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.

Previous day Next day

Lunar date

Lunar 4/25

Tuesday, May 20, 2036

Day pillar

Ding Hai

Ding Hai · Fire

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Year pillar

Bing Chen

Bing Chen · Zodiac: Dragon

Month pillar

Gui Si

Gui Si · Xiao Man

Active solar term

Xiao Man

2036-05-20

Next solar term

Mang Zhong

2036-06-05

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.

Tuesday, May 20, 2036

Ding Hai

Lunar 4/25 · Break

Na Yin

Roof Earth

shelter, covering, and duties held above others

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 Si · Sha West

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

Daily directions

Wealth direction

Southwest

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

Joy direction

South

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

Noble cue

Hai / You

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

Fetal-spirit cue

movement path · East

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

Tail

Today's mansion draws from Azure Dragon; its working image is "completion through persistence".

Caution spirits

Monthly Break

not ideal for fragile beginnings

Great Drain

watch spending, force, and emotional leakage

Clash Si

When Si 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

Geng Zi

Zi · Water

Vermilion Bird · Caution

quiet review

01:00-02:59

Xin Chou

Chou · Earth

Golden Cabinet · Auspicious

preparation

03:00-04:59

Ren Yin

Yin · Wood

Heavenly Virtue · Auspicious

initiation

05:00-06:59

Gui Mao

Mao · Wood

White Tiger · Caution

conversation

07:00-08:59

Jia Chen

Chen · Earth

Jade Hall · Auspicious

organization

09:00-10:59

Yi Si

Si · Fire

Heavenly Jail · Caution

visibility

11:00-12:59

Bing Wu

Wu · Fire

Black Tortoise · Caution

presentation

13:00-14:59

Ding Wei

Wei · Earth

Life Steward · Auspicious

care

15:00-16:59

Wu Shen

Shen · Metal

Hooked Earth · Ordinary

analysis

17:00-18:59

Ji You

You · Metal

Azure Dragon · Auspicious

completion

19:00-20:59

Geng Xu

Xu · Earth

Bright Hall · Auspicious

boundary

21:00-22:59

Xin Hai

Hai · Water

Heavenly Penalty · 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

2036-01-05

Da Han

2036-01-20

Li Chun

2036-02-04

Yu Shui

2036-02-19

Jing Zhe

2036-03-05

Chun Fen

2036-03-20

Qing Ming

2036-04-04

Gu Yu

2036-04-19

Li Xia

2036-05-04

Xiao Man

2036-05-20

Mang Zhong

2036-06-05

Xia Zhi

2036-06-20

Xiao Shu

2036-07-06

Da Shu

2036-07-22

Li Qiu

2036-08-06

Chu Shu

2036-08-22

Bai Lu

2036-09-07

Qiu Fen

2036-09-22

Han Lu

2036-10-07

Shuang Jiang

2036-10-22

Li Dong

2036-11-06

Xiao Xue

2036-11-21

Da Xue

2036-12-06

Dong Zhi

2036-12-21

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

Tail

Azure Dragon

completion through persistence

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 Si

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

Harmonizes with Yin

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

Hidden friction with Shen

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

Day meaning

Ding Hai Day Meaning

Ding Hai places "lamp flame: focus, craft, intimacy, and careful tending" inside "winter pig water: depth, retreat, renewal, and unseen resources". The point is not fortune first; it is how Fire finds a workable posture inside real conditions.

Heavenly stem image

lamp flame: focus, craft, intimacy, and careful tending

Earthly branch scene

winter pig water: depth, retreat, renewal, and unseen resources

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

Xiao Man · 2036-05-20

Climate

small fullness, enough growth to notice but not enough to harvest

Body

avoid excess sweetness, heat, and emotional overfilling

Space

thin crowded surfaces and keep storage from becoming swollen

Practice

recognize progress without demanding final results too early

Classical cautions

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

Stem caution

Avoid cosmetic fixes when sensitivity is high. Tend the root irritation.

Branch caution

Major unions need clear consent, timing, and shared responsibility.

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

Good for

Use visibility carefully: present, clarify, teach, or reconnect.

Warm up a conversation before asking for a clear decision.

Use "restoration" as today's rhythm keyword.

Work with the Xiao Man seasonal tone through one adjustment to verify.