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Chinese calendar

The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar which identifies years, months, and days according to astronomical phenomena. In China, it is defined by the Chinese national standard GB/T 33661–2017,[1][2] "Calculation and Promulgation of the Chinese Calendar", issued by the Standardization Administration of China on May 12, 2017. Traditional Chinese calendar also known as these five titles: Nongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 農曆; simplified Chinese: 农历; pinyin: nónglì; lit. 'agricultural calendar'), Jiuli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 舊曆; simplified Chinese: 旧历; pinyin: jiùlì; Jyutping: Gau6 Lik6; lit.'former calendar'), Laoli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 老曆; simplified Chinese: 老历; pinyin: lǎolì; lit. 'old calendar'), Zhongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 中曆; simplified Chinese: 中历; pinyin: zhōnglì; Jyutping: zung1 lik6; lit. 'Chinese calendar'), Huali Calendar (traditional Chinese: 華曆; simplified Chinese: 华历; pinyin: huálì; Jyutping: waa4 lik6; lit. 'Chinese calendar')

Chinese calendar
Traditional Chinese農曆
Simplified Chinese农历
2017 Chinese calendar
Page of a Chinese calendar containing monthly information in the years Daoguang 14-16, corresponding to 1834–1836

Although modern-day China uses the Gregorian calendar, the traditional Chinese calendar governs holidays, such as the Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival, in both China and overseas Chinese communities. It also provides the traditional Chinese nomenclature of dates within a year which people use to select auspicious days for weddings, funerals, moving or starting a business.[3] The evening state-run news program Xinwen Lianbo in the People's Republic of China continues to announce the months and dates in both the Gregorian and the traditional lunisolar calendar.

Like Chinese characters, variants of the Chinese calendar have been used in different parts of the Sinosphere throughout history. Korea, Vietnam, and the Ryukyu Islands adopted the Chinese calendar. In the respective regions, the Chinese calendar has been adapted into the Korean, Vietnamese, and Ryukyuan calendars, with the main difference from the Chinese calendar being the use of different meridians due to geography, leading to some astronomical events — and calendar events based on them — falling on different dates. The traditional Japanese calendar was also derived from the Chinese calendar (based on a Japanese meridian), but Japan abolished its official use in 1873 after Meiji Restoration reforms. Calendars in Mongolia[4] and Tibet[citation needed] have absorbed elements of the traditional Chinese calendar but are not direct descendants of it.

Days begin and end at midnight, and months begin on the day of the new moon. Years start on the second (or third) new moon after the winter solstice. Solar terms govern the beginning, middle, and end of each month. A sexagenary cycle, comprising the heavenly stems (Chinese: ; pinyin: gān) and the earthly branches (Chinese: ; pinyin: zhī), is used as identification alongside each year and month, including intercalary months or leap months. Months are also annotated as either long (Chinese: ; lit. 'big' for months with 30 days) or short (Chinese: ; lit. 'small' for months with 29 days).

History edit

Solar calendars edit

 
Five-phase and four-quarter calendars

The traditional Chinese calendar was developed between 771 and 476 BCE, during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Solar calendars were used before the Zhou dynasty period.

One version of the solar calendar is the five-elements calendar (五行曆; 五行历), which derives from the Wu Xing. A 365-day year was divided into five phases of 73 days, with each phase corresponding to a Day 1 Wu Xing element. A phase began with a governing-element day (行御), followed by six 12-day weeks. Each phase consisted of two three-week months, making each year ten months long. Years began on a jiǎzǐ (甲子) day (and a 72-day wood phase), followed by a bǐngzǐ day (丙子) and a 72-day fire phase; a wùzǐ (戊子) day and a 72-day earth phase; a gēngzǐ (庚子) day and a 72-day metal phase, and a rénzǐ day (壬子) followed by a water phase.[5] Other days were tracked using the Yellow River Map (He Tu).

Another version is a four-quarters calendar (四時八節曆; 四时八节历; 'four sections, eight seasons calendar', or 四分曆; 四分历). The weeks were ten days long, with one month consisting of three weeks. A year had 12 months, with a ten-day week intercalated in summer as needed to keep up with the tropical year. The 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches were used to mark days.[6]

A third version is the balanced calendar (調曆; 调历). A year was 365.25 days, and a month was 29.5 days. After every 16th month, a half-month was intercalated. According to oracle bone records, the Shang dynasty calendar (c. 1600 – c. 1046 BCE) was a balanced calendar with 12 to 14 months in a year; the month after the winter solstice was Zhēngyuè.[7]

Lunisolar calendars edit

The first lunisolar calendar was the Zhou calendar (周曆; 周历), introduced under the Zhou dynasty. This calendar sets the beginning of the year at the day of the new moon before the winter solstice.

Several competing lunisolar calendars were also introduced, especially by states fighting Zhou control during the Warring States period. The state of Lu issued its own Lu calendar(魯曆; 鲁历). Jin issued the Xia calendar (夏曆; 夏历)[8] with a year beginning on the day of the new moon nearest the March equinox. Qin issued the Zhuanxu calendar (顓頊曆; 颛顼历), with a year beginning on the day of the new moon nearest the winter solstice. Song's Yin calendar (殷曆; 殷历) began its year on the day of the new moon after the winter solstice.

These calendars are known as the six ancient calendars (古六曆; 古六历), or quarter-remainder calendars, (四分曆; 四分历; sìfēnlì), since all calculate a year as 365+14 days long. Months begin on the day of the new moon, and a year has 12 or 13 months. Intercalary months (a 13th month) are added to the end of the year. The Qiang and Dai calendars are modern versions of the Zhuanxu calendar, used by mountain peoples.

Qin and early Han dynasties edit

After Qin Shi Huang unified China under the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE, the Qin calendar (秦曆; 秦历) was introduced. It followed most of the rules governing the Zhuanxu calendar, but the month order was that of the Xia calendar; the year began with month 10 and ended with month 9, analogous to a Gregorian calendar beginning in October and ending in September. The intercalary month, known as the second Jiǔyuè (後九月; 后九月; 'later Jiǔyuè'), was placed at the end of the year. The Qin calendar was used going into the Han dynasty.

Han-Ming dynasties and Taichu calendar edit

Emperor Wu of Han r. 141 – 87 BCE introduced reforms halfway through his reign. His Taichu Calendar (太初曆; 太初历; 'grand beginning calendar') defined a solar year as 365+3851539 days, and the lunar month had 29+4381 days. Since   the 19 years cycle used for the 7 additional months was taken as an exact one, and not as an approximation.

This calendar introduced the 24 solar terms, dividing the year into 24 equal parts. Solar terms were paired, with the 12 combined periods known as climate terms. The first solar term of the period was known as a pre-climate (节气), and the second was a mid-climate (中气). Months were named for the mid-climate to which they were closest, and a month without a mid-climate was an intercalary month.[citation needed]

The Taichu calendar established a framework for traditional calendars, with later calendars adding to the basic formula. The Dàmíng Calendar (大明曆; 大明历; 'brightest calendar'), created in the Liang dynasty by Zu Chongzhi, introduced the equinoxes. The use of syzygy to determine the lunar month was first described in the Tang dynasty Wùyín Yuán Calendar (戊寅元曆; 戊寅元历; 'earth tiger epoch calendar'). The Yuan dynasty Shòushí calendar (授時曆; 授时历; 'season granting calendar') used spherical trigonometry to find the length of the tropical year.[9][10][11] The calendar had a 365.2425-day year, identical to the Gregorian calendar.[12]

Modern calendars edit

Although the Chinese calendar lost its place as the country's official calendar at the beginning of the 20th century,[13] its use has continued. The Republic of China Calendar published by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China still listed the dates of the Chinese calendar in addition to the Gregorian calendar. In 1929, the Nationalist government tried to ban the traditional Chinese calendar. The Kuómín Calendar published by the government no longer listed the dates of the Chinese calendar. However, Chinese people were used to the traditional calendar and many traditional customs were based on the Chinese calendar. The ban failed and was lifted in 1934.[14] The latest Chinese calendar was "New Edition of Wànniánlì, revised edition", edited by Beijing Purple Mountain Observatory, People's Republic of China.[15]

Shíxiàn calendar edit

During the late Ming dynasty, the Chinese Emperor appointed Xu Guangqi in 1629 to be the leader of the ShiXian calendar reform. Assisted by Jesuits, he translated Western astronomical works and introduced new concepts, such as those of Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Tycho Brahe; however, the new calendar was not released before the end of the dynasty. In the early Qing dynasty, Johann Adam Schall von Bell submitted the calendar which was edited by the lead of Xu Guangqi to the Shunzhi Emperor.[16] The Qing government issued it as the Shíxiàn (seasonal) calendar. In this calendar, the solar terms are 15° each along the ecliptic and it can be used as a solar calendar. However, the length of the climate term near the perihelion is less than 30 days and there may be two mid-climate terms. The Shíxiàn calendar changed the mid-climate-term rule to "decide the month in sequence, except the intercalary month."[17] The present traditional calendar follows the Shíxiàn calendar, except:

  1. The baseline is Chinese Standard Time, rather than Beijing local time.
  2. (Modern) astronomical data, rather than mathematical calculations, is used.

Proposals edit

To optimize the Chinese calendar, astronomers have proposed a number of changes. Gao Pingzi (高平子; 1888–1970), a Chinese astronomer who co-founded the Purple Mountain Observatory, proposed that month numbers be calculated before the new moon and solar terms to be rounded to the day. Since the intercalary month is determined by the first month without a mid-climate and the mid-climate time varies by time zone, countries that adopted the calendar but calculate with their own time could vary from the time in China.[18]

Outlying areas edit

Calendars of ethnic groups in mountains and plateaus of southwestern China and grasslands of northern China are based on their phenology and algorithms of traditional calendars of different periods, particularly the Tang and pre-Qin dynasties.[19]

Structure edit

Elements edit

The traditional Chinese calendar's elements are:

  • Day (; ), from one midnight to the next
  • Month (; yuè), the time from one new moon to the next. These synodic months are about 29+1732 days long.
  • Date (日期; rìqī), when a day occurs in the month. Days are numbered in sequence from 1 to 29 (or 30).
  • Year (; nián), time of one revolution of Earth around the Sun. It is measured from the first day of spring (lunisolar year) or the winter solstice (solar year). A year is about 365+31128 days.
  • Zodiac, 112 year, or 30° on the ecliptic. A zodiac is about 30+716 days.
  • Solar term (節氣; jiéqì), 124 year, or 15° on the ecliptic. A solar term is about 15+732 days.
  • Calendar month (日曆月; rìlì yuè), when a month occurs within a year. Some months may be repeated.
  • Calendar year (日曆月年; rìlì nián), when it is agreed that one year ends and another begins. The year usually begins on the new moon closest to Lichun, the first day of spring.[20] This is typically the second and sometimes third new moon after the winter solstice. A calendar year is 353–355 or 383–385 days long.

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, similar to the Hindu, Hebrew and ancient Babylonian calendars.

