FAQ
Chinese Almanac FAQ
The Chinese almanac (黄历, Huang Li) lists each day's stem-branch pillar, lunar date, solar term and traditional activities marked suitable (宜) or unsuitable (忌). These answers explain what the almanac page shows.
Open the tool in another tab to follow along.
01
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What is a day pillar in the almanac? | The stem-branch of the day in the sixty-day cycle — the same value used for the BaZi day pillar. |
| How are yi and ji decided? | From traditional rules based on the day's officer (建除十二神), stars and stem-branch relations. |
| Why do almanacs from different publishers differ? | Publishers use different rule sets for yi/ji and symbolic stars. |
| Which time zone does the almanac use? | Dates are civil dates; solar-term instants are shown in your time zone. |
| What is the 建除 officer? | A cycle of twelve day types (建, 除, 满, 平, 定, 执, 破, 危, 成, 收, 开, 闭) tied to the month branch. |
| Does the almanac year start at Chinese New Year? | The lunar date does; the stem-branch year pillar changes at 立春. |
| Can I use the almanac to choose a wedding date? | Many people consult it for that; date selection traditionally also considers both people's BaZi charts. |
| Is the almanac the same as the lunar calendar? | The almanac contains the lunar calendar plus solar terms, pillars and daily guidance. |
02
Key terms
- Solar TermsThe twenty-four solar terms divide the sun's path into 15° steps.
- Sexagenary CyclePairing the ten stems with the twelve branches in order (yang with yang, yin with yin) gives sixty combinations, from 甲子 to 癸亥.
- Start of Spring (Li Chun)立春, when the sun reaches 315° ecliptic longitude around 4 February, begins the BaZi year and the 寅 month.
- Chinese New Year vs Li ChunChinese New Year follows the lunar calendar and falls between 21 January and 20 February; 立春 follows the sun.
03
Practising with Chinese Almanac
The fastest way to understand Chinese Almanac is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where Chinese Almanac appears: in a visible stem, hidden inside a branch, in the current luck pillar or in this year's annual pillar. Note the position, because the year pillar is usually read as background and early life, the month pillar as environment and career setting, the day pillar as the self and close partner, and the hour pillar as later life and output.
- Compare two or three charts where Chinese Almanac is prominent and two where it is absent; write down what differs in the overall balance.
- Check the month branch first: seasonal strength changes how much any factor matters.
- Use the hidden-stems and Ten Gods tables in the calculator output instead of guessing.
- Treat single factors as clues, never as verdicts; classical texts always weigh the whole chart.
Different schools describe Chinese Almanac with slightly different emphasis. This site follows widely used conventions (solar-term months, true solar time optional, Zi hour setting configurable) and states them openly so you can compare results with a book or another calculator.
04
A suggested study path
Chinese Almanac is one piece of a larger system. If you are learning BaZi from scratch, the order below builds each idea on the previous one, and every step links to free reference pages on this site.
- Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
- Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
- Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
- Read the Ten Gods in context.
- Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
- Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.
05
Scope
Charts on this site use the published rule set: true solar time by default, the year changes at 立春 (Start of Spring), months change at the 12 节 solar terms and the day changes at 23:00. Example charts below are computed live by the same engine.
BaZi is a traditional cultural system. This page explains how the symbols are defined and read; it does not make scientific claims or predictions about your health, money or relationships.
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