What is a wan nian li (Chinese almanac)?

Wan nian li literally means ten-thousand-year calendar: a perpetual almanac that shows, for any given day, the lunar date, the solar term, the day's stem-and-branch pillar, and the traditional notes on what the day suits and what it does not. This page gives all of that for today, and for any date you pick.

How do I read the suitable and avoid lists?

Read them as an opening checklist, not a verdict. The lists come from the day's pillar and its relationship to the current solar term, and they are most useful for choosing between two workable dates — not for cancelling something you have already committed to. When a day is unremarkable, the honest reading is that it is unremarkable.

What are the twelve double-hours used for?

The day divides into twelve two-hour branches, each with its own quality. Practical use is narrow and real: when you have latitude over timing within a day — a call, a signing, a first conversation — the hour table tells you which windows the tradition reads as smoother and which it reads as friction.

What is a solar term and why does it matter?

The twenty-four solar terms divide the year by the sun's position rather than by the moon, which is why they anchor farming, seasonal health notes, and the month pillar in a birth chart. Terms shift by a day or two each year, so the almanac calculates them rather than reading them off a fixed table.

Is the Chinese almanac the same as the lunar calendar?

Not quite. The lunar calendar tracks months by the moon; the almanac layers the solar terms, the sexagenary day pillars, and the traditional day notes on top of it. That is why the almanac can tell you both the lunar date and the day's character, while a plain lunar calendar only tells you the date.

Wan Nian Li calendar

Check today before texting TA, moving money, confessing, negotiating, or signing.

A daily Chinese calendar for lunar date, ganzhi pillars, solar terms, wealth direction, yi/ji prompts, and two-hour rhythm. Use it to spot action windows before sending the message, spending money, confessing, negotiating, moving, signing, or deciding to wait.

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Lunar date

Lunar 5/18

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Day pillar

Wu Zi

Wu Zi · Earth

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Year pillar

Ji Hai

Ji Hai · Zodiac: Pig

Month pillar

Geng Wu

Geng Wu · Mang Zhong

Active solar term

Mang Zhong

2019-06-05

Next solar term

Xia Zhi

2019-06-21

Tong Shu day record

A more traditional almanac view adds Na Yin, xun-kong, lunar phase, six-day rhythm, clash-sha, directions, and spirit cues. Read it as a compact field note before choosing action.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Wu Zi

Lunar 5/18 · Break

Na Yin

Thunderbolt Fire

sudden clarity; act only after grounding the charge

Xun-kong

Jia-Shen decade

Void branches: Wu / Wei · This ten-day xun begins with Jia-Shen decade; Wu / Wei act as void-branch cues. Treat them as a prompt to check whether a promise has landed in reality.

Six-day rhythm

Butsumetsu

release, simplify, and avoid ceremonial overstatement

Moon phase

Waning moon

Light is decreasing: sort results, reduce leakage, and return to essentials.

Clash-sha

Clash Wu · Sha South

Clash-sha is a warning bell: when Wu themes appear, slow the move, soften the tone, and avoid forcing a result.

Daily directions

Wealth direction

North

Use the wealth direction as a cue for resources, budgeting, receiving, and value review.

Joy direction

Southeast

Use the joy direction for warmer tone, invitations, and softer relationship repair.

Noble cue

Chou / Wei

Noble branches point to complementary perspectives; they do not guarantee a specific person will appear.

Fetal-spirit cue

bed and rest area · Southeast

Fetal-spirit direction is a classical timing reference: keep renovation, noise, and heavy movement gentle around the indicated side.

This page translates Tong Shu categories into practical planning language. For professional date selection such as weddings, renovation, or burial, consult a qualified practitioner.

Auspicious spirits

Release Spirit

use the breaking energy to release the right thing

Traveling Horse

movement helps if the destination is clear

Stride

Today's mansion draws from White Tiger; its working image is "movement, pattern, and cultivated form".

Caution spirits

Monthly Break

not ideal for fragile beginnings

Great Drain

watch spending, force, and emotional leakage

Clash Wu

When Wu appears in people, timing, or context, slow down before concluding.

Two-hour rhythm

Traditional shichen divides the day into twelve two-hour windows. Use it to plan energy, not to outsource judgment.

