Chinese calendars are hard.
June 9, 2017 10:58 AM Subscribe
While vacationing in Beijing, I got this cute little desk calendar. There are characters on each day that I can't understand the meaning of. Pictures here.. Can anyone solve this very minor mystery?
This is embarrassing because I majored in Mandarin Chinese , albeit ~15 years ago. I know some of them are numbers that are counting up (June 6-14 for example), but they don't match the calendar days (June 6-14 has 12-20), and they are different each month. There's no guide or anything explanatory, it's just the monthly calendars that I took pictures of. I can upload more/different months if it helps.
Bonus question -- what is the purplish-brown thing in the corner in August supposed to be??
This is embarrassing because I majored in Mandarin Chinese , albeit ~15 years ago. I know some of them are numbers that are counting up (June 6-14 for example), but they don't match the calendar days (June 6-14 has 12-20), and they are different each month. There's no guide or anything explanatory, it's just the monthly calendars that I took pictures of. I can upload more/different months if it helps.
Bonus question -- what is the purplish-brown thing in the corner in August supposed to be??
Best answer: It's the day of the month on the lunar calendar, except for special days.
For June:
1 = Children's Day
18 = Father's Day
21 = Summer Solstice
24 = June (i.e., first day of the sixth month in the lunar calendar)
July 23rd is the first day of the second June in the lunar calendar. (Sometimes there are two of the same months in a year, since the lunar calendar is always 30 days a month.)
posted by ethidda at 11:04 AM on June 9, 2017
For June:
1 = Children's Day
18 = Father's Day
21 = Summer Solstice
24 = June (i.e., first day of the sixth month in the lunar calendar)
July 23rd is the first day of the second June in the lunar calendar. (Sometimes there are two of the same months in a year, since the lunar calendar is always 30 days a month.)
posted by ethidda at 11:04 AM on June 9, 2017
The image on August looks to me like a friendly alien spacecraft.
posted by hydra77 at 11:22 AM on June 9, 2017
posted by hydra77 at 11:22 AM on June 9, 2017
An alien spacecraft with a mustache, even!
posted by but no cigar at 11:34 AM on June 9, 2017
posted by but no cigar at 11:34 AM on June 9, 2017
There are some other little tidbits here.
- The 2nd, 3rd and 4th have the number for the day of the lunar month, but also the word 初, meaning "beginning", as in, the first part of the month. Probably included for balance, to keep all the numbers 2 characters.
- The 5th of June says "芒种", which literally means "Grain in Ear", meaning that the grain is ripe. It is known as the 9th solar term (there are 24 of them which divide the year into 24 equal periods) and happens when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 75 degrees.
- The 15th to the 23rd use the number 廿 for twenty (instead of 二十). This is probably to keep the numbers 2 characters again, for balance.
- The 24th is the first day of lunar June, as mentioned before, and then you see the 初 character start up again after this day.
posted by chainsofreedom at 1:21 PM on June 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
- The 2nd, 3rd and 4th have the number for the day of the lunar month, but also the word 初, meaning "beginning", as in, the first part of the month. Probably included for balance, to keep all the numbers 2 characters.
- The 5th of June says "芒种", which literally means "Grain in Ear", meaning that the grain is ripe. It is known as the 9th solar term (there are 24 of them which divide the year into 24 equal periods) and happens when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 75 degrees.
- The 15th to the 23rd use the number 廿 for twenty (instead of 二十). This is probably to keep the numbers 2 characters again, for balance.
- The 24th is the first day of lunar June, as mentioned before, and then you see the 初 character start up again after this day.
posted by chainsofreedom at 1:21 PM on June 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Probably included for balance, to keep all the numbers 2 characters
That could very likely be the original motivation, but it's not exclusive to this particular calendar; the days of the lunar calendar are always called this. If you want to refer to the first day of the lunar month, you call it 初一 (as opposed to __月一日 for the Gregorian calendar).
posted by airmail at 2:39 PM on June 9, 2017
That could very likely be the original motivation, but it's not exclusive to this particular calendar; the days of the lunar calendar are always called this. If you want to refer to the first day of the lunar month, you call it 初一 (as opposed to __月一日 for the Gregorian calendar).
posted by airmail at 2:39 PM on June 9, 2017
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posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:02 AM on June 9, 2017