FortudayWhat Is Tong Shu (the Chinese Almanac)?
A plain-English guide to the Chinese almanac, with today’s entry as the example.
Time zone: America/New York
- Today’s entry: the 9th month, day 19, a Wood Pig day, with the day officer Remove.
- It lists as good: travel, clearing out, cutting trees, demolition and moving into a new home.
- It lists to avoid: weddings, digging a well, planting, building a stove and breaking ground.
- It clashes with the Snake; bad luck lies west.
Below you can read what a Tong Shu (Chinese almanac) entry lists and see the plain-English meaning of the activities that appear most often in it. Use the entry guide to decode terms like Yi, Ji, clash and day officer before you pick a date for a wedding, a move or a haircut.
How to read an entry
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Good for (Yi) | Activities the day suits, such as weddings, moving or opening a business. |
| Avoid (Ji) | Activities the day does not suit. |
| Clash (Chong) | The zodiac animal opposite the day’s animal. Its people are advised to skip big events. |
| Sha direction | The direction the almanac says to face away from. |
| Day officer | One of twelve day types that repeat in a cycle: Establish, Remove, Full, Balance, Settle, Hold, Break, Danger, Success, Receive, Open and Close. |
| Day pillar | The day’s name in the 60-day stem and branch cycle, such as Jia-Zi. |
Daily Tong Shu entries: the last 3 days and the next 7
| Date | Lunar date | Day pillar | Good for | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 | 9th month, day 16 | Water Monkey | Travel, weddings, seeing a doctor and medical treatment | Installing doors, setting up a bed and making clothes |
| Mon, Oct 26 | 9th month, day 17 | Water Rooster | Weddings, making clothes, coming-of-age rites and travel | Opening a business, planting and buying property |
| Tue, Oct 27 | 9th month, day 18 | Wood Dog | Travel, building and repairs, raising the roof beam and roofing | Opening storehouses, breaking ground and cutting trees |
| Wed, Oct 28 | 9th month, day 19 | Wood Pig | Travel, clearing out, cutting trees and demolition | Weddings, digging a well and planting |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 9th month, day 20 | Fire Rat | Engagement gifts, engagements, opening a business and deals | Moving into a new home and raising the roof beam |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 9th month, day 21 | Fire Ox | Nothing major | Weddings and opening a business |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 9th month, day 22 | Earth Tiger | Pest control | Opening a business, deals and moving into a new home |
| Sun, Nov 1 | 9th month, day 23 | Earth Rabbit | Weddings, engagement gifts, engagements and moving house | Opening a business and digging a well |
| Mon, Nov 2 | 9th month, day 24 | Metal Dragon | Bathing and clearing out | Opening a business and weddings |
| Tue, Nov 3 | 9th month, day 25 | Metal Snake | Engagements, engagement gifts, visiting family and friends and deals | Weddings, opening a business and moving into a new home |
| Wed, Nov 4 | 9th month, day 26 | Water Horse | Weddings, engagements, engagement gifts and visiting family and friends | Raising the roof beam and roofing |
Frequently seen activities in the Yi and Ji lists
| Almanac term | In plain English |
|---|---|
| Weddings | weddings |
| Engagement gifts | engagement gifts |
| Engagements | engagements |
| Moving house | moving house |
| Moving into a new home | moving into a new home |
| Setting up a bed | setting up a bed |
| Opening a business | opening a business |
| Signing contracts | signing contracts |
| Deals | deals |
| Breaking ground | breaking ground |
| Building and repairs | repairs |
| Travel | travel |
| Haircuts | haircuts |
| 祭祀 | making offerings |
| 安葬 | burials |
| 移柩 | funeral processions |
| Cleaning the house | cleaning the house |
Questions
What is Tong Shu?
Tong Shu, also spelled Tung Shing, is the Chinese almanac. It gives the lunar date and, for every day, what to do, what to avoid and which zodiac clashes.
How is Tong Shu different from a lunar calendar?
A lunar calendar only shows lunar dates and festivals. The almanac adds the good and bad activities, the clash and the day officer for each day.
Why do almanacs disagree?
Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland publishers follow different editions and some add or drop rules. This site uses one fixed set of rules.
How do I read a Tong Shu entry?
An entry has 6 parts: Good for (Yi), Avoid (Ji), Clash (Chong), Sha direction, day officer and day pillar. Yi lists activities the day suits, such as weddings, moving house or opening a business, and Ji lists activities it does not suit. Clash names the zodiac animal opposite the day's animal, and its people are advised to skip big events.
What is a day officer in the Tong Shu?
A day officer is one of twelve day types that repeat in a cycle. The twelve are Establish, Remove, Full, Balance, Settle, Hold, Break, Danger, Success, Receive, Open and Close. The almanac gives each day one of these names alongside its Yi and Ji lists.
What is the day pillar in a Tong Shu entry?
The day pillar is the day's name in the 60-day stem and branch cycle, such as Jia-Zi. It sits next to the lunar date and the other terms in each daily entry.
What is the Sha direction in the Chinese almanac?
The Sha direction is the direction the almanac says to face away from. It is listed for each day alongside the clash animal. Readers often check it with the Yi and Ji lists when planning a move or a big event.
What activities show up most in the Yi and Ji lists?
The most common ones include weddings, engagements, engagement gifts, moving house, moving into a new home, setting up a bed, opening a business, signing contracts and deals. Breaking ground, repairs, travel, haircuts and cleaning the house also appear often. The same activity can sit in the Yi list on one day and the Ji list on another.