Every day in a Chinese almanac carries two boxes: yi (宜), activities traditionally considered suitable for that day, and ji (忌), activities traditionally best avoided. The wording comes straight from the old tongshu (通書) almanac tradition, so many of the terms, such as nacai, xiuzao or qizan, are terse and not obvious to modern readers. This glossary explains what each term means and what it corresponds to in everyday life today.
The lists are not arbitrary. They are calculated by tongshu date-selection rules that combine the Twelve Day Officers (jianchu, 建除十二神), the Yellow Path and Black Path day spirits, and a large set of auspicious and inauspicious stars (shensha, 神煞) such as Heavenly Virtue, Monthly Virtue, Month Breaker and the Four Separations, all keyed to the day's stem-branch and the solar terms. Because different almanac lineages use different stars and different priorities, two almanacs can show different yi and ji for the same date. That is normal and not a misprint.
The yi and ji shown here follow a simplified version of tongshu rules and are offered as cultural reference, to show how traditional date selection works and what its vocabulary means. They reflect folk custom and belief rather than scientific fact, and they are not rules anyone must follow. Many families still consult a professional date selector for weddings, funerals or building work, but practical needs such as medical care and safety should always come first.
Getting married, specifically the wedding day itself: fetching the bride, the ceremony and the banquet. Traditionally a date marked as good for weddings is still checked against the couple's birth charts and zodiac signs, avoiding days that clash with either of them, and an auspicious hour is chosen for the procession.
Betrothal 納采
Originally the first of the six classical wedding rites, when the groom's family sent a matchmaker with gifts to propose. Modern almanacs generally read it as the engagement or betrothal ceremony, including the delivery of betrothal gifts. In Taiwan this is often a separate occasion from the wedding with its own chosen date.
Engagement agreement 訂盟
Literally making a pact. In the almanac it mainly means formally agreeing on a marriage between two families, for example exchanging birth details, tokens or rings. It is often listed alongside nacai, as both belong to the steps before a wedding; some people extend it to partnerships and other formal agreements.
Installing a bed 安床
Setting up a new bed or moving an existing one, today usually when preparing a bridal room, moving into a new home or replacing a bed. Wedding beds were traditionally installed at a chosen time, sometimes by an elder with living parents and children, and folk custom holds that a bed should not face the door or sit under a beam.
Visiting relatives & friends 會親友
Visiting relatives and friends, gathering socially or hosting guests at a meal. Today it covers family dinners, reunions and social calls. It tends to appear on days the almanac considers harmonious, and it is one of the more everyday items with few special rules attached.
Making offerings to ancestors and deities, whether at the home altar and ancestral tablets or at a clan hall or temple. Almanacs list this separately from praying for blessings: offerings are about honoring and remembering ancestors and gods, not necessarily asking for something specific.
Praying for blessings 祈福
Asking the gods for peace, health, success and other blessings. Modern equivalents include making or fulfilling vows at a temple, appeasing the Tai Sui and lighting blessing lamps. Choosing a good day is traditionally seen as a sign of sincerity, though ordinary incense offerings need no special date.
Praying for children 求嗣
Si means descendants, so qiusi is praying for children. In Taiwan people commonly pray to fertility goddesses such as Zhusheng Niangniang and Linshui Furen, or to Guanyin. It is purely a religious practice and separate from any medical fertility advice.
Consecrating statues 開光
The ritual that consecrates a newly made deity or Buddha statue, ancestral tablet or ritual object, performed by a priest or monk to give it spiritual presence; in Taiwan it is also called dotting the eyes. Today it accompanies installing new statues at home or in temples and blessing amulets.
Taoist rites 齋醮
Zhai means purification through fasting and jiao means setting up an altar to the gods; together they refer to Taoist ritual ceremonies. The large jiao festivals held by Taiwanese temples, sometimes lasting several days with participants keeping a vegetarian diet, are the main example. Individual households rarely need this item.
