Date selection is about choosing the best days to take action, not just by chance, but with purpose. Selecting the best dates using the Chinese Calendar (Tong Shu 通书 or Chinese Almanac 黄历) brings smoother progress. Therefore, the right timing can affect your results. On the other hand, the wrong one can bring delays or even failure.

However, many people think date selection is only for weddings or business openings. But actually, you can use it for:

• Career: Starting a job on the wrong date can lead to setbacks.
• Wealth: Launching a product at the wrong time can lead to failure despite your best efforts.
• Health: Even a simple medical test on a bad date can go wrong.
• Love: Marrying on the wrong day can lead to relationship problems.
• Life Events: Moving house, renovating, or traveling? The right date makes a big difference.

As a result, the timing of your actions can shape the outcome. Starting a new job on a bad date? It can bring problems you didn’t expect. Had travel plans gone wrong? It might not be bad luck — just bad timing.

However, some Chinese Metaphysics masters say there may be global challenges around 2026–2027. It aligns with ancient Chinese calendar patterns featuring the Crimson Horse (Bing Wu 丙午) and Red Goat (Ding Wei 丁未) Calminity, which have predicted events such as wars and disasters in the past. Doing the right thing at the wrong time can still lead to failure. Thus, that’s why good timing is key.

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Why Timing Is Everything – A Lesson from Ancient China

Throughout history, successful individuals have known how to use timing and the Chinese calendar to their advantage. In ancient China, even great warriors won battles not just with power, but with clever timing. Let’s look at a famous story from the Three Kingdoms era — the Battle of Red Cliffs (赤壁之战).

It was a war between two small armies and one formidable enemy. Zhuge Liang (a strategist) and Zhou Yu (a general) teamed up. However, they had only 30,000 soldiers. Their enemy, Cao Cao, had 150,000 soldiers. Cao Cao was known as a cunning and powerful leader. He rarely lost. But in this battle, he did. Why?

Because of one thing: Timing.

Zhuge Liang said:

“We are ready with our fire attack. The only thing missing is the east wind.” 『欲破曹公，宜用火攻；萬事俱備，只欠東風。』

He waited for the east wind to blow — the perfect time to attack with fire. Once the wind came, the fire spread fast, and they won the battle. A small army beat a big one — all because they picked the right moment.

A Bigger Lesson from History

Even Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War, wrote extensively about the importance of timing. He said:

“A great warrior borrows the power of heaven, meaning they act at the right time.” 『善战者，求之于势，不责于人，故能择人而任势。』

It’s not just about who goes to war. It’s about when. Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu had fewer people, but they had the right moment — the east wind. That made all the difference.

What This Means for You

In life, whether it’s work, love, business, or travel, timing matters. Thus, you don’t always need the best team or the most resources. If you choose the right time, your chances of success are much higher. The ancient Chinese already knew this. Therefore, you may apply the same understanding to your own life.

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Avoid the Worst Dates from the Chinese Calendar

A good date can help you succeed. However, a bad date can bring unexpected problems. Before learning how to choose good dates from the Chinese Calendar, it’s crucial to know how to avoid bad ones. Therefore, date selection is not just about finding the best day—it’s also about staying away from the worst days.

If you’re unsure whether a date is best for you, you should at least know if it’s unfavorable. It’s better to start something on an average day than on a bad day.

There are two kinds of bad dates:

1. General bad dates – Bad for everyone. These days are not suitable for any crucial activities, like starting a business or getting married.
2. Personal bad dates – Affect you. These might be fine for others, but not for you, based on your Chinese astrology.

With some BaZi knowledge, you can take your date selection to a deeper level. You can use the Ten Gods (十神) and favorable or unfavorable elements to personalize your choices.

1. Year Breaker Days (岁破日)

Every year, there is a ruling energy called the Grand Duke (Tai Sui 太岁). It is the dominant energy of the year. There’s also a star that directly opposes this energy. That is called the Year Breaker (Sui Po 岁破). Therefore, the Grand Duke is akin to the ruling party, and the Year Breaker is the opposition. They don’t work well together. So, a Year Breaker Day creates conflict, tension, and unstable energy.

Since the Year Breaker Day goes against the energy of the year. Starting something important on this day often leads to struggle or delays. Thus, it’s best to avoid crucial tasks or events on these days, like signing contracts, starting a new job or project, or moving house.

