Tong Shu 通書

The Tong Shu, also called Huang Li, is the traditional Chinese almanac — one of the oldest continuously printed books in the world. For every day it lists the stem-branch, the lunar date, the Day Officer, the clash animal, the direction of the day's malign influence, and two lists headed yi and ji: what the day suits and what it does not.

The almanac is where date selection actually happens in practice. Weddings, moves, business openings, signing contracts and even haircuts are traditionally checked against it, and the yi and ji lists are the layer most people consult. Its entries are compiled from many overlapping rule systems, which is why two printed almanacs can differ at the margins.

The auspicious date pages on this site read the yi and ji lists from tyme4ts, then apply further filters — Day Officer, Sui Po, four separation days — and publish both the strict count and the looser almanac count so the difference is visible.

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