Chinese Almanac FAQ: Yi and Ji, Leap Months and Dates Abroad

If a calendar marks travel as avoided, is an unlisted activity allowed? Why does “today” differ from the date on your phone? And does a leap month work like February 29?

This FAQ helps you read a Chinese almanac in English and compare entries carefully. Keep the daily tool open alongside it, or begin with the almanac reading guide. No birth information is needed to explore the dates.

Is the Chinese calendar lunar or lunisolar?

The traditional Chinese calendar combines lunar months with the solar year, so lunisolar is the more precise description. The Hong Kong Observatory's calendar introduction explains the roles of the Moon and Sun. “Lunar date” remains a convenient name for the month-and-day field on YUAN.

A daily almanac adds another layer: activity categories such as 宜 and 忌. Checking a lunar date with an astronomical reference does not verify a claim that an activity will succeed. YUAN identifies its activity-list source separately in How this calendar works.

What is a leap month, and is it the same as February 29?

A leap month is an additional lunar month used to reconcile lunar months with the solar year. It is different from the Gregorian calendar's extra day in February. The Observatory's calendar introduction explains the need for an additional month; its leap-year explanation covers the Gregorian system.

When comparing two lunar dates, include the year and any leap-month marker. A regular month and a leap month can share a month number, so “month 6, day 1” may omit a necessary distinction. Use a year-specific conversion table rather than guessing from the number alone.

What do Yi and Ji actually tell me?

On YUAN, 宜 (Yi) introduces activities traditionally favored in the source record; 忌 (Ji) introduces those traditionally avoided. These are classifications in that almanac, not a personalized assessment of your plans.

Read the specific Chinese term as well as the English label. For example, 入宅 concerns entering a new home in a traditional context, while 移徙 concerns moving one's residence. A single English word such as “moving” can hide that distinction. The 142-term bilingual glossary gives the original wording and short explanations used here.

If an activity is missing, should I treat it as allowed?

Absence is not a recommendation. First check whether you are reading one of the short cards or the full list. YUAN's cards show up to three activities from an editorial selection in each category, with counts beside the source totals. Open Full source record & translation notes to inspect every returned entry.

If the activity is absent from that full record too, this website has no classification to report for it. Do not silently turn an empty result into permission or a prohibition. Choose what to do using the information relevant to your actual plan.

Why do two websites give different answers for the same day?

Compare the selected Gregorian date, the time basis, the Chinese activity wording, and the source or rule setting. Also check whether both sites show complete lists. Different translations can make the same term look different, while a similar English label can conceal different Chinese terms.

YUAN uses lunar-javascript 1.7.7 and explicitly requests sect 1 for its activity lists. That identifies our setting; it does not make every other almanac use it. If two entries still disagree after those checks, keep both sources visible rather than merging them into one supposedly universal list. Our reading guide provides a comparison checklist.

Why is “today” different when I am outside China?

YUAN's daily link follows Asia/Shanghai, UTC+8. Your phone may be showing a different local civil date at the same instant. For example, at 18:00 UTC on 20 October 2026, it is already 02:00 on 21 October in Beijing.

Compare the actual selected dates before comparing the results. The Today control returns to the current Beijing date. Choosing another date creates a fixed selection. The time-zone guide explains those two link modes; YUAN does not silently recalculate the calendar for your location.

Does “Latest solar term” mean a new term starts today?

Usually not. The field names the solar term associated with the selected Beijing civil date and keeps that label across the following dates until the next term-start date. It is separate from the lunar month-and-day field.

On a term-start date YUAN displays the new label for the whole date; it is not an exact-time astronomical clock. The 24 solar terms guide explains the Chinese and English names with fixed examples. The Observatory's solar-term introduction supplies the astronomical context. A name such as Cold Dew does not forecast the weather where you live.

How can I check and share a result accurately?

Choose the date, open the full record, and note the original term you want to discuss. Copy selected date link creates a link pinned to that date. Sending Always open today instead means the recipient sees the Beijing date current when they open it.

For a lunar-date comparison, use the appropriate year's Observatory table. For an activity-label question, include the almanac's source and setting. If you report an issue through Contact and corrections, send the page link, selected date, wording and reference. Please leave out birth records or other sensitive personal details.

Sources and further reading

• Hong Kong Observatory — Calendar: the lunar and solar basis of the traditional calendar.
• Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian–Lunar conversion tables: references for particular years, with calculation limitations explained on the page.
• Hong Kong Observatory — Leap Year: the Gregorian extra-day system.
• Hong Kong Observatory — The 24 Solar Terms: the astronomical framework.
• YUAN calendar method and bilingual glossary: our software, translations and display choices.

The Observatory references support calendar explanations. They do not endorse YUAN or supply its traditional activity judgments.