2025 (Yi Si Year / Snake Year)

• Grand Duke: Snake (巳)
• Year Breaker: Pig (亥)
• → Avoid Pig Days in 2025

2026 (Bing Wu Year / Horse Year)

• Grand Duke: Horse (午)
• Year Breaker: Rat (子)
• → Avoid Rat Days in 2026

If you have to do something on this day, try to keep it small or short-term.

2. Month Breaker Days (月破日)

These are even more serious than Year Breaker Days. A Month Breaker Day is when the day’s energy clashes with that of the current month. Therefore, the effect is more immediate. These are the worst days for crucial actions or decisions.

On a Month Breaker Day, people often:

• Face problems in relationships or marriage.
• Have business deals fall apart.
• See openings or launches fail fast.
• Feel regret over big decisions.

Some old texts suggest using these days to “break” things, such as old habits, demolish old buildings, or undergo medical procedures (like surgery). However, unless you’re well-informed, it’s best to avoid these days altogether, especially when it comes to health matters.

3. Day Breaker (日破)

The Day Breaker is the hour that clashes with the day. It’s considered the most unlucky hour of the day. Even if the whole day looks good, using this hour can cancel out all the good energy. In the Chinese Calendar, we always try to avoid this hour when selecting a date. This applies to other negative hours for the day that can be identified from the Chinese Calendar.

Some people believe that if both the day and the hour are bad, they cancel each other out. That idea may work in math or science, but it doesn’t work in metaphysics. Using an unfavorable hour on a bad day can make things worse—you could end up with double trouble. It’s not a clever trick. It’s a real risk.

If you want to improve a bad day, the right way is to use a Combination, not a Clash. In Chinese Calendar Date Selection, Combinations bring harmony, while Clashes bring conflict.

4. Personal Breaker Day (大耗日)

A Personal Breaker Day is similar to Year and Month Breaker Days, but it’s specific to you. It is the day when the energy of the day conflicts with your birth year. Therefore, it’s a day that doesn’t “get along” with you. We use your Year of Birth to find your Personal Breaker Day. In BaZi analysis, your Year Pillar is the first part of your chart to be affected by changes in energy.

So, if your Year Pillar is weak or has unfavorable elements, you may feel more affected by bad energy. That’s why having a strong Year Pillar is helpful — it means you’re more protected.

Why is Chinese Calendar Date Selection Personalization important?

In Date Selection, we often start with the year as a reference point. It’s why the Personal Breaker is based on your year, not your day of birth. Therefore, knowing your Breaker Days can help you:

• Personalize your calendar to avoid harmful dates.
• Choose between two bad days — always skip the one that clashes with you.

Let’s say you were born in the Year of the Rabbit (卯). Your clash animal is the Rooster (酉). It means any Rooster Day is your Personal Breaker Day. Therefore, you should avoid doing important things on these days.

Sometimes, the Chinese Calendar might list a day as “good” in general. However, that’s not personalized for everyone. Your Breaker Day overrides that. Thus, if the day clashes with your chart, the energy is working against you. So it’s not great for personal plans, even if the Chinese Calendar says otherwise.

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Choosing Good Dates from the Chinese Calendar

When picking a date to start something important, the first step is to avoid bad days. After removing those, you’ll notice that not many “good” dates are left—only a few are usable. You might wonder why we say “usable” and not “good.”? That’s because a usable date means it’s not harmful. But that doesn’t make it a great day. For best results, we want more than just “okay” days—we want strong, supportive ones.

Therefore, the best dates imply that the energy of that day supports your activity. The stars and elements should align with the month and year, and importantly, complement what you want to do. An even better date is one that also matches your personal BaZi chart (your birth data).

A date may have positive energy due to its element and Earthly Branch, but it may also have bad stars that reduce its benefits. So, while the day is still “usable” (meaning it’s not dangerous), it might not give you strong support. That’s why we don’t treat all usable days the same—some are much better than others.

Using the 12-Day Officers Method for Picking the Right Day

Want to choose better days for success, luck, or important events? Thus, one approach is through the 12-Day Officers Method (建除十二值神). This method is an easy way to tell which days are more suitable for certain activities. Each day is governed by one of 12 “Day Officers”—think of them like daily managers of energy or “Qi.” These energies determine whether the day is good or not-so-good. Just as different days have distinct vibes, the Day Officer tells us what kind of vibe the day carries.

