How is today for me
Read a day through five familiar systems: the stem-and-branch calendar, the day officer and day god, an I Ching hexagram, numerology and the five elements. Each answers on its own, with things to do and to avoid; add your birth date and gender for a reading of your own.
Where this comes from
The page reads a day through five systems of different origin and adds no score. Stems and branches and solar terms are calendar computations. The day officer and the day god are almanac date-selection conventions. The day's hexagram follows the Han-dynasty Gua Qi method in the Meng Xi reading, recorded in the New Book of Tang. Numerology is a modern system; good directions follow the Bát Trạch school.
Add your birth date to unlock the fourth system
Add your birth date and gender to see today's five-element and number reading for you.
Reading the day...
Add your birth date to unlock the fourth system
Add your birth date and gender to see today's five-element and number reading for you.
Classical allusion
“Cư trần lạc đạo thả tuỳ duyên, cơ tắc xan hề khốn tắc miên.”
Translation: Dwell in the world, delight in the Way, and follow what comes: eat when hungry, sleep when tired.
Trần Nhân Tông · Rhapsody on Dwelling in the World and Delighting in the Way
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Auspicious hours
Want a good hour today? Auspicious hours lays out all twelve hours of the day.
Open Auspicious hoursWhat no one has shown
Apart from the calendar part, no system here has been confirmed by research to say anything true about a day. When two systems lean opposite ways, the page says so rather than picking one.
Read on
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What do the five systems in the day reading say?
A day is read through five systems of different origins: the stem-and-branch calendar, the day officer and day god, the I Ching, numerology, and feng shui with the five elements. Each has its own card stating what it says. There is no overall score, because none of them has such a scale.
The stem-and-branch calendar gives the day's stem, branch and element, the solar term, and the six auspicious hours. These are calendar facts, so this system is always neutral. The day officer is what almanac readers look at first: twelve officers, Kiến, Trừ, Mãn, Bình, Định, Chấp, Phá, Nguy, Thành, Thu, Khai and Bế, each suiting one group of tasks and ruling out another.
The day god tells you whether the day is auspicious: Thanh Long, Minh Đường, Kim Quỹ, Kim Đường, Ngọc Đường and Tư Mệnh are the auspicious ones. A day on Tam Nương (lunar days 3, 7, 13, 18, 22, 27) or Nguyệt Kỵ (lunar days 5, 14, 23) gets a separate note. Other taboo lists differ from book to book, so they are left out.
The day's hexagram follows the Han-dynasty Gua Qi method: sixty hexagrams take turns, each for 6 days and 7 parts, starting with Inner Truth at the winter solstice. It is assigned by the calendar, not cast, so it has no moving line, and it describes a situation rather than good or bad. Numerology gives the Universal Day number, and your Personal Day number once a birth date is added.
Feng shui and the five elements appear only when both birth date and gender are given. This system compares the day's element (from the day's branch) with yours (from the stem of your birth day, the day master in Bát Tự) and lists your four good directions under Eight Mansions. When two systems lean opposite ways, the page says so; any sentence that is the site's own suggestion starts with "Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion:".
| System | Origin | What it answers | Data needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stem-and-branch calendar | East Asian calendrics | The day's stem and branch, element, solar term, six auspicious hours | Only the date viewed |
| Day officer and day god | Vietnamese almanac | The officer, auspicious or not, things to do and avoid, Tam Nương, Nguyệt Kỵ | Only the date viewed |
| I Ching | Zhou Yi, Han-dynasty Gua Qi method | The day's situation via the ruling hexagram and the line ruling the day | Only the date viewed |
| Numerology | Modern Western system | The Universal Day number, plus a Personal Day number if a birth date is given | Date viewed, birth date optional |
| Feng shui and five elements | Eight Mansions, Zi Ping | The day's element against yours, good directions, suitable hours | Birth date and gender both required |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the day not given a score?
Because none of the five systems has a common scale. Adding them into one number would invent a scale that belongs to no tradition and hide what each system is saying.
If the systems disagree, which one should I go by?
The page does not choose for you. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when two systems lean opposite ways, keep your plan but leave a way back, rather than cancelling or ignoring the unfavourable side.
Can I use it without a birth date?
Yes. Without a birth date you still get four systems that apply to everyone: the stem-and-branch calendar, the day officer and day god, the I Ching, and the Universal Day number. A birth date adds your Personal Day number; a birth date plus gender adds the feng shui and five elements system.
Why does it ask for gender?
Because Eight Mansions directions are worked out differently for men and women. Without gender the feng shui system is left out rather than guessed.
Can I read a day other than today?
Yes. Tap Yesterday or Tomorrow to step back or forward a day at a time; all five systems are worked out again for that day.
Are the auspicious hours here the same as in the Auspicious Hours tool?
Yes, the same table. Here you see the six auspicious hours and, with a birth date, the hours rated excellent for you. For all 12 hours with a rating for each, use the Auspicious Hours tool.
Is the day's hexagram an omen?
It should not be read as an omen. A hexagram describes a situation and where it is heading, not whether a day is good or bad, so this system is always marked neutral.