择Mantic arts dossier · Date selection and almanac traditions
择日与选择术
Zérì yǔ Xuǎnzé Shù·Date selection and almanac arts
A widely enduring temporal technology matching stems-branches, month command, seasonal nodes, Twelve Officers and other factors to marriage, travel, construction, burial and daily activities.
- Aliases
- daybooks, Twelve Officers, almanac annotations, day selection
- Formation
- Mature in Warring States-Qin-Han daybooks; continued in almanacs to the present
- Evidence status
Study notes & citation
择日与选择术. Institute of Chinese Mantic Arts. https://www.manticarts.com/en/arts/date-selection
On this page
01Core principles
Core principles
Translate formulas into structure: what enters, how the model is arranged, and which relations drive interpretation.
The calendrical day and seasonal month are established, then layered with officers, daily rulers, clashes, directions and activity rules. Layers may conflict, requiring explicit source, priorities and local convention.
Key concepts
- month command
- Twelve Officers
- calendrical spirits
- selected date chart
02Origins and historical development
Origins and historical development
Keep traditional accounts, surviving evidence and later transformations distinct.
Qin daybooks from Shuihudi and Fangmatan show mature popular use. Tang annotations, Dunhuang manuscripts and Ming-Qing almanacs expanded the system; the Qing Xieji Bianfang Shu attempted synthesis and critique.
STUDY / Zérì yǔ Xuǎnzé Shù
Resolving conflicts among date-selection rules
- Materials and inputs
- Activity, almanac edition, prohibitions and priority order
Research question
What priority does a text specify when rules conflict?
Practical exercise
Fix a fictional activity and month. List candidate dates with each inclusion/exclusion rule and examine one altered priority.
03Evidence limits and research debates
Evidence limits and research debates
Distinguish traditional interpretations, documented material and claims requiring testing.
Twelve Officers, auspicious-day labels and marriage, construction or burial selection are overlapping modules. Regional calendars and manuals can conflict; there is no universal absolute auspicious-date table.
This dossier supports historical, textual and methodological study. Internal traditional explanations are not modern empirical validation and do not replace medical, legal, financial or other professional advice.
04Core texts and materials
Core texts and materials
- 01Shuihudi Qin daybooks
- 02Fangmatan Qin daybooks
- 03Dunhuang calendrical selection manuscripts
- 04Imperially Commissioned Xieji Bianfang Shu