Chinese Almanac Glossary

Find all 142 activity labels with their original Chinese, English names and short explanations.

YUAN EDITORIAL · 142 BILINGUAL TERMS · 20 OCT 2026

Look up a traditional activity label without choosing a particular date. Each entry keeps the Chinese wording returned by lunar-javascript 1.7.7 beside YUAN’s English name and explanation.

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祭祀Ancestor and deity offerings: Ritual offerings to ancestors or deities.
祈福Prayers for blessings: A traditional devotional practice, not a promised outcome.
求嗣Prayers for offspring: Ritual prayers for children or descendants, rather than a fertility treatment.
开光Consecrating a sacred image: A religious ceremony marking the consecration of a deity image or sacred object.
塑绘Making and painting sacred images: Modelling, sculpting or painting religious images.
齐醮Altar rites (source variant): Recorded as 齐醮 in this dataset; its bundled glossary describes altar preparation. Related ritual spellings vary by edition.
斋醮Daoist fasting and offering rites: Ritual observances involving purification, offerings and prayers in Daoist practice.
沐浴Bathing: A historical entry for bathing or ritual cleansing.
酬神Thanksgiving offerings to deities: Offerings made in thanks to a deity or in fulfilment of a vow.
造庙Building a temple: Constructing a temple or shrine building.
祀灶Offerings to the Kitchen God: Ritual offerings associated with the household hearth deity.
焚香Burning incense: Lighting incense as part of a devotional or ceremonial practice.
谢土Rites of thanks to earth deities: Ceremonial thanks associated with the completion of building or burial works.
出火Relocating a shrine: Ritually moving deity images or ancestral tablets from their place of worship.
雕刻Carving: Carving figures, ornaments or other objects; the material and purpose depend on context.
嫁娶Wedding ceremonies: A historical date-selection category; no outcome is predicted.
订婚Engagement ceremonies: Formally marking an agreement to marry.
纳采Presenting betrothal gifts: A traditional marriage-proposal stage involving gifts between the families.
问名Exchanging marriage-proposal details: A traditional stage in which families ask for names and birth details before a proposed marriage.
纳婿Marriage into the bride's household: A marriage arrangement in which the husband joins the bride's household.
归宁Post-wedding visit to parents: A married daughter's customary visit to her family of origin.
安床Bed placement: A customary category for installing or positioning a bed.
合帐Preparing a bridal bed canopy: Making or fitting a canopy or net for the wedding bed.
冠笄Coming-of-age ceremonies: Traditional capping or hairpin ceremonies marking adulthood.
订盟Formalizing a betrothal: A formal marriage pledge or engagement agreement in this almanac context.
进人口Welcoming household members: A historical household-admission category, including adoption or taking on household staff.
裁衣Cutting and making garments: Preparing or tailoring clothing, including ceremonial garments.
挽面Facial threading: Traditional removal of fine facial hair with thread.
开容Ceremonial facial grooming: Traditional facial threading associated with preparing a bride for her wedding.
修坟Repairing a grave: Maintaining or restoring a grave or tomb.
启钻Opening a grave for reburial: Opening an existing grave to retrieve remains for reburial; other editions write this term as 启攒.
破土Opening ground for a grave: Beginning burial-related earthworks, distinct from construction groundbreaking (动土).
安葬Burial rites: Placing the deceased or their remains in a grave as part of a burial.
立碑Erecting a memorial stone: Setting up a gravestone, stele or memorial tablet.
成服Putting on mourning dress: Beginning the formal wearing of mourning clothes.
除服Removing mourning dress: Ending the formal wearing of mourning clothes.
开生坟Preparing a grave during one's lifetime: Constructing a grave in advance for a person who is still living.
合寿木Coffin making: Making or assembling a coffin; 寿木 is a traditional euphemism for a coffin.
入殓Placing the deceased in a coffin: Preparing and placing the body in a coffin as part of funeral rites.
移柩Moving a coffin: Moving a coffin before or during funeral and burial arrangements.
普渡Offerings for wandering spirits: Communal ritual offerings for spirits without regular family offerings.
入宅Moving into a home: The traditional ceremony of entering a new home.