1. Establish (建) – Good for starting something new.
2. Remove (除) – Good for clearing out or removing things.
3. Balance (平) – Good for fairness and equilibrium.
4. Stable (定) – Good for long-term plans or agreements.
5. Initiate (执) – Great for new beginnings or endeavors.
6. Destruction (破) – Best for ending or breaking things off.
7. Danger (危) – Not great for crucial tasks.
8. Success (成) – Powerful for achieving big goals.
9. Receive (收) – Good for wrapping up or collecting.
10. Open (开) – Ideal for opening businesses or launching new ventures.
11. Close (闭) – Good for closing things down or finishing.

However, each Day Officer has strengths and weaknesses. Some are great for starting things (like Establish or Open), while others are better for letting go (like Remove or Destruction). Therefore, no day is 100% good or bad! Even “bad” days like Destruction can be useful—if you’re doing something like ending a bad habit. It’s all about matching the day to the right action.

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Understanding the 28 Constellations Method (二十八宿)

A deeper look at how each day carries unique energies in Chinese Calendar Date Selection. Therefore, when it comes to choosing the right day for important events, many people turn to the 12-Day Officers system. But if you want to go one step deeper, there’s another tool you can use — the 28 Constellations Method (二十八宿). Thus, this method helps fine-tune your date choices by checking which constellation rules the day.

The 28 Constellations are a group of star clusters found in the sky. These stars form a kind of celestial belt, and in Chinese metaphysics, each day contains one of these constellations. Thus, each day has a “guardian star” that brings its unique type of energy. These energies influence whether the day is favorable or unfavorable for activities such as travel, marriage, business, or simply resting.

Therefore, the 28 Constellations are often used as a refinement step, similar to an extra check to confirm if a day is good or not. It highlights the minor differences between seemingly identical days. You can think of it like this:

• 12-Day Officers = great for a basic scan of good or bad days
• 28 Constellations = detailed fine-tuning to pick the “best” of the best

Suppose you’re already using the 12-Day Officers to pick your dates. In that case, the 28 Constellations Method can help you choose with even more confidence, especially for crucial activities like:

• Launching a business
• Signing contracts
• Getting married
• Moving house
• Major surgery

Qualities of the 28 Constellations (二十八宿)

Positive Constellations

1. Well (井) – Great for wealth, farming, exams, and family growth, but avoid using it for burials due to illness or danger.
2. Star (星) – Good for building and career growth, but dangerous for burials, water work, and relationships—especially harmful to women.
3. Bow (张) – A highly auspicious star that’s great for building, wealth, career, marriage, and family success.
4. Carriage (较) – Highly auspicious, it’s suitable for building, marriage, and burials, bringing success, official rank, peace, and prosperity.
5. Horn (角) – Good for building and marriage—bringing success and noble children—but avoid burials, or illness and misfortune may follow.
6. House (房) – Great for building, marriage, and burial. Thus, it brings wealth, land, good health, and even noble children.
7. Tail (尾) – Very lucky as it’s great for wealth, marriage, home improvement, or burials, and brings success to future generations.
8. Basket (箕) – Brings strong luck for wealth, farming, career, and family. It’s perfect for burials, water activation, or opening new spaces.
9. Dipper (斗) – Excellent for wealth, career, harmony, and home. It’s also ideal for burials, renovations, or activating wealth sectors.
10. Room (室) – Lucky star for building, marriage, water activation, or burials; it brings wealth, noble children, and family success.
11. Wall (壁) – Great for building, burials, marriage, and wealth—it brings success, noble children, good helpers, and family honor.
12. Mound (娄) – Very auspicious as it’s great for building, wealth, marriage, and family success, with all actions bringing blessings.
13. Stomach (胃) – Great for all activities—brings harmony, wealth, good marriage, and high achievements for future generations.
14. Net (毕) – Auspicious star for building, marriage, burials, and wealth, bringing peace, prosperity, and healthy children.
15. Orion (参) – Great for wealth and success in work or home, but bad for burials and marriage, as it may bring illness or emotional pain.