Features edit

The movements of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (known as the seven luminaries) are the references for calendar calculations.

  • The distance between Mercury and the sun is less than 30° (the sun's height at chénshí:辰時, 8:00 to 10:00 am), so Mercury was sometimes called the "chen star" (辰星); it is more commonly known as the "water star" (水星).
  • Venus appears at dawn and dusk and is known as the "bright star" (啟明星; 启明星) or "long star" (長庚星; 长庚星).
  • Mars looks like fire and occurs irregularly, and is known as the "fire star" (熒惑星; 荧惑星 or 火星). Mars is the punisher in Chinese mythology. When Mars is near Antares (心宿二), it is a bad omen and can forecast an emperor's death or a chancellor's removal (荧惑守心).
  • Jupiter's revolution period is 11.86 years, so Jupiter is called the "age star" (歲星; 岁星); 30° of Jupiter's revolution is about a year on earth.
  • Saturn's revolution period is about 28 years. Known as the "guard star" (鎮星), Saturn guards one of the 28 Mansions every year.

The Big Dipper is the celestial compass, and its handle's direction determines the season and month. The stars are divided into Three Enclosures and 28 Mansions according to their location in the sky relative to Ursa Minor, at the center. Each mansion is named with a character describing the shape of its principal asterism. The Three Enclosures are Purple Forbidden, (紫微), Supreme Palace (太微), and Heavenly Market. (天市) The eastern mansions are , , , , , , . Southern mansions are , , , , , , . Western mansions are , , , , , , . Northern mansions are , , , , , , . The moon moves through about one lunar mansion per day, so the 28 mansions were also used to count days. In the Tang dynasty, Yuan Tiangang (袁天罡) matched the 28 mansions, seven luminaries and yearly animal signs to yield combinations such as "horn-wood-flood dragon" (角木蛟).

Codes edit

Several coding systems are used to avoid ambiguity. The Heavenly Stems is a decimal system. The Earthly Branches, a duodecimal system, mark dual hours (; ; shí or 時辰; 时辰; shíchen) and climatic terms. The 12 characters progress from the first day with the same branch as the month (first Yín day (寅日) of Zhēngyuè; first Mǎo day (卯日) of Èryuè), and count the days of the month.

The stem-branches is a sexagesimal system. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches make up 60 stem-branches. The stem branches mark days and years. The five Wu Xing elements are assigned to each stem, branch, or stem branch.

Day edit

 
Explanatory chart for traditional Chinese time

China has used the Western hour-minute-second system to divide the day since the Qing dynasty.[21] Several era-dependent systems had been in use; systems using multiples of twelve and ten were popular, since they could be easily counted and aligned with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

Week edit

As early as the Bronze Age Xia dynasty, days were grouped into nine- or ten-day weeks known as xún ().[22] Months consisted of three xún. The first 10 days were the early xún (上旬), the middle 10 the mid xún (中旬), and the last nine (or 10) days were the late xún (下旬). Japan adopted this pattern, with 10-day-weeks known as jun (). In Korea, they were known as sun (,).

The structure of xún led to public holidays every five or ten days. Officials of the Han dynasty were legally required to rest every five days (twice a xún, or 5–6 times a month). The name of these breaks became huan (; , "wash").

Grouping days into sets of ten is still used today in referring to specific natural events. "Three Fu" (三伏), a 29–30-day period which is the hottest of the year, reflects its three-xún length.[23] After the winter solstice, nine sets of nine days were counted to calculate the end of winter.[24]

The seven-day week was adopted from the Hellenistic system by the 4th century AD[citation needed], although its method of transmission into China is unclear. It was again transmitted to China in the 8th century by Manichaeans via Kangju (a Central Asian kingdom near Samarkand),[25][a][b] and is the most-used system in modern China.

Month edit

Months are defined by the time between new moons, which averages approximately 29+1732 days. There is no specified length of any particular Chinese month, so the first month could have 29 days (short month, 小月) in some years and 30 days (long month, 大月) in other years.

A 12-month-year using this system has 354 days, which would drift significantly from the tropical year. To fix this, traditional Chinese years have a 13-month year approximately once every three years. The 13-month version has the same long and short months alternating, but adds a 30-day leap month (閏月; rùnyuè). Years with 12 months are called common years, and 13-month years are known as long years.

Although most of the above rules were used until the Tang dynasty, different eras used different systems to keep lunar and solar years aligned. The synodic month of the Taichu calendar was 29+4381 days long. The 7th-century, Tang-dynasty Wùyín Yuán Calendar was the first to determine month length by synodic month instead of the cycling method. Since then, month lengths have primarily been determined by observation and prediction.

The days of the month are always written with two characters and numbered beginning with 1. Days one to 10 are written with the day's numeral, preceded by the character Chū (); Chūyī (初一) is the first day of the month, and Chūshí (初十) the 10th. Days 11 to 20 are written as regular Chinese numerals; Shíwǔ (十五) is the 15th day of the month, and Èrshí (二十) the 20th. Days 21 to 29 are written with the character Niàn (廿) before the characters one through nine; Niànsān (廿三), for example, is the 23rd day of the month. Day 30 (when applicable) is written as the numeral Sānshí (三十).

History books use days of the month numbered with the 60 stem-branches:

天聖元年…二月…丁巳,奉安太祖、太宗御容于南京鴻慶宮.
Tiānshèng 1st year…ÈryuèDīngsì, the emperor's funeral was at his temple, and the imperial portrait was installed in Nanjing's Hongqing Palace.

— History of Song Dynasty, "卷009"  [Volume 9]. 宋史  [History of Song Dynasty] (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.

Because astronomical observation determines month length, dates on the calendar correspond to moon phases. The first day of each month is the new moon. On the seventh or eighth day of each month, the first-quarter moon is visible in the afternoon and early evening. On the 15th or 16th day of each month, the full moon is visible all night. On the 22nd or 23rd day of each month, the last-quarter moon is visible late at night and in the morning.

Since the beginning of the month is determined by when the new moon occurs, other countries using this calendar use their own time standards to calculate it; this results in deviations. The first new moon in 1968 was at 16:29 UTC on 29 January. Since North Vietnam used UTC+07:00 to calculate their Vietnamese calendar and South Vietnam used UTC+08:00 (Beijing time) to calculate theirs, North Vietnam began the Tết holiday at 29 January at 23:29 while South Vietnam began it on 30 January at 00:15. The time difference allowed asynchronous attacks in the Tet Offensive.[20]

Names of months edit

Lunar months were originally named according to natural phenomena. Current naming conventions use numbers as the month names. Every month is also associated with one of the twelve Earthly Branches.

Month number Starts on Gregorian date Phenological name Earthly Branch name Modern name
1 between 21 January – 20 February * 陬月; zōuyuè; 'corner month'. square of Pegasus month 寅月; yínyuè; 'tiger month' 正月; zhēngyuè; 'first month'
2 between 20 February – 21 March * 杏月; xìngyuè; 'apricot month' 卯月; mǎoyuè; 'rabbit month' 二月; èryuè; 'second month'
3 between 21 March – 20 April * 桃月; táoyuè; 'peach month' 辰月; chényuè; 'dragon month' 三月; sānyuè; 'third month'
4 between 20 April – 21 May * 梅月; méiyuè; 'plum month' 巳月; sìyuè; 'snake month' 四月; sìyuè; 'fourth month'
5 between 21 May – 21 June * 榴月; liúyuè; 'pomegranate month' 午月; wǔyuè; 'horse month' 五月; wǔyuè; 'fifth month'
6 between 21 June – 23 July * 荷月; héyuè; 'lotus month' 未月; wèiyuè; 'goat month' 六月; liùyuè; 'sixth month'
7 between 23 July – 23 August * 蘭月; 兰月; lányuè; 'orchid month' 申月; shēnyuè; 'monkey month' 七月; qīyuè; 'seventh month'
8 between 23 August – 23 September * 桂月; guìyuè; 'osmanthus month' 酉月; yǒuyuè; 'rooster month' 八月; bāyuè; 'eighth month'
9 between 23 September – 23 October * 菊月; júyuè; 'chrysanthemum month' 戌月; xūyuè; 'dog month' 九月; jiǔyuè; 'ninth month'
10 between 23 October – 22 November * 露月; lùyuè; 'dew month' 亥月; hàiyuè; 'pig month' 十月; shíyuè; 'tenth month'
11 between 22 November – 22 December * 冬月; dōngyuè; 'winter month'; 葭月; jiāyuè; 'reed month' 子月; zǐyuè; 'rat month' 冬月; dōngyuè; 'eleventh month'
12 between 22 December – 21 January * 冰月; bīngyuè; 'ice month' 丑月; chǒuyuè; 'ox month' 臘月; 腊月; làyuè; 'end-of-year month'
  • Gregorian dates are approximate and should be used with caution. Many years have intercalary months.

Chinese lunar date conventions edit

Though the numbered month names are often used for the corresponding month number in the Gregorian calendar, it is important to realize that the numbered month names are not interchangeable with the Gregorian months when talking about lunar dates.

One may identify the heavenly stem and earthly branch corresponding to a particular day in the month, and those corresponding to its month, and those to its year, to determine the Four Pillars of Destiny associated with it, for which the Tung Shing, also referred to as the Chinese Almanac of the year, or the Huangli, and containing the essential information concerning Chinese astrology, is the most convenient publication to consult. Days rotate through a sexagenary cycle marked by coordination between heavenly stems and earthly branches, hence the referral to the Four Pillars of Destiny as, "Bazi", or "Birth Time Eight Characters", with each pillar consisting of a character for its corresponding heavenly stem, and another for its earthly branch. Since Huangli days are sexagenaric, their order is quite independent of their numeric order in each month, and of their numeric order within a week (referred to as True Animals in relation to the Chinese zodiac). Therefore, it does require painstaking calculation for one to arrive at the Four Pillars of Destiny of a particular given date, which rarely outpaces the convenience of simply consulting the Huangli by looking up its Gregorian date.

