How this calendar works
Date basis, source software, translation choices and limits.
A fixed calendar basis
The Today button uses Asia/Shanghai (UTC+8). A visitor overseas may therefore see the next calendar date before local midnight. A selected date is a civil date in this basis, not a timestamp converted to the visitor’s local day.
The supported interface range is 1901–2099. Date changes are calculated locally. Previous and next stop at the boundaries.
For a worked comparison of UTC and Beijing midnight, read why the calendar's date may differ from yours. For a reader's explanation of the activity cards, see how to read Yi and Ji.
Software and references
We package lunar-javascript, version 1.7.7, under its MIT license. The almanac calls explicitly use sect 1. The Hong Kong Observatory 2026 conversion table was used for sample comparisons of lunar dates and solar terms. Those comparisons do not validate fortune or activity-selection claims, and they are not an exhaustive check of every supported date.
The solar term field shows the most recently reached term for the selected date; it does not imply that every date is a solar-term day. The lunar date and day stem come from the same pinned library.
What 宜 and 忌 mean here
They introduce traditional categories of activities favored or avoided in the source almanac. Lists can differ across traditions, editions and software rules. They are historical records to inspect, not factual predictions that an activity will succeed or fail.
The main cards show up to three reviewed translations from a small vocabulary. They are not the complete daily list. Open Complete Chinese source record for every returned term. An activity can be absent from a card because its translation is not reviewed, rather than because it is forbidden. Broad labels such as 馀事勿取 remain in the complete record instead of being displayed as a suggested activity.
The phase and reflection
The day’s heavenly stem maps to a phase: 甲乙 Wood, 丙丁 Fire, 戊己 Earth, 庚辛 Metal, 壬癸 Water. This is not a personal BaZi chart, the day’s na-yin classification or a favorable-element calculation.
There are five reusable reflection prompts, selected by this simple phase label. They are our editorial exercises. They are not 365 unique predictions or quotations from a traditional almanac.
Practical decisions come first
A date label does not determine safe travel, a medical appointment, a contract, a wedding outcome or investment performance. Use real conditions, relevant expertise and your own judgment. Return to the daily almanac or read our editorial notes.