Negative Constellations

1. Ghost (鬼) – Suitable for burials but inauspicious for marriage, construction, or home activities due to risks of death, separation, and sorrow.
2. Willow (柳) – Highly inauspicious, warning of legal trouble, illness, physical harm, and family instability. Thus, it’s best to avoid any important activity.
3. Wing (翼) – It is an inauspicious star—avoid building, burials, marriages, or major activities, as it may bring illness, family troubles, and instability.
4. Neck (亢) – Avoid any form of building, marriage, or burial as it can bring loss, injury, and sorrow to the family.
5. Foundation (氏) – Brings loss, danger, broken relationships, and harm to family and health.
6. Heart (心) – Highly inauspicious. Therefore, you should avoid all major activities, such as building, burial, or marriage, to prevent misfortune and loss.
7. Ox (牛) – Avoid all major actions like marriage, renovations, farming, or water activation, as it brings loss and harm.
8. Weaving Maiden (女) – Brings conflict, illness, loss, and disaster. Thus, you should avoid all important tasks, burials, or water activations.
9. Void (虚) – Signals chaos, illness, and family ruin—avoid all important actions, especially burials or water activations.
10. Danger (危) – Highly unlucky. Therefore, it’s best to avoid burials, construction, or water use to prevent accidents, sorrow, or legal trouble.
11. Astride (奎) – Brings luck for building, but avoid it for burials or water activations, as it may cause legal trouble or loss of children.
12. Pleiades (昴) – Very unlucky, thus you should avoid marriage, burials, and important activities, as it can bring disaster, loss, or even mourning.
13. Beak (觜) – Highly inauspicious and can bring legal issues, health problems, family loss, and financial ruin.

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Why Time Matters in Feng Shui and Chinese Calendar Date Selection

Picking a good date is important, but choosing the right hour on that date makes it even better. A good day gives you 70% of the energy you need. But when you add a suitable hour, it’s like adding the final touch that makes everything click. Timing truly matters when starting something new — whether it’s launching a project, signing a contract, or doing something important in life.

What’s a “Good Hour”?

Sometimes, even if the chosen day is just average, you can still improve things by selecting an auspicious hour (吉). On the other hand, starting at the wrong time (凶) may diminish the day’s positive effects. Unlike our usual 24-hour clock, the Chinese system splits the day into 12 hours, each associated with an Earthly Branch. Thus, each of these “hours” actually spans 2 hours in modern times.

Chinese Hour	Earthly Branch	Modern Time
Zi 子	Rat	11 pm – 1 am
Chou 丑	Ox	1 am – 3 am
Yin 寅	Tiger	3 am – 5 am
Mao 卯	Rabbit	5 am – 7 am
Chen 辰	Dragon	7 am – 9 am
Si 巳	Snake	9 am – 11 am
Wu 午	Horse	11 am – 1 pm
Wei 未	Goat	1 pm – 3 pm
Shen 申	Monkey	3 pm – 5 pm
You 酉	Rooster	5 pm – 7 pm
Xu 戌	Dog	7 pm – 9 pm
Hai 亥	Pig	9 pm – 11 pm

Meaning of Stars in Chinese Calendar Date Selection

However, not all good stars are useful for every task. And not all bad stars are strong enough to cause problems. The key is to understand the meaning of the stars in that hour. Therefore, you should always match the stars with the type of activity you’re planning. That’s how you know if the hour is truly suitable.

Lucky (Auspicious) Stars to Look Out For

When selecting a good hour, it’s helpful to know which lucky stars are present. Thus, these stars can boost your success depending on what you’re doing. Here are some important ones:

• Heavenly Officer (天官): Support from people in high positions, like your boss, a government officer, or someone with authority.
• Golden Lock (金匮): This is a wealth star. Thus, it’s great for anything related to money or wealth-building.
• Heavenly Noble (天乙): This star brings helpful people your way, like a mentor or a kind friend. Therefore, it’s always good to have.
• Happy Spirit (喜神): Ideal for joyful occasions such as weddings, parties, or celebrations.
• Jade Hall (玉堂): Great for money deals and asset purchases. Use this star’s hour for business or anything involving finances.
• Day Combine (日合): Ideal for meetings, interviews, and negotiations. It helps with communication and persuasion.
• Day Horse (日马): This is the traveling star. You can start your journey during this hour for a smooth and lucky trip.
• Prosperity Star (福星): Great for money matters. Use this hour for business, investments, or anything financial.
• Green Dragon (青龙): Connected to noble stars like the Heavenly Noble (天乙) and Heavenly Honor (天贵), which bring helpful people and good luck.
• Life Governor (司命): A lucky star, but timing matters. Act during daylight hours for the best results.