Solar term edit

The solar year (; ; Suì), the time between winter solstices, is divided into 24 solar terms known as jié qì (節氣). Each term is a 15° portion of the ecliptic. These solar terms mark both Western and Chinese seasons, as well as equinoxes, solstices, and other Chinese events. The even solar terms (marked with "Z", for Chinese: 中氣, Zhongqi) are considered the major terms, while the odd solar terms (marked with "J", for Chinese: 節氣, Jieqi) are deemed minor.[26] The solar terms qīng míng (清明) on 5 April and dōng zhì (冬至) on 22 December are both celebrated events in China.[26]

24 Jié Qì (節氣)
Number Name Chinese marker Event Approximate Date Corresponding Astrological Sign
J1 Lì chūn 立春 Beginning of spring 5 February
Z1 Yǔ shuǐ 雨水 Rain water 19 February Pisces
J2 Jīng zhé 驚蟄;惊蛰 Waking of insects 6 March
Z2 Chūn fēn 春分 Spring divide 21 March Aries
J3 Qīng míng 清明 Pure brightness 5 April
Z3 Gǔ yǔ 穀雨;谷雨 Grain rain 20 April Taurus
J4 Lì xià 立夏 Beginning of summer 6 May
Z4 Xiǎo mǎn 小滿;小满 Grain full 21 May Gemini
J5 Máng zhòng 芒種;芒种 Grain in ear 6 June
Z5 Xià zhì 夏至 Summer extremity 22 June Cancer
J6 Xiǎo shǔ 小暑 Slight heat 7 July
Z6 Dà shǔ 大暑 Great heat 23 July Leo
J7 Lì qiū 立秋 Beginning of autumn 8 August
Z7 Chǔ shǔ 處暑;处署 Limit of heat 23 August Virgo
J8 Bái lù 白露 White dew 8 September
Z8 Qiū fēn 秋分 Autumn divide 23 September Libra
J9 Hán lù 寒露 Cold dew 8 October
Z9 Shuāng jiàng 霜降 Descent of frost 24 October Scorpio
J10 Lì dōng 立冬 Beginning of winter 8 November
Z10 Xiǎo xuě 小雪 Slight snow 22 November Sagittarius
J11 Dà xuě 大雪 Great snow 7 December
Z11 Dōng zhì 冬至 Winter extremity 22 December Capricorn
J12 Xiǎo hán 小寒 Slight cold 6 January
Z12 Dà hán 大寒 Great cold 20 January Aquarius

Solar year edit

The calendar solar year, known as the suì, (; ) begins on the December solstice and proceeds through the 24 solar terms.[26] Since the speed of the Sun's apparent motion in the elliptical is variable, the time between major solar terms is not fixed. This variation in time between major solar terms results in different solar year lengths. There are generally 11 or 12 complete months, plus two incomplete months around the winter solstice, in a solar year. The complete months are numbered from 0 to 10, and the incomplete months are considered the 11th month. If there are 12 complete months in the solar year, it is known as a leap solar year, or leap suì[26].

Due to the inconsistencies in the length of the solar year, different versions of the traditional calendar might have different average solar year lengths. For example, one solar year of the 1st century BCE Tàichū calendar is 365+3851539 (365.25016) days. A solar year of the 13th-century Shòushí calendar is 365+97400 (365.2425) days, identical to the Gregorian calendar. The additional .00766 day from the Tàichū calendar leads to a one-day shift every 130.5 years.

Pairs of solar terms are climate terms, or solar months. The first solar term is "pre-climate" (節氣; 节气; Jiéqì), and the second is "mid-climate" (中氣; 中气; Zhōngqì).

If there are 12 complete months within a solar year,[27] the first month without a mid-climate is the leap, or intercalary, month. In other words, the first month that does not include a major solar term is the leap month.[26] Leap months are numbered with rùn , the character for "intercalary", plus the name of the month they follow. In 2017, the intercalary month after month six was called Rùn Liùyuè, or "intercalary sixth month" (閏六月) and written as 6i or 6+. The next intercalary month (in 2020, after month four) will be called Rùn Sìyuè (閏四月) and written 4i or 4+.

Lunisolar year edit

The lunisolar year begins with the first spring month, Zhēngyuè (正月; 'capital month'), and ends with the last winter month, Làyuè (臘月; 腊月; 'sacrificial month'). All other months are named for their number in the month order. See below on the timing of the Chinese New Year.

Years were traditionally numbered by the reign in ancient China, but this was abolished after founding the People's Republic of China in 1949. For example, the year from 12 February 2021 to 31 January 2022 was a Xīnchǒu year (辛丑年) of 12 months or 354 days.

The Tang dynasty used the Earthly Branches to mark the months from December 761 to May 762.[28] Over this period, the year began with the winter solstice.

Age reckoning edit

In China, a person's official age is based on the Gregorian calendar. For traditional use, age is based on the Chinese Sui calendar. A child is considered one year old a hundred days after birth (9 months gestation plus 3 months). After each Chinese New Year, one year is added to their traditional age. Their age therefore is the number of Chinese years which have passed. Due to the potential for confusion, the age of infants is often given in months instead of years.

After the Gregorian calendar was introduced in China, the Chinese traditional-age was referred to as the "nominal age" (虛歲; 虚岁; xūsuì; 'incomplete age') and the Gregorian age was known as the "real age" (實歲; 实岁; shísùi; 'whole age').

Year-numbering systems edit

Eras edit

Ancient China numbered years from an emperor's ascension to the throne or his declaration of a new era name. The first recorded reign title was Jiànyuán (建元), from 140 BCE; the last reign title was Xuāntǒng (宣統; 宣统), from 1908 CE. The era system was abolished in 1912, after which the current or Republican era was used.

Stem-branches edit

The 60 stem-branches have been used to mark the date since the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). Astrologers knew that the orbital period of Jupiter is about 12×361 = 4332 days, which they divided period into 12 years (; ; suì) of 361 days each. The stem-branches system solved the era system's problem of unequal reign lengths.

 
Hubei military government founded ROC Gazette (中華民國公報), dated YE 4609-10-15 (黃帝紀元4609年10月15日, yyyy-mm-dd)
Continuous numbering edit

Nomenclature similar to that of the Christian era has occasionally been used:[29]

Era Chinese name Start Year 1 2023 CE is year...
Yellow Emperor (Huángdì) year 黄帝紀年 Yellow Emperor (YE) began reigning 2697 BCE or 2698 BCE 4720 or 4721
Yáo year 唐堯紀年 Emperor Yao began reigning 2156 BCE 4179
Gònghé year 共和紀年 Gonghe Regency began 841 BCE 2864
Confucius year 孔子紀年 Confucius's birth year 551 BCE 2574
Unity year 統一紀年 Qin Shi Huang began reigning 221 BCE 2244

No reference date is universally accepted. The most popular is the Gregorian calendar (公曆; 公历; gōnglì; 'common calendar').

During the 17th century, the Jesuits tried to determine the epochal year of the Han calendar. In his Sinicae historiae decas prima (published in Munich in 1658), Martino Martini (1614–1661) dated the Yellow Emperor's ascension at 2697 BCE and began the Chinese calendar with the reign of Fuxi (which, according to Martini, began in 2952 BCE). Philippe Couplet's 1686 Chronological table of Chinese monarchs (Tabula chronologica monarchiae sinicae) gave the same date for the Yellow Emperor. The Jesuits' dates provoked interest in Europe, where they were used for comparison with Biblical chronology.[citation needed] Modern Chinese chronology has generally accepted Martini's dates, except that it usually places the reign of the Yellow Emperor at 2698 BCE and omits his predecessors Fuxi and Shennong as "too legendary to include".[This quote needs a citation]

Publications began using the estimated birth date of the Yellow Emperor as the first year of the Han calendar in 1903, with newspapers and magazines proposing different dates. Jiangsu province counted 1905 as the year 4396 (using a year 1 of 2491 BCE, and implying that 2023 CE is 4514), and the newspaper Ming Pao (明報) reckoned 1905 as 4603 (using a year 1 of 2698 BCE, and implying that 2023 CE is 4721).[citation needed] Liu Shipei (劉師培, 1884–1919) created the Yellow Emperor Calendar (黃帝紀元, 黃帝曆 or 軒轅紀年), with year 1 as the birth of the emperor (which he determined as 2711 BCE, implying that 2023 CE is 4734).[30] There is no evidence that this calendar was used before the 20th century.[31] Liu calculated that the 1900 international expedition sent by the Eight-Nation Alliance to suppress the Boxer Rebellion entered Beijing in the 4611th year of the Yellow Emperor.

Tauists later adopted Yellow Emperor Calendar and named it Tau Calendar (道曆).

On 2 January 1912, Sun Yat-sen announced changes to the official calendar and era. 1 January was 14 Shíyīyuè 4609 Huángdì year, assuming a year 1 of 2698 BCE, making 2023 CE year 4721. Many overseas Chinese communities like San Francisco's Chinatown adopted the change.[20]

Chinese New Year edit

The date of the Chinese New Year accords with the patterns of the lunisolar calendar and hence is variable from year to year.

The invariant between years is that the winter solstice, Dongzhi is required to be in the eleventh month of the year.[32]: 313  This means that Chinese New Year will be on the second new moon after the previous winter solstice, unless there is a leap month 11 or 12 in the previous year.[20]: 31–32 [32]: 313–316 

This rule is accurate, however there are two other mostly (but not completely) accurate rules that are commonly stated:[20]: 31–32 [26]

  • The new year is on the new moon closest to Lichun (typically 4 February).
  • The new year is on the first new moon after Dahan (typically 20 January)

It has been found that Chinese New Year moves back by either 10, 11, or 12 days in most years. If it falls on or before 31 January, then it moves forward in the next year by either 18, 19, or 20 days.[26]

Phenology edit

The plum-rains season (梅雨), the rainy season in late spring and early summer, begins on the first bǐng day after Mangzhong (芒種) and ends on the first wèi day after Xiaoshu (小暑). The Three Fu (三伏; sānfú) are three periods of hot weather, counted from the first gēng day after the summer solstice. The first fu (初伏; chūfú) is 10 days long. The mid-fu (中伏; zhōngfú) is 10 or 20 days long. The last fu (末伏; mòfú) is 10 days from the first gēng day after the beginning of autumn.[23] The Shujiu cold days (數九; shǔjǐu; 'counting to nine') are the 81 days after the winter solstice (divided into nine sets of nine days), and are considered the coldest days of the year. Each nine-day unit is known by its order in the set, followed by "nine" ().[33] In traditional Chinese culture, "nine" represents the infinity, which is also the number of "Yang". People believe that the nine times accumulation of "Yang" gradually reduces the "Yin", and finally the weather becomes warm.[34]

Common holidays based on the Chinese (lunisolar) calendar edit

There are several traditional and religious holidays shared by communities throughout the world that use the Chinese (Lunisolar) calendar:

Holidays with the same day and same month edit

The Chinese New Year (known as the Spring Festival/春節 in China) is on the first day of the first month and was traditionally called the Yuan Dan (元旦) or Zheng Ri (正日). In Vietnam, it is known as Tết Nguyên Đán (節元旦) and in Korea, it is known as 설날. Traditionally it was the most important holiday of the year. It is an official holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Mauritius. It is also a public holiday in Thailand's Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and Satun provinces and is an official public school holiday in New York City.

The Double Third Festival is on the third day of the third month and in Korea is known as 삼짇날 (samjinnal).

The Dragon Boat Festival, or the Duanwu Festival (端午節), is on the fifth day of the fifth month and is an official holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. It is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Tết Đoan Ngọ (節端午) and in Korea where it is known as 단오 (端午) (Dano) or 수릿날 (戌衣日/水瀨日) (surinal) (both Hanja are used as they are homonyms).

The Qixi Festival (七夕節) is celebrated in the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month. It is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Thất tịch (七夕) and in Korea where is known as 칠석 (七夕) (chilseok).

The Double Ninth Festival (重陽節) is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month. It is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Tết Trùng Cửu (節重九) and in Korea where it is known as 중양절 (jungyangjeol).

