ๅผ) are considered auspicious "Yellow Road" days. Second, make sure your planned activity appears in "Good For" and not in "Avoid." Third, check the clash info โ if your zodiac sign is clashed, it's better to pick another day.
What does "clash" mean in the Chinese Almanac?
Each day "clashes" with a specific zodiac animal. For example, if today clashes with Monkey (ๅฒ็ด), people born in the Year of the Monkey should avoid major activities like signing contracts or moving house. The "Sha direction" shows which compass direction to avoid.
What's the difference between the Lunar Calendar and the Chinese Almanac?
The Lunar Calendar is simply a date system based on moon phases. The Chinese Almanac goes much further โ it adds auspicious/inauspicious activities, lucky hours, deity influences, and feng shui directions on top of the lunar date. Think of it as the lunar calendar plus a daily fortune guide.
What are lucky hours and how do I use them?
The day is divided into twelve 2-hour periods called "Shi Chen." Some are marked as auspicious (ๅ) and others as inauspicious (ๅถ). For important activities, try to start during a lucky hour. Check the "Hourly Fortune" section above to see which time slots are favorable today.
Is today good for a wedding? For moving? For starting a business?
Check the "Good For" section above. Look for "Marriage" (ๅซๅจถ) for weddings, "Move In" (ๅ ฅๅฎ ) for moving house, or "Open Market" (ๅผๅธ) for starting a business. You can also use our Auspicious Day Finder to search for the best upcoming dates for specific activities.
What's today's date on the Lunar Calendar?
The lunar date is shown at the top of the almanac display above. To convert any date between the Western (Gregorian) calendar and the Chinese Lunar calendar, use our Calendar Converter tool.