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The Chinese Calendar And The Four Pillars

For the history and details of the Calendar check out Chinese Calendar on Wikipedia.

For reading Chinese Astrological chart of the Zi Wei Dou Shu, and the Na Jia, Mei Hua method of the I Ching, it is essential to understand how to use the chinese calendar.

The Chinese calendar does not tie up with the calendar we use (the Gregorian Calendar) linearly.

What is notable is that the dates and time all have a Yin-Yang assignment and is represented by one of the five elements.

Chinese Solar Calendar

The Chinese Solar Year normally commences on 4 or 5th Februrary.

Chinese Year, Month, Day and Time are each represented by two components:

1. The Heavenly Stem
2. The Earthly Branch

These components laid out together is called the "Four Pillars".

For example, the date, 03 Nov 1969, Four Pillars looks like this:

The Year Branch of the Four Pillars, represent what is well known as the Chinese Zodiac. In this example "10You" is Rooster.

In order to understand the Four Pillars, it is essential to know the 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches (the Chinese Zodiac).

There are numerous references for charting the 4 pillars, and even online calculators to chart the pillars automatically.

This calculator is a calculator for 4 pillars destiny analysis, but it is also a quick way of getting the four pillars of current time.

The Chinese Lunar Calendar

The Chinese Lunar year commences on Chinese New Year Day. This always begins with the first full moon after the winter solstice. Chinese New Year can begin between 22 January and 17 February.

Below is a small gadget for converting the dates to the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Note that the Chinese Lunar dates are in blue, and the months are noted after a slash (/). i.e. 3/9 means day 3 month 9.

Check here for more Chinese Calendar Books and Resources.

  Tao Basics  ¦  The Concept of "Qi"  ¦  Yin And Yang  ¦ The Five Elements  ¦  The Bagua  ¦  The Hexagrams  ¦ The 12 Earthly Branches (Chinese Zodiac Signs)  ¦ The 10 Heavenly Stems  ¦  The Chinese Astrological Calendar ¦