Full moon holidays (holidays on the fifteenth day) edit

The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month and was traditionally called the Yuan Xiao (元宵) or Shang Yuan Festival (上元節). In Vietnam, it is known as Tết Thượng Nguyên (節上元) and in Korea, it is known as 대보름 (大보름) Daeboreum (or the Great Full Month).

The Zhong Yuan Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. In Vietnam, it is celebrated as Tết Trung Nguyên (中元節) or Lễ Vu Lan (禮盂蘭) and in Korea it is known as 백중 (百中/百種) Baekjong or 망혼일 (亡魂日) Manghongil (Deceased Spirit Day) or 중원 (中元) Jungwon.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. In Vietnam, it is celebrated as Tết Trung Thu (節中秋) and in Korea it is known as 추석 (秋夕) Chuseok.

The Xia Yuan Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the tenth month. In Vietnam, it is celebrated as Tết Hạ Nguyên (節下元).

Celebrations of the twelfth month edit

The Laba Festival is on the eighth day of the twelfth month. It is the enlightenment day of Sakyamuni Buddha and is celebrated in Korea as 성도재일 (seongdojaeil) and in Vietnam is known as Lễ Vía Phật Thích Ca Thành Đạo.

The Kitchen God Festival is celebrated on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month in northern regions of China and on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month in southern regions of China. In Vietnam it is known as Tết Táo Quân (節竈君).

Chinese New Year's Eve is also known as the Chuxi Festival and is celebrated on the evening of the last day of the lunar calendar. It is celebrated wherever the lunar calendar is observed.

Celebrations of solar-term holidays edit

The Qingming Festival (清明节) is celebrated on the fifteenth day after the Spring Equinox. It is celebrated in Vietnam as Tết Thanh Minh (節清明).

The Dongzhi Festival (冬至) or the Winter Solstice is celebrated as Lễ hội Đông Chí (禮會冬至) in Vietnam and as 동지 (冬至) in Korea.

Religious holidays based on the lunar calendar edit

East Asian Mahayana, Daoist, and some Cao Dai holidays and/or vegetarian observances are based on the Lunar Calendar.[35][36][37]

Celebrations in Japan edit

Many of the above holidays of the lunar calendar are also celebrated in Japan, but since the Meiji era on the similarly numbered dates of the Gregorian calendar.

Double celebrations due to intercalary months edit

In the case when there is a corresponding intercalary month, the holidays may be celebrated twice. For example, in the hypothetical situation in which there is an additional intercalary seventh month, the Zhong Yuan Festival will be celebrated in the seventh month followed by another celebration in the intercalary seventh month.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The 4th-century date, according to the Cihai encyclopedia,[year needed] is due to a reference to Fan Ning (範寧; 范宁), an astrologer of the Jin dynasty.[full citation needed]
  2. ^ The renewed adoption from Manichaeans by the 8th century (Tang dynasty) is documented by the writings of the Chinese Buddhist monk Yi Jing and the Ceylonese Buddhist monk Bu Kong.[full citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ "Alteplase/ramipril". Reactions Weekly. 1662 (1): 31. July 2017. doi:10.1007/s40278-017-33661-y. ISSN 0114-9954.
  2. ^ "国家标准 | GB/T 33661-2017".
  3. ^ Xiao, Fang; Zhang, Juwen; Long, Bill (2017). "The Predicament, Revitalization, and Future of Traditional Chinese Festivals". Western Folklore. 76 (2): 181–196. JSTOR 44790971.
  4. ^ Kennedy, E. S. (1964). "The Chinese-Uighur Calendar as Described in the Islamic Sources". Isis. 55 (4): 435–443. doi:10.1086/349900. JSTOR 228314. S2CID 144085088.
  5. ^ "第41篇五行"  [Chapter 41: Five Elements]. 管子  [Guanzi] (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
  6. ^ "第40篇四時"  [Chapter 40: Four Sections]. 管子  [Guanzi] (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
  7. ^ [A brief history of the development of Chinese Lunar calendar]. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  8. ^ Petersen, Jens Østergård (1992). "The Taiping Jing and the A.D. 102 Clepsydra Reform". Acta Orientalia. 53: 122–158. from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  9. ^ Needham, Joseph (1986) [1954]. Science and Civilization in China: Volume 3, Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth. Vol. 3. pp. 109–110. Bibcode:1959scc3.book.....N.
  10. ^ Ho, Peng Yoke (2000). Li, Qi, and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China. Mineola: Dover Publications. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-486-41445-4.
  11. ^ Restivo, Sal (1992). Mathematics in Society and History: Sociological Inquiries. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4020-0039-3.
  12. ^ Asiapac Editorial, ed. (2004). Origins of Chinese Science and Technology. Translated by Yang Liping; Y.N. Han. Singapore: Asiapac Books. p. 132. ISBN 978-981-229-376-3.
  13. ^ Sun Yat-sen (1982) [Telegram originally sent 1 January 1912]. 临时大总统改历改元通电 [Provisional President's open telegram on calendar change and era change]. 孙中山全集 [The Complete Works of Sun Yat-sen] (PDF). Vol. v. 2. Beijing: 中华书局. p. 5.
  14. ^ "Rules for the Chinese Calendar". ytliu0.github.io. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  15. ^ CAS, Purple Mountain Observatory (1986). New Edition of Wànniánlì, revised edition. Popular Science Press.
  16. ^ Stone, Richard (2 November 2007). "Scientists Fete China's Supreme Polymath". Science. 318 (5851): 733. doi:10.1126/science.318.5851.733. PMID 17975042. S2CID 162156995.
  17. ^ "本世纪仅有4次!闰二月为何少见?-新华网". www.news.cn. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  18. ^ Martzloff, Jean-Claude (1 September 2016). Astronomy and Calendars – The Other Chinese Mathematics: 104 BC - AD 1644. Springer. ISBN 978-3-662-49718-0.
  19. ^ 朱, 文鑫 (1934). 曆法通志 (in Chinese) (初版 ed.). Shanghai: 商務印書館.
  20. ^ a b c d e Aslaksen, Helmer (17 July 2010). (PDF). math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen. Department of Maths, National University of Singapore. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2005.
  21. ^ Sôma, Mitsuru; Kawabata, Kin-aki; Tanikawa, Kiyotaka (25 October 2004). "Units of Time in Ancient China and Japan". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 56 (5): 887–904. doi:10.1093/pasj/56.5.887.
  22. ^ 海上 (2005). Zhongguo ren de sui shi wen hua 中國人的歲時文化 [Timekeeping of the Chinese culture] (in Chinese). 岳麓書社. pp. 195. ISBN 978-7-80665-620-4.
  23. ^ a b 陳浩新. [Cold is in the Three Nines, heat is in the Three Fu]. Educational Resources – Hong Kong Observatory (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  24. ^ "数九从哪一天开始到哪一天结束 数九寒冬中的数九从什么时候开始". 万年历. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Days of the week in Japanese". CJVLang. from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g Aslaksen, Helmer. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  27. ^ In the modern calendar where the solar terms are defined using astronomical calculation, it is possible to have only 11 complete months but with a month without a mid-climate, as in year 2033.
  28. ^ "卷006"  [Volume 6]. 新唐書  [New Book of Tang] (in Chinese) – via Wikisource. 上元…。二年……,九月壬寅,大赦,去「乾元大圣光天文武孝感」号,去「上元」号,称元年,以十一月为岁首,月以斗所建辰为名。…。
    元年建子月癸巳[2],…。己亥[9],…。丙午[16],…。己酉[29],…。庚戌[30],…。[初一壬午大雪,十七冬至]
    建丑月辛亥[1],…。己未[9],…。乙亥[25],…。[初一辛亥,初三小寒,十八大寒]
    宝应元年建寅月甲申[4],…。乙酉[5],…。丙戌[3],…。甲辰[24],…。戊申[28],…。[初一辛巳,初三立春,十八雨水]
    建卯月辛亥[1],…。壬子[2],…。癸丑[3],…。乙丑[15],…。戊辰[18],…。庚午[20],…。壬申[22],…。[初一辛亥,初四惊蛰,十九春分]
    建辰月壬午[3],…。甲午[5],…。戊申[19],…。[初一庚辰,初五清明,二十谷雨]
    建巳月庚戌[1],…。壬子[3],…。甲寅[5],…。乙丑[16],…。大赦,改元年为宝应元年,复以正月为岁首,建巳月为四月。丙寅,…。[初一庚戌,初五甲寅立夏]。
  29. ^ Liu, Rong (2004). "[Subsidiary Relations in the Pre-Qin Period](春秋依附关系探讨)". 辽宁大学学报:哲社版 Journal of Liaoning University: Philosophy and Social Science Edition. 32 (6): 43–50.
  30. ^ (PDF). 1 August 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  31. ^ Cohen (2012), p. 1, 4.
  32. ^ a b Reingold, Edward M; Dershowitz, Nachum (2018). Calendrical Calculations (Ultimate ed.). Cambridge University press. ISBN 978-1-107-05762-3.
  33. ^ 孙蕾. "都说数九寒冬,可你知道"数九"怎么"数"?-新华网". m.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  34. ^ "五九六九沿河看柳……"数九"知识你知道多少?-新华网". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  35. ^ "2020 Buddhist Calendar". from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  36. ^ "Mahayana Buddhist Vegetarian Observances". from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  37. ^ [What are Some of the Holidays of Daoism?] (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2020.

Further reading edit

  • Cohen, Alvin P. (2012). "Brief Note: The Origin of the Yellow Emperor Era Chronology". Asia Major. 25 (2): 1–13. JSTOR 43486143.
  • Kai-Lung, Ho (2006). "The Political Power and the Mongolian Translation of the Chinese Calendar During the Yuan Dynasty". Central Asiatic Journal. 50 (1): 57–69. JSTOR 41928409.

