May 2026
The Chinese calendar for May 2026, day by day: day pillar, lunar date, Day Officer, lunar mansion, day spirit and clash. The “Start of Summer” and “Grain Buds” solar terms begin in May.
Solar Terms and Lunar Months
May 1 is the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month.
- On May 5 at 19:49 Beijing time, the “Start of Summer” solar term begins, and with it the solar month of the Snake, 癸巳. From this moment the month pillar changes in BaZi.
- May 17: new moon and the start of the 4th lunar month.
- May 21 at 08:37: the “Grain Buds” solar term begins.
How to read the table
Each row is one calendar day. The day pillar follows the continuous sixty-day cycle, and the lunar date follows the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The Day Officer, one of the twelve “spirits” of the Tong Shu almanac, shows what the day is traditionally good for; a lunar mansion marked “+” is considered auspicious.
Days of the “Black Path” are shaded gray — traditionally less lucky for new beginnings. The last column shows the animal the day clashes with: on such a day, people born under that sign are advised not to start anything important. For details on each day, see the Chinese calendar, which also covers the twelve hours of the day.
An Honest Look at the Method
The dates here are calculated precisely: new moons and solar terms from astronomical tables, cycles by the rules of the tradition. The almanac's recommendations remain tradition: different editions of the Tong Shu have different “good for / bad for” lists, and there is no verifiable evidence that they work.
Days of the Month
To pick a day for a specific purpose — moving house, a wedding, opening a business or a trip — use the Chinese calendar date selection: it checks every day against the almanac rules and your birth dates.