安香Installing a household shrine: Setting up a place of worship, including its incense burner, deity images or ancestral tablets.
安门Installing doors: Fitting a building's doors or main entrance.
修造Building and renovation: Constructing or renovating a building in the traditional almanac.
起基Laying foundations: Preparing or establishing the base of a building.
动土Construction groundbreaking: Beginning earthworks for a building, distinct from burial-related digging (破土).
上梁Raising a roof beam: Installing a principal beam in traditional building construction.
竖柱Erecting posts and supports: Raising building posts or construction supports; usage varies across almanacs.
开井开池Digging wells and ponds: Excavating a well or pond.
作陂放水Building waterworks and releasing water: Making a pond embankment or irrigation works and managing the release of water.
拆卸Dismantling structures: Taking apart a building or its fittings.
破屋Demolishing a house: Taking down an old or damaged building.
坏垣Demolishing walls: Taking down a wall or enclosure.
补垣Repairing walls: Mending damaged walls or enclosures.
伐木做梁Felling timber for beams: Cutting trees and preparing timber for structural beams.
作灶Building a cooking hearth: Constructing or installing a traditional stove or kitchen hearth.
解除Ritual release and cleansing: Rites intended to remove misfortune or cleanse a place; the label does not establish their effectiveness.
开柱眼Cutting mortises in timber posts: Making openings in wooden posts for joined structural parts.
穿屏扇架Fitting partitions and door frames: Making or installing screens, door leaves and their supporting frames.
盖屋合脊Roofing and completing the ridge: Building a roof and joining or finishing its ridge.
开厕Building a latrine: Constructing or preparing a toilet or latrine.
造仓Building a storehouse: Constructing a granary or other storage building.
塞穴Filling holes and openings: Closing gaps, cavities or holes in the traditional maintenance category.
平治道涂Levelling and repairing roads: Making paths or roads level and usable.
造桥Building a bridge: Constructing a bridge.
作厕Constructing a latrine: Making a toilet or latrine; related to the entry 开厕.
筑堤Building an embankment: Constructing a dike or bank to contain water.
开池Digging a pond: Excavating a pond or water basin.
伐木Felling timber: Cutting down trees for wood.
开渠Digging a channel: Excavating a ditch, canal or irrigation channel.
掘井Digging a well: Excavating a well for water.
扫舍House cleaning: Cleaning the home in the traditional almanac.
放水Releasing or draining water: Letting water flow out of a pond, field or water-control system.
造屋Building a house: Constructing a house or other building.
合脊Completing a roof ridge: Joining or finishing the ridge at the top of a roof.
造畜稠Building livestock enclosures: Constructing pens, stalls or shelters for domestic animals.
修门Repairing doors: Maintaining or repairing a door or entrance.
定磉Setting foundation stones: Positioning the base stones that support building posts.
作梁Making structural beams: Preparing or fabricating beams for a building.
修饰垣墙Refinishing walls: Repairing, plastering or decorating walls and enclosures.
架马Setting up construction supports: Erecting a working platform or scaffolding for building work.
开市Opening a business: A traditional opening-day category, not a business forecast.
挂匾Hanging a signboard: Installing a shop sign, name plaque or ceremonial board.
纳财Receiving money or assets: A traditional category for receiving payments, goods or other assets.
求财Seeking income: Pursuing earnings or commercial opportunities; the label promises no financial return.
开仓Opening a storehouse: Opening a granary or warehouse to access its stored goods.
买车Buying a vehicle: Acquiring a cart or vehicle; a modern wording in the bundled vocabulary.
置产Acquiring property: Purchasing land, buildings or other property.
雇佣Hiring workers: Engaging people for paid work.
出货财Dispatching goods or assets: Sending goods or property out of a business or storehouse.
安机械Installing machinery: Putting machinery or mechanical equipment in place.
造车器Making carts and vehicle fittings: Constructing vehicles or their associated equipment in the historical craft category.
经络Loom setup and weaving: Used here in the textile sense: arranging looms and weaving-related work.
酝酿Brewing and fermentation: Making fermented drinks or starting a brewing process.
作染Dyeing textiles: Colouring cloth, yarn or other textile materials.
鼓铸Smelting and casting metal: Working molten metal and casting metal objects.
造船Building a boat: Constructing or assembling a boat or ship.