External links edit

Calendars
  • Chinese months
  • Gregorian-Lunar calendar years (1901–2100)
  • Chinese calendar with Auspicious Events
  • Chinese Calendar Online
Calendar conversion
  • 2000-year Chinese-Western calendar converter From 1 CE to 2100 CE. Useful for historical studies. To use, put the western year 年 month 月day 日in the bottom row and click on 執行.
  • Western-Chinese calendar converter
Rules
  • The Structure of the Chinese Calendar

chinese, calendar, this, article, about, traditional, most, commonly, officially, used, calendar, modern, china, gregorian, calendar, adoption, gregorian, calendar, china, taiwan, confused, with, republic, china, calendar, this, article, multiple, issues, plea. This article is about the traditional Chinese calendar For the most commonly and officially used calendar in modern China see Gregorian calendar and Adoption of the Gregorian calendar China and Taiwan Not to be confused with Republic of China calendar This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Chinese calendar news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article is missing information about publications from astronomical 南京紫金山天文台 in PRC 國立中央研究院天文研究所 in the ROC 2033 problem zh due to Shixian changes ROC revisions leading up to 1929 紫金曆 system on which Taiwanese and Chinese standards are currently based on Please expand the article to include this information Further details may exist on the talk page February 2021 This article is missing information about Improvement across dynasties especially on ways to mitigate accumulation in error and calculation of leap months placement and respective situation as adapted across the East Asia outside China as well as political implication of the various calendar systems together with history on changes of which month being start of a year Please expand the article to include this information Further details may exist on the talk page February 2022 This article or section should specify the language of its non English content using lang transliteration for transliterated languages and IPA for phonetic transcriptions with an appropriate ISO 639 code Wikipedia s multilingual support templates may also be used notably zh for Chinese See why June 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar which identifies years months and days according to astronomical phenomena In China it is defined by the Chinese national standard GB T 33661 2017 1 2 Calculation and Promulgation of the Chinese Calendar issued by the Standardization Administration of China on May 12 2017 Traditional Chinese calendar also known as these five titles Nongli Calendar traditional Chinese 農曆 simplified Chinese 农历 pinyin nongli lit agricultural calendar Jiuli Calendar traditional Chinese 舊曆 simplified Chinese 旧历 pinyin jiuli Jyutping Gau6 Lik6 lit former calendar Laoli Calendar traditional Chinese 老曆 simplified Chinese 老历 pinyin lǎoli lit old calendar Zhongli Calendar traditional Chinese 中曆 simplified Chinese 中历 pinyin zhōngli Jyutping zung1 lik6 lit Chinese calendar Huali Calendar traditional Chinese 華曆 simplified Chinese 华历 pinyin huali Jyutping waa4 lik6 lit Chinese calendar Chinese calendarTraditional Chinese農曆Simplified Chinese农历TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinnongliYue CantoneseJyutpingnung4 lik62017 Chinese calendarPage of a Chinese calendar containing monthly information in the years Daoguang 14 16 corresponding to 1834 1836Although modern day China uses the Gregorian calendar the traditional Chinese calendar governs holidays such as the Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival in both China and overseas Chinese communities It also provides the traditional Chinese nomenclature of dates within a year which people use to select auspicious days for weddings funerals moving or starting a business 3 The evening state run news program Xinwen Lianbo in the People s Republic of China continues to announce the months and dates in both the Gregorian and the traditional lunisolar calendar Like Chinese characters variants of the Chinese calendar have been used in different parts of the Sinosphere throughout history Korea Vietnam and the Ryukyu Islands adopted the Chinese calendar In the respective regions the Chinese calendar has been adapted into the Korean Vietnamese and Ryukyuan calendars with the main difference from the Chinese calendar being the use of different meridians due to geography leading to some astronomical events and calendar events based on them falling on different dates The traditional Japanese calendar was also derived from the Chinese calendar based on a Japanese meridian but Japan abolished its official use in 1873 after Meiji Restoration reforms Calendars in Mongolia 4 and Tibet citation needed have absorbed elements of the traditional Chinese calendar but are not direct descendants of it Days begin and end at midnight and months begin on the day of the new moon Years start on the second or third new moon after the winter solstice Solar terms govern the beginning middle and end of each month A sexagenary cycle comprising the heavenly stems Chinese 干 pinyin gan and the earthly branches Chinese 支 pinyin zhi is used as identification alongside each year and month including intercalary months or leap months Months are also annotated as either long Chinese 大 lit big for months with 30 days or short Chinese 小 lit small for months with 29 days Contents 1 History 1 1 Solar calendars 1 2 Lunisolar calendars 1 2 1 Qin and early Han dynasties 1 2 2 Han Ming dynasties and Taichu calendar 1 3 Modern calendars 1 3 1 Shixian calendar 1 3 2 Proposals 1 4 Outlying areas 2 Structure 2 1 Elements 2 2 Features 2 3 Codes 2 4 Day 2 5 Week 2 6 Month 2 6 1 Names of months 2 6 2 Chinese lunar date conventions 2 7 Solar term 2 8 Solar year 2 9 Lunisolar year 2 9 1 Age reckoning 2 9 2 Year numbering systems 2 9 2 1 Eras 2 9 2 2 Stem branches 2 9 2 3 Continuous numbering 2 10 Chinese New Year 2 11 Phenology 3 Common holidays based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar 3 1 Holidays with the same day and same month 3 2 Full moon holidays holidays on the fifteenth day 3 3 Celebrations of the twelfth month 3 4 Celebrations of solar term holidays 3 5 Religious holidays based on the lunar calendar 3 6 Celebrations in Japan 3 7 Double celebrations due to intercalary months 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksHistory editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Solar calendars edit nbsp Five phase and four quarter calendarsThe traditional Chinese calendar was developed between 771 and 476 BCE during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty Solar calendars were used before the Zhou dynasty period One version of the solar calendar is the five elements calendar 五行曆 五行历 which derives from the Wu Xing A 365 day year was divided into five phases of 73 days with each phase corresponding to a Day 1 Wu Xing element A phase began with a governing element day 行御 followed by six 12 day weeks Each phase consisted of two three week months making each year ten months long Years began on a jiǎzǐ 甲子 day and a 72 day wood phase followed by a bǐngzǐ day 丙子 and a 72 day fire phase a wuzǐ 戊子 day and a 72 day earth phase a gengzǐ 庚子 day and a 72 day metal phase and a renzǐ day 壬子 followed by a water phase 5 Other days were tracked using the Yellow River Map He Tu Another version is a four quarters calendar 四時八節曆 四时八节历 four sections eight seasons calendar or 四分曆 四分历 The weeks were ten days long with one month consisting of three weeks A year had 12 months with a ten day week intercalated in summer as needed to keep up with the tropical year The 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches were used to mark days 6 A third version is the balanced calendar 調曆 调历 A year was 365 25 days and a month was 29 5 days After every 16th month a half month was intercalated According to oracle bone records the Shang dynasty calendar c 1600 c 1046 BCE was a balanced calendar with 12 to 14 months in a year the month after the winter solstice was Zhengyue 7 Lunisolar calendars edit The first lunisolar calendar was the Zhou calendar 周曆 周历 introduced under the Zhou dynasty This calendar sets the beginning of the year at the day of the new moon before the winter solstice Several competing lunisolar calendars were also introduced especially by states fighting Zhou control during the Warring States period The state of Lu issued its own Lu calendar 魯曆 鲁历 Jin issued the Xia calendar 夏曆 夏历 8 with a year beginning on the day of the new moon nearest the March equinox Qin issued the Zhuanxu calendar 顓頊曆 颛顼历 with a year beginning on the day of the new moon nearest the winter solstice Song s Yin calendar 殷曆 殷历 began its year on the day of the new moon after the winter solstice These calendars are known as the six ancient calendars 古六曆 古六历 or quarter remainder calendars 四分曆 四分历 sifenli since all calculate a year as 365 1 4 days long Months begin on the day of the new moon and a year has 12 or 13 months Intercalary months a 13th month are added to the end of the year The Qiang and Dai calendars are modern versions of the Zhuanxu calendar used by mountain peoples Qin and early Han dynasties edit After Qin Shi Huang unified China under the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE the Qin calendar 秦曆 秦历 was introduced It followed most of the rules governing the Zhuanxu calendar but the month order was that of the Xia calendar the year began with month 10 and ended with month 9 analogous to a Gregorian calendar beginning in October and ending in September The intercalary month known as the second Jiǔyue 後九月 后九月 later Jiǔyue was placed at the end of the year The Qin calendar was used going into the Han dynasty Han Ming dynasties and Taichu calendar edit Emperor Wu of Han r 141 87 BCE introduced reforms halfway through his reign His Taichu Calendar 太初曆 太初历 grand beginning calendar defined a solar year as 365 385 1539 days and the lunar month had 29 43 81 days Since 365 385 1539 19 29 43 81 19 12 7 displaystyle left 365 frac 385 1539 right times 19 left 29 frac 43 81 right times left 19 times 12 7 right nbsp the 19 years cycle used for the 7 additional months was taken as an exact one and not as an approximation This calendar introduced the 24 solar terms dividing the year into 24 equal parts Solar terms were paired with the 12 combined periods known as climate terms The first solar term of the period was known as a pre climate 节气 and the second was a mid climate 中气 Months were named for the mid climate to which they were closest and a month without a mid climate was an intercalary month citation needed The Taichu calendar established a framework for traditional calendars with later calendars adding to the basic formula The Daming Calendar 大明曆 大明历 brightest calendar created in the Liang dynasty by Zu Chongzhi introduced the equinoxes The use of syzygy to determine the lunar month was first described in the Tang dynasty Wuyin Yuan Calendar 戊寅元曆 戊寅元历 earth tiger epoch calendar The Yuan dynasty Shoushi calendar 授時曆 授时历 season granting calendar used spherical trigonometry to find the length of the tropical year 9 10 11 The calendar had a 365 2425 day year identical to the Gregorian calendar 12 Modern calendars edit Although the Chinese calendar lost its place as the country s official calendar at the beginning of the 20th century 13 its use has continued The Republic of China Calendar published by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China still listed the dates of the Chinese calendar in addition to the Gregorian calendar In 1929 the Nationalist government tried to ban the traditional Chinese calendar The Kuomin Calendar published by the government no longer listed the dates of the Chinese calendar However Chinese people were used