Watch Out for These Negative (Inauspicious) Stars

When choosing a lucky hour, it’s just as crucial to avoid hours with bad stars. These stars can bring problems, delays, or even harm. Therefore, here’s a list of negative stars and what to avoid:

• Day Breaker (日破): This star cancels out all the good energy of the day. Don’t start anything important during this hour.
• Black Tortoise (元武): Linked to theft, loss, or stolen items. Thus, you should avoid this hour if you’re submitting documents or handling valuables.
• Group Emptiness (旬空): This star represents lost or missing objects. Never utilize this hour for marriage or any other official document.
• White Tiger (白虎): Associated with injuries or accidents. As a result, you should avoid this hour if you have surgery, medical treatment, or anything risky.
• Red Phoenix (朱雀): This star causes arguments and conflict. Avoid negotiations, signing contracts, or making requests.
• Grappling Hook (勾陈): This star represents deception and cheating. Therefore, you can avoid commercial transactions, marriages, and any other major signings.
• Day Punishment (日刑): This star harms communication and trust. You should not schedule anything public during this time, such as a product launch, interview, or speech.
• Heavenly Prison (天牢): A negative star which should be avoided for most activities. However, it is only suitable for certain spiritual or religious rituals.

Lastly, you should always check for these stars when picking a time. Even a good day can turn bad if the hour has negative energy.

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Finding the Golden Hour

It’s rare to find an hour that only has good stars. Most hours have a mix of both good and bad. So, what do you do? Therefore, the key is to match the stars with your activity. For example, if you want to sign a contract but the hour has a White Tiger star—don’t worry! White Tiger affects health, not business. So, it’s still okay to go ahead with signing.

Here are two simple rules to follow when choosing your hour:

1. Avoid clashing hours (hours that clash with your zodiac or the day).
2. Pick stars that support your activity. Thus, you could select a travel star for journeys or a wealth star for financial matters.

By using these two tips, you can pick an hour that is at least safe—and maybe even lucky!

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What Activities Are Covered?

Suitable activities for the day will be mentioned on the Chinese Calendar. Therefore, these activities will be indicated if they are suitable to be carried out:

• 宜: Good activities for the day
• 忌: Things you should avoid today

Thus, here are the categories the Chinese Calendar gives guidance on:

🧧 Spiritual & Religious

• 祭祀: Worship ancestors, gods
• 斋醮/沐浴/酬神: Visit temples, cleansing, light incense
• 祈福 / 求嗣: Pray for blessings or children
• 开光: Activating sacred statues

💍 Marriage & Family

• 嫁娶: Propose, get married
• 订盟/纳采: Engagement
• 安床: Set up a wedding bed
• 归宁: Return to the bride’s family after marriage
• 冠笄: Hold adult coming-of-age ceremonies

⚰️ Funerals

• 修墓: Repair graves
• 安葬/破土/启攒: Bury the dead
• 普渡: Hold memorial rituals

🏡 Construction & Moving

• 入宅: Move into a new house
• 动土/上梁: Start or complete construction
• 修造/拆卸: Renovate or fix buildings
• 安门/开井: Install doors or dig wells

💼 Business & Career

• 开市: Open a shop or start work
• 立券: Sign contracts or trade
• 纳财: Buy property or collect rent
• 挂匾: Hanging shop signboards

🌱 Daily Life

• 出行/移徙: Travel or go on trips
• 移徙: Relocate
• 栽种: Plant crops or trees
• 纳畜: Buy livestock or pets
• 捕捉: Pest control
• 会友: Visit friends
• 求医: Seek medical treatment

The Chinese Calendar is more than just an ordinary calendar. As a result, it helps guide us to live in harmony with natural energies and avoid misfortune. Whether it’s choosing a good day to move house or get married or steering clear of days with bad energy, the Chinese Calendar has been a helpful tool for generations.

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