割蜜Harvesting honey: Collecting honey from a hive.
栽种Planting: A traditional entry for planting, not local gardening advice.
取渔Fishing: Catching fish in the traditional livelihood category.
结网Making nets: Tying or weaving nets, often for fishing.
牧养Tending livestock: Grazing, feeding or caring for domestic animals.
安碓磑Installing grain-processing equipment: Setting up a grain pounder or grinding mill.
习艺Learning a craft: Studying or practising an art, craft or trade.
入学Beginning study: Entering school or formally starting instruction with a teacher.
理发Hair cutting: A customary timing label, not a rule about hair health.
探病Visiting someone who is ill: A social visit to a sick person; the entry does not determine visiting or care arrangements.
见贵Meeting officials or patrons: Calling on a high-ranking person, official or influential patron.
乘船Travelling by boat: Taking a boat or ship journey.
渡水Crossing water: Crossing a river or other body of water.
针灸Acupuncture and moxibustion: A historical treatment category, not guidance on when to seek medical care.
出行Setting out on a journey: The historical entry concerns travel; practical plans come first.
移徙Moving residence: A traditional category for changing residence.
分居Establishing separate households: Dividing a larger family household into separately run homes.
剃头Head shaving: Shaving the head, sometimes in a child's first-haircut or religious ceremony.
整手足甲Trimming fingernails and toenails: A traditional grooming entry, sometimes associated with an infant's first nail trimming.
纳畜Acquiring livestock: Buying or bringing domestic animals into a household or farm.
捕捉Catching animals: Capturing animals in the historical almanac category.
畋猎Hunting: Hunting game in the traditional livelihood category.
教牛马Training cattle and horses: Teaching working animals to perform their tasks.
会亲友Meeting friends and family: A traditional entry about social visits.
赴任Taking up an official post: Travelling to or beginning a new appointment, historically an official position.
求医Seeking medical care: Consulting a practitioner in the historical record; it is not advice to delay care.
治病Medical treatment: Receiving treatment in the historical record; use medical needs to arrange actual care.
词讼Legal proceedings: Bringing or attending a lawsuit in the traditional record, rather than legal advice.
起基动土Foundations and groundbreaking: Beginning construction earthworks and establishing a building's foundations.
破屋坏垣Demolishing houses and walls: Taking down old buildings, walls or enclosures.
盖屋House construction: Building or roofing a house; the precise scope varies by edition.
造仓库Building a warehouse: Constructing a warehouse, granary or storage room.
立券交易Contracts and transactions: Drawing up agreements and carrying out exchanges of goods or property.
交易Trading: A historical commercial category, not financial advice.
立券Drawing up a contract: Preparing or signing a written agreement for a transaction.
安机Installing equipment: Putting mechanical equipment in place; a shorter form related to 安机械.
会友Meeting friends: Gathering with or visiting friends.
求医疗病Seeking medical treatment: Seeking a practitioner and treatment; the historical category is not a reason to postpone care.
诸事不宜Activities not favored: A broad traditional label; it does not mean something bad will happen.
馀事勿取Other activities not advised: A historical broad restriction, not an instruction to cancel your day.
行丧Funeral observances: Carrying out mourning and funeral rites, including a funeral procession.
断蚁Removing ant infestations: Dealing with ant nests or infestations in the traditional maintenance category.
归岫Beam placement (source-specific): An uncommon construction entry glossed as beam placement in the bundled library. Its use varies by almanac edition.
无None recorded: The source returns no entry for this category; this does not mean every activity is approved.

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Read the labels in context

These are historical categories, not instructions or predictions. Some labels concern religious, medical or funeral customs. 无 means no entry was recorded in that category. Edition-sensitive 齐醮 and 归岫 include notes in their entries. The glossary explains vocabulary; it does not assign an activity to a date.

For translation references and limits, read how this calendar works. To see these terms in a dated record, open the daily almanac or read how to read Yi and Ji.