The first digging of earth for a construction project, today usually the ground-breaking ceremony for a house or building. Almanacs separate dongtu for buildings for the living from potu for graves. Traditionally the Earth God is worshipped first and days clashing with the owner's zodiac sign are avoided.
Building work 修造
General construction and repair of a house, including extensions, alterations and repairs to roofs and walls. Today interior renovation is usually counted here too. Larger projects were traditionally started on a chosen day, while small repairs were seldom given much thought.
Raising the ridgebeam 上樑
Lifting the main ridgebeam into place at the top of the roof, one of the most important steps in traditional timber building and usually marked by offerings and celebration. Modern concrete buildings have no such beam, but many projects still hold a symbolic ceremony when the main structure is completed.
Installing doors 安門
Fitting a main door or door frame, today usually installing or replacing the front door of a home. Tradition regards the main door as the gateway through which people and fortune enter, so it is taken more seriously than other fittings, and some people also consider its direction and dimensions.
Demolition 拆卸
Taking down a house, wall or old structure, today including demolition for redevelopment and stripping out interiors. Almanacs traditionally consider days such as Destruction days suitable for this kind of breaking work, and particular families pick a date and make offerings before pulling down an old house.
Digging a well 開井
Digging a new well, also written chuanjing in older texts. Before piped water a well supplied the whole household, so its date mattered. The Pengzu taboos say a mao day is not for digging wells. It is rare in cities today, occasionally applying to farm wells or groundwater works.
Opening a shop or company for the first time, and also reopening for business after the Lunar New Year. Many Taiwanese businesses pick a lucky day and hour to resume work after the holiday, with offerings and red envelopes for staff. Success and Open days are traditionally favored.
Trade & contracts 交易
Buying, selling and signing agreements. The older term liquan, drawing up a deed, falls under this item, as in property sales. Today it covers signing contracts, transferring titles and major transactions. The Pengzu taboos say a ji (己) day is not for breaking a contract.
Receiving wealth 納財
Taking in money and goods: collecting debts and rent, buying stock, acquiring property or depositing funds. It sounds almost the same as the wedding term nacai (納采) but means something entirely different. Receive and Full days are traditionally thought suitable.
Opening storehouses 開倉
Originally opening a granary to release grain, now usually read as shipping goods from a warehouse, releasing stock or lending money. The Pengzu taboos say a jia day is not for opening storehouses. As wealth flows out, it is traditionally seen as the counterpart to nacai, receiving wealth.
Hanging a signboard 掛匾
Hanging a plaque or signboard, today a new shop sign, a company's plaque unveiling, or an inscribed board at a temple or clan hall. Because the sign is a business's public face, many owners choose a date for it together with the opening day.
Taking office 上任
Taking up an official post, today starting a new job, a promotion or an elected official's inauguration. Establish and Open days are traditionally regarded as favorable, but start dates are mostly set by employers or by law today, so the almanac is only a reference.
Setting out on a journey, such as long trips, business travel or leaving home for work, not the daily commute. Traditionally people might also consult the directions of the Joy and Wealth gods to decide which way to set off. The Pengzu taboos say a si day is not for long journeys.
Moving house 搬家
The traditional almanac term is yixi (移徙), moving from one residence to another; the everyday word banjia is used here. Custom calls for choosing a date, carrying in symbolic items like rice, water and cooking utensils first, and avoiding days that clash with household members' zodiac signs.
Moving in 入宅
Formally moving into a new home, especially a newly built or purchased one. It differs from moving house in that ruzhai stresses first occupancy of a new house, while yixi covers any change of residence. Taiwanese housewarming rites often include offerings to the site spirit and a first cooked meal.
Starting school 入學
Formerly entering a teacher's school or apprenticeship, today starting school, enrolling in classes or taking up training under a master. Term dates are set by the school system, so the almanac is only a reference, though many parents visit a Wenchang temple to pray for good studies.