to the traditional calendar and many traditional customs were based on the Chinese calendar The ban failed and was lifted in 1934 14 The latest Chinese calendar was New Edition of Wannianli revised edition edited by Beijing Purple Mountain Observatory People s Republic of China 15 Shixian calendar edit Main article Chongzhen calendar During the late Ming dynasty the Chinese Emperor appointed Xu Guangqi in 1629 to be the leader of the ShiXian calendar reform Assisted by Jesuits he translated Western astronomical works and introduced new concepts such as those of Nicolaus Copernicus Johannes Kepler Galileo Galilei and Tycho Brahe however the new calendar was not released before the end of the dynasty In the early Qing dynasty Johann Adam Schall von Bell submitted the calendar which was edited by the lead of Xu Guangqi to the Shunzhi Emperor 16 The Qing government issued it as the Shixian seasonal calendar In this calendar the solar terms are 15 each along the ecliptic and it can be used as a solar calendar However the length of the climate term near the perihelion is less than 30 days and there may be two mid climate terms The Shixian calendar changed the mid climate term rule to decide the month in sequence except the intercalary month 17 The present traditional calendar follows the Shixian calendar except The baseline is Chinese Standard Time rather than Beijing local time Modern astronomical data rather than mathematical calculations is used Proposals edit To optimize the Chinese calendar astronomers have proposed a number of changes Gao Pingzi 高平子 1888 1970 a Chinese astronomer who co founded the Purple Mountain Observatory proposed that month numbers be calculated before the new moon and solar terms to be rounded to the day Since the intercalary month is determined by the first month without a mid climate and the mid climate time varies by time zone countries that adopted the calendar but calculate with their own time could vary from the time in China 18 Outlying areas edit Calendars of ethnic groups in mountains and plateaus of southwestern China and grasslands of northern China are based on their phenology and algorithms of traditional calendars of different periods particularly the Tang and pre Qin dynasties 19 Structure editElements edit The traditional Chinese calendar s elements are Day 日 ri from one midnight to the next Month 月 yue the time from one new moon to the next These synodic months are about 29 17 32 days long Date 日期 riqi when a day occurs in the month Days are numbered in sequence from 1 to 29 or 30 Year 年 nian time of one revolution of Earth around the Sun It is measured from the first day of spring lunisolar year or the winter solstice solar year A year is about 365 31 128 days Zodiac 1 12 year or 30 on the ecliptic A zodiac is about 30 7 16 days Solar term 節氣 jieqi 1 24 year or 15 on the ecliptic A solar term is about 15 7 32 days Calendar month 日曆月 rili yue when a month occurs within a year Some months may be repeated Calendar year 日曆月年 rili nian when it is agreed that one year ends and another begins The year usually begins on the new moon closest to Lichun the first day of spring 20 This is typically the second and sometimes third new moon after the winter solstice A calendar year is 353 355 or 383 385 days long The Chinese calendar is lunisolar similar to the Hindu Hebrew and ancient Babylonian calendars Features edit The movements of the Sun Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn known as the seven luminaries are the references for calendar calculations The distance between Mercury and the sun is less than 30 the sun s height at chenshi 辰時 8 00 to 10 00 am so Mercury was sometimes called the chen star 辰星 it is more commonly known as the water star 水星 Venus appears at dawn and dusk and is known as the bright star 啟明星 启明星 or long star 長庚星 长庚星 Mars looks like fire and occurs irregularly and is known as the fire star 熒惑星 荧惑星 or 火星 Mars is the punisher in Chinese mythology When Mars is near Antares 心宿二 it is a bad omen and can forecast an emperor s death or a chancellor s removal 荧惑守心 Jupiter s revolution period is 11 86 years so Jupiter is called the age star 歲星 岁星 30 of Jupiter s revolution is about a year on earth Saturn s revolution period is about 28 years Known as the guard star 鎮星 Saturn guards one of the 28 Mansions every year The Big Dipper is the celestial compass and its handle s direction determines the season and month The stars are divided into Three Enclosures and 28 Mansions according to their location in the sky relative to Ursa Minor at the center Each mansion is named with a character describing the shape of its principal asterism The Three Enclosures are Purple Forbidden 紫微 Supreme Palace 太微 and Heavenly Market 天市 The eastern mansions are 角 亢 氐 房 心 尾 箕 Southern mansions are 井 鬼 柳 星 張 翼 轸 Western mansions are 奎 婁 胃 昴 畢 參 觜 Northern mansions are 斗 牛 女 虛 危 室 壁 The moon moves through about one lunar mansion per day so the 28 mansions were also used to count days In the Tang dynasty Yuan Tiangang 袁天罡 matched the 28 mansions seven luminaries and yearly animal signs to yield combinations such as horn wood flood dragon 角木蛟 Codes edit Several coding systems are used to avoid ambiguity The Heavenly Stems is a decimal system The Earthly Branches a duodecimal system mark dual hours 時 时 shi or 時辰 时辰 shichen and climatic terms The 12 characters progress from the first day with the same branch as the month first Yin day 寅日 of Zhengyue first Mǎo day 卯日 of Eryue and count the days of the month The stem branches is a sexagesimal system The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches make up 60 stem branches The stem branches mark days and years The five Wu Xing elements are assigned to each stem branch or stem branch Day edit Main article Traditional Chinese timekeeping nbsp Explanatory chart for traditional Chinese timeChina has used the Western hour minute second system to divide the day since the Qing dynasty 21 Several era dependent systems had been in use systems using multiples of twelve and ten were popular since they could be easily counted and aligned with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Week edit For more information on the adoption of the seven day week see Names of the days of the week East Asian tradition For more information on the ten day week see Decan As early as the Bronze Age Xia dynasty days were grouped into nine or ten day weeks known as xun 旬 22 Months consisted of three xun The first 10 days were the early xun 上旬 the middle 10 the mid xun 中旬 and the last nine or 10 days were the late xun 下旬 Japan adopted this pattern with 10 day weeks known as jun 旬 In Korea they were known as sun 순 旬 The structure of xun led to public holidays every five or ten days Officials of the Han dynasty were legally required to rest every five days twice a xun or 5 6 times a month The name of these breaks became huan 澣 浣 wash Grouping days into sets of ten is still used today in referring to specific natural events Three Fu 三伏 a 29 30 day period which is the hottest of the year reflects its three xun length 23 After the winter solstice nine sets of nine days were counted to calculate the end of winter 24 The seven day week was adopted from the Hellenistic system by the 4th century AD citation needed although its method of transmission into China is unclear It was again transmitted to China in the 8th century by Manichaeans via Kangju a Central Asian kingdom near Samarkand 25 a b and is the most used system in modern China Month edit Months are defined by the time between new moons which averages approximately 29 17 32 days There is no specified length of any particular Chinese month so the first month could have 29 days short month 小月 in some years and 30 days long month 大月 in other years A 12 month year using this system has 354 days which would drift significantly from the tropical year To fix this traditional Chinese years have a 13 month year approximately once every three years The 13 month version has the same long and short months alternating but adds a 30 day leap month 閏月 runyue Years with 12 months are called common years and 13 month years are known as long years Although most of the above rules were used until the Tang dynasty different eras used different systems to keep lunar and solar years aligned The synodic month of the Taichu calendar was 29 43 81 days long The 7th century Tang dynasty Wuyin Yuan Calendar was the first to determine month length by synodic month instead of the cycling method Since then month lengths have primarily been determined by observation and prediction The days of the month are always written with two characters and numbered beginning with 1 Days one to 10 are written with the day s numeral preceded by the character Chu 初 Chuyi 初一 is the first day of the month and Chushi 初十 the 10th Days 11 to 20 are written as regular Chinese numerals Shiwǔ 十五 is the 15th day of the month and Ershi 二十 the 20th Days 21 to 29 are written with the character Nian 廿 before the characters one through nine Niansan 廿三 for example is the 23rd day of the month Day 30 when applicable is written as the numeral Sanshi 三十 History books use days of the month numbered with the 60 stem branches 天聖元年 二月 丁巳 奉安太祖 太宗御容于南京鴻慶宮 Tiansheng 1st year Eryue Dingsi the emperor s funeral was at his temple and the imperial portrait was installed in Nanjing s Hongqing Palace History of Song Dynasty 卷009 Volume 9 宋史 History of Song Dynasty in Chinese via Wikisource Because astronomical observation determines month length dates on the calendar correspond to moon phases The first day of each month is the new moon On the seventh or eighth day of each month the first quarter moon is visible in the afternoon and early evening On the 15th or 16th day of each month the full moon is visible all night On the 22nd or 23rd day of each month the last quarter moon is visible late at night and in the morning Since the beginning of the month is determined by when the new moon occurs other countries using this calendar use their own time standards to calculate it this results in deviations The first new moon in 1968 was at 16 29 UTC on 29 January Since North Vietnam used UTC 07 00 to calculate their Vietnamese calendar and South Vietnam used UTC 08 00 Beijing time to calculate theirs North Vietnam began the Tết holiday at 29 January at 23 29 while South Vietnam began it on 30 January at 00 15 The time difference allowed asynchronous attacks in the Tet Offensive 20 Names of months edit Lunar months were originally named according to natural phenomena Current naming conventions use numbers as the month names Every month is also associated with one of the twelve Earthly Branches Month number Starts on Gregorian date Phenological name Earthly Branch name Modern name1 between 21 January 20 February 陬月 zōuyue corner month square of Pegasus month 寅月 yinyue tiger month 正月 zhengyue first month 2 between 20 February 21 March 杏月 xingyue apricot month 卯月 mǎoyue rabbit month 二月 eryue second month 3 between 21 March 20 April 桃月 taoyue peach month 辰月 chenyue dragon month 三月 sanyue third month 4 between 20 April 21 May 梅月 meiyue plum month 巳月 siyue snake month 四月 siyue fourth month 5 between 21 May 21 June 榴月 liuyue pomegranate month 午月 wǔyue horse month 五月 wǔyue fifth month 6 between 21 June 23 July 荷月 heyue lotus month 未月 weiyue goat month 六月 liuyue sixth month 7 between 23 July 23 August 蘭月 兰月 lanyue orchid month 申月 shenyue monkey month 七月 qiyue seventh month 8 between 23 August 23 September 桂月 guiyue osmanthus month 酉月 yǒuyue rooster month 八月 bayue eighth month 9 between 23 September 23 October 菊月 juyue chrysanthemum month 戌月 xuyue dog month 九月 jiǔyue ninth month 10 between 23 October 22 November 露月 luyue dew month 亥月 haiyue pig month 十月 shiyue tenth month 11 between 22 November 22 December 冬月 