How the twelve double-hours are displayed
A traditional Chinese day is commonly divided into twelve periods associated with the Earthly Branches. Most periods span two civil hours, while the Zi period crosses midnight. For the selected date, this tool lists each period’s time range, Gan-Zhi label, traditional spirit classification, and a shortened set of activities marked suitable or unsuitable in the almanac data.
The green or neutral status is a translation of the recorded classification, not a measured probability that an event will succeed. Activity terms can also be historical and context-specific. The lists are intentionally abbreviated to keep the comparison readable; they should be treated as a map back to an almanac tradition rather than instructions that override safety, law, weather, schedules, or professional advice.
Why hour tables can differ
Almanacs can differ because they use different textual tables, sects, day-boundary rules, local time assumptions, and translations. A period around 23:00 is especially sensitive because some systems associate it with the following day. This page calculates from the selected civil date and shows the exact range and Gan-Zhi label so a reader can identify the convention rather than seeing an unexplained “good hour.”
Daylight-saving time and longitude are not adjusted. The clock ranges are labels for the traditional double-hours in the civil date you selected, not astronomical sunrise-based intervals. If a ritual or community practice depends on location, consult the calendar issued by that temple or lineage. For travel, contracts, health care, or emergencies, use practical timing information and qualified guidance first.
A comparison tool, not a guarantee
The most useful way to read the grid is comparatively: identify the period, inspect both its suitable and avoid lists, and note the named spirit classification. Do not treat one positive label as permission to ignore another person’s consent or a real-world constraint. A traditional category can offer cultural context or a reflective planning ritual without claiming control over outcomes.
No date is uploaded or saved. The page does not ask what event you are planning and does not create a public result. It is unsuitable for medical triage, investment timing, legal deadlines, gambling, or other high-stakes choices. Those decisions require reliable evidence and domain expertise; an almanac table can only describe the convention encoded in its source data.