Medical treatment 求醫
The old almanac terms are liaobing or qiuyi zhibing, seeking medical treatment. This is purely a traditional calendar notion. Anyone who is ill should see a doctor promptly; never delay care because an almanac lists a day as unfavorable, and leave surgery dates to medical professionals.
Planting 栽種
Sowing seeds, planting and transplanting trees, flowers and crops, today including farm sowing, landscaping or potting plants at home. The Pengzu taboos say a yi (乙) day is not for planting. Real farming follows the seasons, weather and crop needs; the almanac adds only a traditional layer.
Animal husbandry 牧養
Raising livestock, such as buying or breeding cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. In city life some people extend it to adopting or buying a pet. For livestock farmers it traditionally marked a suitable day to add animals to the herd or flock.
Tailoring 裁衣
Cutting cloth and sewing new clothes, listed because households once made their own garments. Today it corresponds to having formal wear, wedding dresses or suits made to measure. A bride's wedding clothes traditionally had their cutting date chosen with care, while buying ready-made clothes needs no such thought.
Haircut 理髮
Traditionally called titou, shaving or cutting hair, including a baby's first head-shaving at one month old. The Pengzu taboos say a ding day is not for shaving the head, so some almanacs list haircuts as unfavorable then. Few people worry about ordinary haircuts now, though some still pick a day for a baby's first.
Bathing 沐浴
Bathing in old texts meant ritual purification as well as washing, often done before offerings or ceremonies. In the almanac it carries the sense of cleansing away the old. Everyday showers are of course unaffected; Remove days are traditionally seen as fitting.
House cleaning 掃舍
Sweeping and cleaning the house, today a thorough spring cleaning or decluttering. The biggest occasion in Taiwan is the cleaning before Lunar New Year, symbolically sweeping out the old year's bad luck. Remove days are traditionally regarded as good for it.
Catching pests 捕捉
Originally catching birds and animals, rounding up stray livestock, hunting or fishing. Modern almanacs mostly read it as pest control, such as getting rid of rats and insects or hiring a termite service. Initiate and Receive days are traditionally considered suitable.
Laying the deceased to rest in the ground, and today also placing cremated remains in a columbarium. Funeral dates are traditionally set by a date selector according to the zodiac signs and birth details of the deceased and the family, avoiding days that clash with close relatives.
Breaking ground for a grave 破土
Specifically digging a grave, a funeral term kept separate from dongtu, ground-breaking for houses. Almanacs list the two separately, so a day good for potu should not be read as good for starting a building. Digging to build or repair a tomb also counts.
Encoffining 入殮
Placing the body of the deceased in the coffin, an important stage of the funeral, now usually held at a funeral home and linked with the family's final viewing. Traditionally the hour is chosen and relatives whose zodiac signs clash are asked to step away briefly when the lid is closed.
Ending mourning 除服
Removing mourning clothes when the mourning period ends and returning to normal life. Classical mourning lasted different lengths depending on kinship; today it is much shorter, and in Taiwan mourning dress is often set aside after the funeral or memorial rites. It marks a respectful transition.
Putting on mourning clothes 成服
Relatives formally putting on mourning clothes of different grades according to their closeness to the deceased, known traditionally as the five degrees of mourning. Modern practice is simplified to hemp or white garments or an armband, usually after the encoffining.
Exhumation 啟攢
Opening a grave to recover the remains for reburial or relocation. In Taiwan it is known as jiangu, gathering the bones, traditionally done several years after burial, when the bones are cleaned and placed in an urn for reburial or a columbarium. It is done with care, on a chosen day, by specialists.
Other almanac terms
The Twelve Day Officers (Jianchu)
The Twelve Day Officers (建除十二神) are the tongshu's basic daily cycle. The day whose branch matches the solar-term month's branch is Establish, and the rest follow in order; on the day a new solar-term month begins, the previous officer repeats. Traditional meanings:
Establish: new beginnings; good for travel and taking office.