dōngyue winter month 葭月 jiayue reed month 子月 zǐyue rat month 冬月 dōngyue eleventh month 12 between 22 December 21 January 冰月 bingyue ice month 丑月 chǒuyue ox month 臘月 腊月 layue end of year month Gregorian dates are approximate and should be used with caution Many years have intercalary months Chinese lunar date conventions edit Though the numbered month names are often used for the corresponding month number in the Gregorian calendar it is important to realize that the numbered month names are not interchangeable with the Gregorian months when talking about lunar dates Incorrect The Dragon Boat Festival falls on 5 May in the Lunar Calendar whereas the Double Ninth Festival Lantern Festival and Qixi Festival fall on 9 September 15 January and 7 July in the Lunar Calendar respectively Correct The Dragon Boat Festival falls on Wǔyue 5th or 5th day of the fifth month in the Lunar Calendar whereas the Double Ninth Festival Lantern Festival and Qixi Festival fall on Jiǔyue 9th or 9th day of the ninth month Zhengyue 15th or 15th day of the first month and Qiyue 7th or 7th day of the seventh month in the Lunar Calendar respectively Alternate Chinese Zodiac correction The Dragon Boat Festival falls on Horse Month 5th in the Lunar Calendar whereas the Double Ninth Festival Lantern Festival and Qixi Festival fall on Dog Month 9th Tiger Month 15th and Monkey Month 7th in the Lunar Calendar respectively One may identify the heavenly stem and earthly branch corresponding to a particular day in the month and those corresponding to its month and those to its year to determine the Four Pillars of Destiny associated with it for which the Tung Shing also referred to as the Chinese Almanac of the year or the Huangli and containing the essential information concerning Chinese astrology is the most convenient publication to consult Days rotate through a sexagenary cycle marked by coordination between heavenly stems and earthly branches hence the referral to the Four Pillars of Destiny as Bazi or Birth Time Eight Characters with each pillar consisting of a character for its corresponding heavenly stem and another for its earthly branch Since Huangli days are sexagenaric their order is quite independent of their numeric order in each month and of their numeric order within a week referred to as True Animals in relation to the Chinese zodiac Therefore it does require painstaking calculation for one to arrive at the Four Pillars of Destiny of a particular given date which rarely outpaces the convenience of simply consulting the Huangli by looking up its Gregorian date Solar term edit See also Solar term The solar year 歲 岁 Sui the time between winter solstices is divided into 24 solar terms known as jie qi 節氣 Each term is a 15 portion of the ecliptic These solar terms mark both Western and Chinese seasons as well as equinoxes solstices and other Chinese events The even solar terms marked with Z for Chinese 中氣 Zhongqi are considered the major terms while the odd solar terms marked with J for Chinese 節氣 Jieqi are deemed minor 26 The solar terms qing ming 清明 on 5 April and dōng zhi 冬至 on 22 December are both celebrated events in China 26 24 Jie Qi 節氣 Number Name Chinese marker Event Approximate Date Corresponding Astrological SignJ1 Li chun 立春 Beginning of spring 5 FebruaryZ1 Yǔ shuǐ 雨水 Rain water 19 February PiscesJ2 Jing zhe 驚蟄 惊蛰 Waking of insects 6 MarchZ2 Chun fen 春分 Spring divide 21 March AriesJ3 Qing ming 清明 Pure brightness 5 AprilZ3 Gǔ yǔ 穀雨 谷雨 Grain rain 20 April TaurusJ4 Li xia 立夏 Beginning of summer 6 MayZ4 Xiǎo mǎn 小滿 小满 Grain full 21 May GeminiJ5 Mang zhong 芒種 芒种 Grain in ear 6 JuneZ5 Xia zhi 夏至 Summer extremity 22 June CancerJ6 Xiǎo shǔ 小暑 Slight heat 7 JulyZ6 Da shǔ 大暑 Great heat 23 July LeoJ7 Li qiu 立秋 Beginning of autumn 8 AugustZ7 Chǔ shǔ 處暑 处署 Limit of heat 23 August VirgoJ8 Bai lu 白露 White dew 8 SeptemberZ8 Qiu fen 秋分 Autumn divide 23 September LibraJ9 Han lu 寒露 Cold dew 8 OctoberZ9 Shuang jiang 霜降 Descent of frost 24 October ScorpioJ10 Li dōng 立冬 Beginning of winter 8 NovemberZ10 Xiǎo xue 小雪 Slight snow 22 November SagittariusJ11 Da xue 大雪 Great snow 7 DecemberZ11 Dōng zhi 冬至 Winter extremity 22 December CapricornJ12 Xiǎo han 小寒 Slight cold 6 JanuaryZ12 Da han 大寒 Great cold 20 January AquariusSolar year edit The calendar solar year known as the sui 歲 岁 begins on the December solstice and proceeds through the 24 solar terms 26 Since the speed of the Sun s apparent motion in the elliptical is variable the time between major solar terms is not fixed This variation in time between major solar terms results in different solar year lengths There are generally 11 or 12 complete months plus two incomplete months around the winter solstice in a solar year The complete months are numbered from 0 to 10 and the incomplete months are considered the 11th month If there are 12 complete months in the solar year it is known as a leap solar year or leap sui 26 Due to the inconsistencies in the length of the solar year different versions of the traditional calendar might have different average solar year lengths For example one solar year of the 1st century BCE Taichu calendar is 365 385 1539 365 25016 days A solar year of the 13th century Shoushi calendar is 365 97 400 365 2425 days identical to the Gregorian calendar The additional 00766 day from the Taichu calendar leads to a one day shift every 130 5 years Pairs of solar terms are climate terms or solar months The first solar term is pre climate 節氣 节气 Jieqi and the second is mid climate 中氣 中气 Zhōngqi If there are 12 complete months within a solar year 27 the first month without a mid climate is the leap or intercalary month In other words the first month that does not include a major solar term is the leap month 26 Leap months are numbered with run 閏 the character for intercalary plus the name of the month they follow In 2017 the intercalary month after month six was called Run Liuyue or intercalary sixth month 閏六月 and written as 6i or 6 The next intercalary month in 2020 after month four will be called Run Siyue 閏四月 and written 4i or 4 Lunisolar year edit The lunisolar year begins with the first spring month Zhengyue 正月 capital month and ends with the last winter month Layue 臘月 腊月 sacrificial month All other months are named for their number in the month order See below on the timing of the Chinese New Year Years were traditionally numbered by the reign in ancient China but this was abolished after founding the People s Republic of China in 1949 For example the year from 12 February 2021 to 31 January 2022 was a Xinchǒu year 辛丑年 of 12 months or 354 days The Tang dynasty used the Earthly Branches to mark the months from December 761 to May 762 28 Over this period the year began with the winter solstice Age reckoning edit Main article East Asian age reckoning In China a person s official age is based on the Gregorian calendar For traditional use age is based on the Chinese Sui calendar A child is considered one year old a hundred days after birth 9 months gestation plus 3 months After each Chinese New Year one year is added to their traditional age Their age therefore is the number of Chinese years which have passed Due to the potential for confusion the age of infants is often given in months instead of years After the Gregorian calendar was introduced in China the Chinese traditional age was referred to as the nominal age 虛歲 虚岁 xusui incomplete age and the Gregorian age was known as the real age 實歲 实岁 shisui whole age Year numbering systems edit Eras edit Main article Chinese era name Ancient China numbered years from an emperor s ascension to the throne or his declaration of a new era name The first recorded reign title was Jianyuan 建元 from 140 BCE the last reign title was Xuantǒng 宣統 宣统 from 1908 CE The era system was abolished in 1912 after which the current or Republican era was used Stem branches edit The 60 stem branches have been used to mark the date since the Shang dynasty 1600 1046 BC Astrologers knew that the orbital period of Jupiter is about 12 361 4332 days which they divided period into 12 years 歲 岁 sui of 361 days each The stem branches system solved the era system s problem of unequal reign lengths nbsp Hubei military government founded ROC Gazette 中華民國公報 dated YE 4609 10 15 黃帝紀元4609年10月15日 yyyy mm dd Continuous numbering edit Nomenclature similar to that of the Christian era has occasionally been used 29 Era Chinese name Start Year 1 2023 CE is year Yellow Emperor Huangdi year 黄帝紀年 Yellow Emperor YE began reigning 2697 BCE or 2698 BCE 4720 or 4721Yao year 唐堯紀年 Emperor Yao began reigning 2156 BCE 4179Gonghe year 共和紀年 Gonghe Regency began 841 BCE 2864Confucius year 孔子紀年 Confucius s birth year 551 BCE 2574Unity year 統一紀年 Qin Shi Huang began reigning 221 BCE 2244No reference date is universally accepted The most popular is the Gregorian calendar 公曆 公历 gōngli common calendar During the 17th century the Jesuits tried to determine the epochal year of the Han calendar In his Sinicae historiae decas prima published in Munich in 1658 Martino Martini 1614 1661 dated the Yellow Emperor s ascension at 2697 BCE and began the Chinese calendar with the reign of Fuxi which according to Martini began in 2952 BCE Philippe Couplet s 1686 Chronological table of Chinese monarchs Tabula chronologica monarchiae sinicae gave the same date for the Yellow Emperor The Jesuits dates provoked interest in Europe where they were used for comparison with Biblical chronology citation needed Modern Chinese chronology has generally accepted Martini s dates except that it usually places the reign of the Yellow Emperor at 2698 BCE and omits his predecessors Fuxi and Shennong as too legendary to include This quote needs a citation Publications began using the estimated birth date of the Yellow Emperor as the first year of the Han calendar in 1903 with newspapers and magazines proposing different dates Jiangsu province counted 1905 as the year 4396 using a year 1 of 2491 BCE and implying that 2023 CE is 4514 and the newspaper Ming Pao 明報 reckoned 1905 as 4603 using a year 1 of 2698 BCE and implying that 2023 CE is 4721 citation needed Liu Shipei 劉師培 1884 1919 created the Yellow Emperor Calendar 黃帝紀元 黃帝曆 or 軒轅紀年 with year 1 as the birth of the emperor which he determined as 2711 BCE implying that 2023 CE is 4734 30 There is no evidence that this calendar was used before the 20th century 31 Liu calculated that the 1900 international expedition sent by the Eight Nation Alliance to suppress the Boxer Rebellion entered Beijing in the 4611th year of the Yellow Emperor Tauists later adopted Yellow Emperor Calendar and named it Tau Calendar 道曆 On 2 January 1912 Sun Yat sen announced changes to the official calendar and era 1 January was 14 Shiyiyue 4609 Huangdi year assuming a year 1 of 2698 BCE making 2023 CE year 4721 Many overseas Chinese communities like San Francisco s Chinatown adopted the change 20 Chinese New Year edit Main article Chinese New Year The date of the Chinese New Year accords with the patterns of the lunisolar calendar and hence is variable from year to year The invariant between years is that the winter solstice Dongzhi is required to be in the eleventh month of the year 32 313 This means that Chinese New Year will be on the second new moon after the previous winter solstice unless there is a leap month 11 or 12 in the previous year 20 31 32 32 313 316 This rule is accurate however there are two other mostly but not completely accurate rules that are commonly stated 20 31 32 26 The new year is on the new moon closest to Lichun typically 4 February The new year is on the first new moon after Dahan typically 20 January It has been found that Chinese New Year moves back by either 10 11 or 12 days in most years If it falls on or before 31 January then it moves forward in the next year by either 18 19 or 20 days 26 