There is a book that has been printed in China, in some form, for the better part of four thousand years — outselling almost everything else, year after year. It's the Tōng Shū (通勝), the Chinese almanac. Farmers used it to plant; emperors used it to time coronations; families still use it to choose the day for a wedding, a house move, or the opening of a shop. And the logic behind it is more structured than most people realise.
If you just want the verdict for a specific day, the free Day Almanac tool gives you today's reading — and the Date Selection tool helps you find a good day for a specific event. But the why is worth understanding.
- The Tong Shu rates each day for specific activities using the twelve Day Officers.
- Success, Open and Full days suit weddings and openings; avoid days that clash with key people.
- Reserve careful date selection for thresholds — weddings, moves, openings, contracts.
Not all days are equal — and here's the system
The almanac's backbone is the cycle of twelve Day Officers (建除十二神) — a rotating sequence of twelve "duty gods," each governing the character of a day. They cycle in a fixed order, and each one favours certain activities and forbids others:
- Jiàn (建) — Establish. Good for beginnings, meetings, starting projects. Poor for digging or breaking ground.
- Chú (除) — Remove. Excellent for cleaning, clearing, medical treatment, ending things. A great "reset" day.
- Mǎn (滿) — Full. Abundance — good for opening a business, praying, banquets. Avoid funerals.
- Píng (平) — Level. Balanced and neutral; steady, ordinary tasks. Good for road-making, routine.
- Dìng (定) — Settle. Stability — signing contracts, weddings, planting, moving in. Avoid disputes and travel.
- Zhí (執) — Grasp. Good for capturing, hiring, building. Avoid moving house or opening.
- Pò (破) — Break. A day of rupture — good only for demolition and, oddly, medical procedures. Avoid almost everything else.
- Wēi (危) — Danger. Caution advised; not for risk-taking or travel.
- Chéng (成) — Success. One of the best — weddings, openings, launches, moving in. Things "complete."
- Shōu (收) — Receive. Good for collecting, harvesting, taking delivery, closing deals. Poor for funerals.
- Kāi (開) — Open. Openings, ceremonies, starting school or work, weddings. Avoid burials.
- Bì (閉) — Close. Good for sealing, finishing, burials. Avoid beginnings and openings.
So the same date that's perfect for signing a contract (a Settle day) may be exactly wrong for launching a shop (which wants Success, Open or Full). This is the heart of date selection (擇日, zé rì): matching the nature of the day to the nature of your event.
More than the officer
A serious reading doesn't stop at the Day Officer. The almanac also weighs:
- The day's stem and branch and how they interact with the year and with your animal.
- Clashes — every day clashes with one zodiac animal; you avoid a day that clashes with the bride, groom, or head of household.
- Auspicious and inauspicious stars that visit the day (the "golden" hours, the dangerous ones).
- The double-hours (時辰) — because within a good day, some two-hour windows are far better than others. The Auspicious Hours tool ranks today's twelve.
This is why a good date-selection isn't "Saturday looks nice." It's a small optimisation problem — find a day whose officer suits the event, that doesn't clash with the key people, that carries helpful stars, and then pick the best hour within it.
When does it actually matter?
Be honest with yourself: you don't need an auspicious date to buy groceries. The tradition reserves this care for the thresholds — the moments a new chapter begins and you'd like it to begin on the front foot:
- Weddings and engagements.
- Moving into a new home (and the first time you light the stove there).
- Opening or registering a business, signing a major contract.
- Starting construction or renovation, especially breaking ground.
- Major medical procedures, where tradition still leans on the "Remove" and "Break" days.
A grounded way to think about it
Sceptics call it superstition; I'd call it intentional timing. Whether or not you believe a day carries energy, choosing a considered date does two real things: it makes you pause and plan properly before a big step, and — at a wedding or an opening — it aligns everyone's attention and goodwill on a moment that's been marked as significant. Ancient wisdom often works on both levels at once.
Check today in the Day Almanac, and when you have an event to plan, let the Date Selection tool shortlist the good days for you.
Frequently asked
What is the Tong Shu? The Tōng Shū is the traditional Chinese almanac — a centuries-old guide that rates each day as auspicious or inauspicious for specific activities, based on the Day Officers, zodiac clashes and visiting stars.
How do I find a good date for a wedding or house move? Match the day's officer to your event (Success, Open and Full days suit weddings and openings), avoid days that clash with the key people's zodiac animals, and choose a favourable hour. The Date Selection tool automates the search.
What are the Day Officers? Twelve rotating "duty gods" — Establish, Remove, Full, Level, Settle, Grasp, Break, Danger, Success, Receive, Open, Close — each governing what a day favours and forbids.