23:00-00:59

Ren Zi

Zi · Water

Golden Cabinet · Auspicious

quiet review

01:00-02:59

Gui Chou

Chou · Earth

Heavenly Virtue · Auspicious

preparation

03:00-04:59

Jia Yin

Yin · Wood

White Tiger · Caution

initiation

05:00-06:59

Yi Mao

Mao · Wood

Jade Hall · Auspicious

conversation

07:00-08:59

Bing Chen

Chen · Earth

Heavenly Jail · Caution

organization

09:00-10:59

Ding Si

Si · Fire

Black Tortoise · Caution

visibility

11:00-12:59

Wu Wu

Wu · Fire

Life Steward · Auspicious

presentation

13:00-14:59

Ji Wei

Wei · Earth

Hooked Earth · Ordinary

care

15:00-16:59

Geng Shen

Shen · Metal

Azure Dragon · Auspicious

analysis

17:00-18:59

Xin You

You · Metal

Bright Hall · Auspicious

completion

19:00-20:59

Ren Xu

Xu · Earth

Heavenly Penalty · Caution

boundary

21:00-22:59

Gui Hai

Hai · Water

Vermilion Bird · Caution

restoration

Festival notes

No major festival note today

24 solar terms

Solar terms anchor the calendar to seasonal change. Exact professional almanacs may use deeper ephemeris rules; this page keeps a practical astronomical approximation.

Xiao Han

2019-01-05

Da Han

2019-01-20

Li Chun

2019-02-04

Yu Shui

2019-02-18

Jing Zhe

2019-03-05

Chun Fen

2019-03-20

Qing Ming

2019-04-05

Gu Yu

2019-04-20

Li Xia

2019-05-05

Xiao Man

2019-05-21

Mang Zhong

2019-06-05

Xia Zhi

2019-06-21

Xiao Shu

2019-07-07

Da Shu

2019-07-23

Li Qiu

2019-08-07

Chu Shu

2019-08-23

Bai Lu

2019-09-07

Qiu Fen

2019-09-23

Han Lu

2019-10-08

Shuang Jiang

2019-10-23

Li Dong

2019-11-07

Xiao Xue

2019-11-22

Da Xue

2019-12-07

Dong Zhi

2019-12-22

Reference anchors

The system follows common public calendar patterns: lunar date, ganzhi, solar terms, 12 day officers, 28 lunar mansions, hour periods, and practical yi/ji language.

Hong Kong Observatory Calendar HKO Stems and Branches Tong Shu Almanac 12 Day Officers Time and Date Chinese Calendar

Stillness Dao is a digital tool for education, entertainment, and self-reflection based on traditional Chinese metaphysics. Readings describe timing patterns and practical signals for guidance only — they are not deterministic, promise no guaranteed outcomes, and are not a substitute for professional financial, medical, or legal advice.

Almanac layers

A thicker day reading combines day officer, lunar mansion, and branch relations before you choose an action.

12 Day Officer

Break

breaking a bad pattern, dismantling a draft, honest review

not ideal for delicate beginnings; repair after breaking

28 Lunar Mansion

Stride

#15

White Tiger

movement, pattern, and cultivated form

The 28 mansion is used here as an almanac-style reference layer, adding imagery to the day pillar without turning it into absolute fortune.

Branch relations

Clash with Wu

The day branch opposes Wu. If that branch appears in a person, time, or situation, slow the reaction and check assumptions.

Harmonizes with Chou

Chou gives a six-harmony cue. Good for finding complementary support, negotiation, and repair.

Hidden friction with Wei

Wei can describe subtle friction. Name small misunderstandings before they become larger.

Day meaning

Wu Zi Day Meaning

Wu Zi places "mountain earth: reliability, containment, and slow protection" inside "midnight seed water: private thought, hidden beginning, and strategic rest". The point is not fortune first; it is how Earth finds a workable posture inside real conditions.

Heavenly stem image

mountain earth: reliability, containment, and slow protection

Earthly branch scene

midnight seed water: private thought, hidden beginning, and strategic rest

Questions

What small step today will leave a signal, not only a mood?

Am I growing, sorting, holding, expressing, or avoiding?

If I write one Journal entry tonight, what do I want to be able to review?

Practical use

Replace an abstract wish with one checkable action.

Compare the yi/ji prompts with your actual schedule; do not obey them blindly.

When the clash branch appears in people or timing, delay the first reaction.

Seasonal field

Mang Zhong · 2019-06-05

Climate

busy planting, humid heat, and decisions that cannot all wait

Body

watch damp-heat, digestion, irritability, and sleep debt

Space

protect clear paths, reduce clutter, and keep fans or air flow working

Practice

choose what must be planted now and what must be left unplanted

Classical cautions

Peng Zu lines are preserved as cultural memory and translated into modern caution, not fear.

Stem caution

Do not accept new territory without knowing the responsibility it carries.

Branch caution

Do not ask the same question repeatedly. Let quiet signals answer.

These classical lines are preserved as cultural texture, not literal threat; the page translates them into verifiable modern cautions.

Good for

Stabilize routines, budget, meals, sleep, home order, and unfinished paperwork.

Choose one practical support that makes the week easier to hold.

Use "quiet review" as today's rhythm keyword.

Work with the Mang Zhong seasonal tone through one adjustment to verify.