Remove: clearing out the old; good for cleaning and bathing.
Full: abundance; good for offerings and receiving wealth.
Balance: ordinary; suited to leveling and repairs, not major events.
Settle: stability; good for engagements and gatherings.
Initiate: holding firm; good for catching pests and building.
Destruction: clashes with the month (Month Breaker); major events avoided.
Danger: a day for caution; heights and boat trips avoided.
Success: completion; widely good for weddings and openings.
Receive: harvest; good for receiving wealth, not for burial.
Open: flow; good for business openings and taking office.
Close: storing away; good for embankments and burial, not openings.
Yellow Path and Black Path
A second cycle of twelve spirits rules both days and double-hours. The six Yellow Path (huangdao) spirits, Qinglong, Mingtang, Jinkui, Tiande, Yutang and Siming, are auspicious; the six Black Path (heidao) spirits, Tianxing, Zhuque, Baihu, Tianlao, Xuanwu and Gouchen, are inauspicious. The popular phrase Yellow Path lucky day originally meant a day ruled by one of the six good spirits, though real date selection also weighs the Day Officers and other stars.
Auspicious stars and unlucky days
Heavenly Virtue (Tiande): a monthly star believed to soften harmful influences.
Monthly Virtue (Yuede): one heavenly stem each month; days with it are favorable.
Heavenly Pardon (Tianshe): one stem-branch day per season, considered highly auspicious.
Month Breaker (Yuepo): the day branch clashes with the month branch.
Year Breaker (Suipo): the day branch clashes with the year branch; seen as more serious.
Four Separations (Sili): the day before each equinox and solstice.
Four Extinctions (Sijue): the day before the start of each season.
Four Wastes (Sifei): days when the season's element is at its weakest.
Yang Gong taboo days: thirteen fixed lunar dates a year, attributed to Yang Jiupin.
Monthly taboo days (Yueji): the 5th, 14th and 23rd of each lunar month.
Clash and Sha direction
Entries like clashes Horse, sha south come from the day branch. The clashed sign is the opposite branch: Rat and Horse, Ox and Goat, Tiger and Monkey, Rabbit and Rooster, Dragon and Dog, Snake and Pig. On a Rat day, people born in Horse years are traditionally advised to take care with important matters. The sha direction follows the three-harmony rule: shen, zi and chen days south; si, you and chou days east; yin, wu and xu days north; hai, mao and wei days west.
Pengzu's taboos
Pengzu bai ji (彭祖百忌), credited to the legendary long-lived Pengzu, is a set of maxims keyed to stems and branches; each day shows one line for each. Examples: ding days are not for shaving the head, mao days are not for digging wells. Their origin cannot be verified, so they are best read as cultural tradition.
Fetus God position
The Fetus God (胎神) is a folk guardian of the unborn child, believed to occupy a different spot in the home each day, such as the door, stove or bed. Expecting households traditionally avoid moving furniture or hammering nails there. This is folk custom only, with no medical bearing; prenatal care should follow medical advice.
Joy, Wealth and Fortune gods
The directions of the Joy, Wealth and Fortune gods are derived from the day stem. The Joy God is commonly placed northeast on jia and ji days, northwest on yi and geng, southwest on bing and xin, south on ding and ren, and southeast on wu and gui. Some people set off toward these directions for a good omen; schools differ on the Wealth and Fortune gods.
Double-hours and auspicious hours
The day has twelve double-hours (shichen): zi 23:00 to 01:00, chou 01 to 03, yin 03 to 05, mao 05 to 07, chen 07 to 09, si 09 to 11, wu 11 to 13, wei 13 to 15, shen 15 to 17, you 17 to 19, xu 19 to 21 and hai 21 to 23. Each is ruled by a Yellow or Black Path spirit, and those under Yellow Path spirits are the auspicious hours people usually mean. Strict practice also adjusts for local solar time.
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