Phenology edit The plum rains season 梅雨 the rainy season in late spring and early summer begins on the first bǐng day after Mangzhong 芒種 and ends on the first wei day after Xiaoshu 小暑 The Three Fu 三伏 sanfu are three periods of hot weather counted from the first geng day after the summer solstice The first fu 初伏 chufu is 10 days long The mid fu 中伏 zhōngfu is 10 or 20 days long The last fu 末伏 mofu is 10 days from the first geng day after the beginning of autumn 23 The Shujiu cold days 數九 shǔjǐu counting to nine are the 81 days after the winter solstice divided into nine sets of nine days and are considered the coldest days of the year Each nine day unit is known by its order in the set followed by nine 九 33 In traditional Chinese culture nine represents the infinity which is also the number of Yang People believe that the nine times accumulation of Yang gradually reduces the Yin and finally the weather becomes warm 34 Common holidays based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar editThere are several traditional and religious holidays shared by communities throughout the world that use the Chinese Lunisolar calendar Holidays with the same day and same month edit The Chinese New Year known as the Spring Festival 春節 in China is on the first day of the first month and was traditionally called the Yuan Dan 元旦 or Zheng Ri 正日 In Vietnam it is known as Tết Nguyen Đan 節元旦 and in Korea it is known as 설날 Traditionally it was the most important holiday of the year It is an official holiday in China Hong Kong Macau Taiwan Vietnam Korea the Philippines Malaysia Singapore Indonesia and Mauritius It is also a public holiday in Thailand s Narathiwat Pattani Yala and Satun provinces and is an official public school holiday in New York City The Double Third Festival is on the third day of the third month and in Korea is known as 삼짇날 samjinnal The Dragon Boat Festival or the Duanwu Festival 端午節 is on the fifth day of the fifth month and is an official holiday in China Hong Kong Macau and Taiwan It is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Tết Đoan Ngọ 節端午 and in Korea where it is known as 단오 端午 Dano or 수릿날 戌衣日 水瀨日 surinal both Hanja are used as they are homonyms The Qixi Festival 七夕節 is celebrated in the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month It is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Thất tịch 七夕 and in Korea where is known as 칠석 七夕 chilseok The Double Ninth Festival 重陽節 is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month It is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Tết Trung Cửu 節重九 and in Korea where it is known as 중양절 jungyangjeol Full moon holidays holidays on the fifteenth day edit The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month and was traditionally called the Yuan Xiao 元宵 or Shang Yuan Festival 上元節 In Vietnam it is known as Tết Thượng Nguyen 節上元 and in Korea it is known as 대보름 大보름 Daeboreum or the Great Full Month The Zhong Yuan Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month In Vietnam it is celebrated as Tết Trung Nguyen 中元節 or Lễ Vu Lan 禮盂蘭 and in Korea it is known as 백중 百中 百種 Baekjong or 망혼일 亡魂日 Manghongil Deceased Spirit Day or 중원 中元 Jungwon The Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month In Vietnam it is celebrated as Tết Trung Thu 節中秋 and in Korea it is known as 추석 秋夕 Chuseok The Xia Yuan Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the tenth month In Vietnam it is celebrated as Tết Hạ Nguyen 節下元 Celebrations of the twelfth month edit The Laba Festival is on the eighth day of the twelfth month It is the enlightenment day of Sakyamuni Buddha and is celebrated in Korea as 성도재일 seongdojaeil and in Vietnam is known as Lễ Via Phật Thich Ca Thanh Đạo The Kitchen God Festival is celebrated on the twenty third day of the twelfth month in northern regions of China and on the twenty fourth day of the twelfth month in southern regions of China In Vietnam it is known as Tết Tao Quan 節竈君 Chinese New Year s Eve is also known as the Chuxi Festival and is celebrated on the evening of the last day of the lunar calendar It is celebrated wherever the lunar calendar is observed Celebrations of solar term holidays edit The Qingming Festival 清明节 is celebrated on the fifteenth day after the Spring Equinox It is celebrated in Vietnam as Tết Thanh Minh 節清明 The Dongzhi Festival 冬至 or the Winter Solstice is celebrated as Lễ hội Đong Chi 禮會冬至 in Vietnam and as 동지 冬至 in Korea Religious holidays based on the lunar calendar edit East Asian Mahayana Daoist and some Cao Dai holidays and or vegetarian observances are based on the Lunar Calendar 35 36 37 Celebrations in Japan edit Many of the above holidays of the lunar calendar are also celebrated in Japan but since the Meiji era on the similarly numbered dates of the Gregorian calendar Double celebrations due to intercalary months edit In the case when there is a corresponding intercalary month the holidays may be celebrated twice For example in the hypothetical situation in which there is an additional intercalary seventh month the Zhong Yuan Festival will be celebrated in the seventh month followed by another celebration in the intercalary seventh month See also edit nbsp China portal nbsp History portalChinese calendar correspondence table Chinese culture Chinese numerals East Asian age reckoning Guo Shoujing an astronomer tasked with calendar reform during the 13th century Horology List of festivals in China List of festivals in Asia Public holidays in China Traditional Chinese timekeeping Chinese era name Metonic cycle of 19 years is used to reckon leap years with intercalary months in the Hebrew and Babylonian calendarsNotes edit The 4th century date according to the Cihai encyclopedia year needed is due to a reference to Fan Ning 範寧 范宁 an astrologer of the Jin dynasty full citation needed The renewed adoption from Manichaeans by the 8th century Tang dynasty is documented by the writings of the Chinese Buddhist monk Yi Jing and the Ceylonese Buddhist monk Bu Kong full citation needed References edit Alteplase ramipril Reactions Weekly 1662 1 31 July 2017 doi 10 1007 s40278 017 33661 y ISSN 0114 9954 国家标准 GB T 33661 2017 Xiao Fang Zhang Juwen Long Bill 2017 The Predicament Revitalization and Future of Traditional Chinese Festivals Western Folklore 76 2 181 196 JSTOR 44790971 Kennedy E S 1964 The Chinese Uighur Calendar as Described in the Islamic Sources Isis 55 4 435 443 doi 10 1086 349900 JSTOR 228314 S2CID 144085088 第41篇五行 Chapter 41 Five Elements 管子 Guanzi in Chinese via Wikisource 第40篇四時 Chapter 40 Four Sections 管子 Guanzi in Chinese via Wikisource 中国农历发展简史 A brief history of the development of Chinese Lunar calendar Archived from the original PDF on 26 February 2021 Retrieved 24 February 2016 Petersen Jens Ostergard 1992 The Taiping Jing and the A D 102 Clepsydra Reform Acta Orientalia 53 122 158 Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 2 October 2018 Needham Joseph 1986 1954 Science and Civilization in China Volume 3 Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth Vol 3 pp 109 110 Bibcode 1959scc3 book N Ho Peng Yoke 2000 Li Qi and Shu An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China Mineola Dover Publications p 105 ISBN 978 0 486 41445 4 Restivo Sal 1992 Mathematics in Society and History Sociological Inquiries Dordrecht Kluwer Academic Publishers p 32 ISBN 978 1 4020 0039 3 Asiapac Editorial ed 2004 Origins of Chinese Science and Technology Translated by Yang Liping Y N Han Singapore Asiapac Books p 132 ISBN 978 981 229 376 3 Sun Yat sen 1982 Telegram originally sent 1 January 1912 临时大总统改历改元通电 Provisional President s open telegram on calendar change and era change 孙中山全集 The Complete Works of Sun Yat sen PDF Vol v 2 Beijing 中华书局 p 5 Rules for the Chinese Calendar ytliu0 github io Retrieved 20 February 2023 CAS Purple Mountain Observatory 1986 New Edition of Wannianli revised edition Popular Science Press Stone Richard 2 November 2007 Scientists Fete China s Supreme Polymath Science 318 5851 733 doi 10 1126 science 318 5851 733 PMID 17975042 S2CID 162156995 本世纪仅有4次 闰二月为何少见 新华网 www news cn Retrieved 2 May 2023 Martzloff Jean Claude 1 September 2016 Astronomy and Calendars The Other Chinese Mathematics 104 BC AD 1644 Springer ISBN 978 3 662 49718 0 朱 文鑫 1934 曆法通志 in Chinese 初版 ed Shanghai 商務印書館 a b c d e Aslaksen Helmer 17 July 2010 Mathematics of the Chinese calendar PDF math nus edu sg aslaksen Department of Maths National University of Singapore Archived from the original PDF on 25 October 2018 Retrieved 1 February 2005 Soma Mitsuru Kawabata Kin aki Tanikawa Kiyotaka 25 October 2004 Units of Time in Ancient China and Japan Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 56 5 887 904 doi 10 1093 pasj 56 5 887 海上 2005 Zhongguo ren de sui shi wen hua 中國人的歲時文化 Timekeeping of the Chinese culture in Chinese 岳麓書社 pp 195 ISBN 978 7 80665 620 4 a b 陳浩新 冷在三九 熱在三伏 Cold is in the Three Nines heat is in the Three Fu Educational Resources Hong Kong Observatory in Chinese Archived from the original on 15 June 2018 Retrieved 15 May 2018 数九从哪一天开始到哪一天结束 数九寒冬中的数九从什么时候开始 万年历 Retrieved 2 May 2023 Days of the week in Japanese CJVLang Archived from the original on 24 December 2017 Retrieved 15 May 2018 a b c d e f g Aslaksen Helmer When is Chinese New Year PDF Archived from the original PDF on 13 March 2009 Retrieved 27 July 2019 In the modern calendar where the solar terms are defined using astronomical calculation it is possible to have only 11 complete months but with a month without a mid climate as in year 2033 卷006 Volume 6 新唐書 New Book of Tang in Chinese via Wikisource 上元 二年 九月壬寅 大赦 去 乾元大圣光天文武孝感 号 去 上元 号 称元年 以十一月为岁首 月以斗所建辰为名 元年建子月癸巳 2 己亥 9 丙午 16 己酉 29 庚戌 30 初一壬午大雪 十七冬至 建丑月辛亥 1 己未 9 乙亥 25 初一辛亥 初三小寒 十八大寒 宝应元年建寅月甲申 4 乙酉 5 丙戌 3 甲辰 24 戊申 28 初一辛巳 初三立春 十八雨水 建卯月辛亥 1 壬子 2 癸丑 3 乙丑 15 戊辰 18 庚午 20 壬申 22 初一辛亥 初四惊蛰 十九春分 建辰月壬午 3 甲午 5 戊申 19 初一庚辰 初五清明 二十谷雨 建巳月庚戌 1 壬子 3 甲寅 5 乙丑 16 大赦 改元年为宝应元年 复以正月为岁首 建巳月为四月 丙寅 初一庚戌 初五甲寅立夏 Liu Rong 2004 Subsidiary Relations in the Pre Qin Period 春秋依附关系探讨 辽宁大学学报 哲社版 Journal of Liaoning University Philosophy and Social Science Edition 32 6 43 50 The Origin of the Yellow Emperor Era Chronology PDF 1 August 2020 Archived from the original PDF on 1 August 2020 Retrieved 2 May 2023 Cohen 2012 p 1 4 a b Reingold Edward M Dershowitz Nachum 2018 Calendrical Calculations Ultimate ed Cambridge University press ISBN 978 1 107 05762 3 孙蕾 都说数九寒冬 可你知道 数九 怎么 数 新华网 m xinhuanet com Retrieved 2 May 2023 五九六九沿河看柳 数九 知识你知道多少 新华网 www xinhuanet com Retrieved 2 May 2023 2020 Buddhist Calendar Archived from the original on 5 February 2020 Retrieved 4 February 2020 Mahayana Buddhist Vegetarian Observances Archived from the original on 5 February 2020 Retrieved 4 February 2020 道教節日有哪些 What are Some of the Holidays of Daoism in Traditional Chinese Archived from the original on 14 August 2021 Retrieved 4 February 2020 Further reading editCohen Alvin P 2012 Brief Note The Origin of the Yellow Emperor Era Chronology Asia Major 25 2 1 13 JSTOR 43486143 Kai Lung Ho 2006 The Political Power and the Mongolian Translation of the Chinese Calendar During the Yuan Dynasty Central Asiatic Journal 50 1 57 69 JSTOR 41928409 External links editCalendarsChinese months Gregorian Lunar calendar years 1901 2100 Chinese calendar and holidays Chinese calendar with Auspicious Events Chinese Calendar OnlineCalendar conversion2000 year Chinese Western calendar converter From 1 CE to 2100 CE Useful for historical studies To use put the western year 年 month 月day 日in the bottom row and click on 執行 Western Chinese calendar converterRulesMathematics of the Chinese Calendar The Structure of the Chinese Calendar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chinese calendar amp oldid 1179563447, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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