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The Twelve Duty Cycle Spirits

The Twelve Duty Cycle Spirits (Jian Chu Shi Er Shen), also known as the Twelve Duty Days or the Twelve Duty Stars, represent one of the oldest and most widely used methods of date selection (Ze Ri) in China. Using the month command (the Earthly Branch corresponding to the month) as a starting point, it assigns a "spirit" to each day in a fixed sequence, thereby determining the auspicious and inauspicious activities for that day.

Names and Meanings of the Twelve Spirits

1. Jian (Establish) Day - The day of the month command; all endeavors may be undertaken, but breaking ground is inadvisable.
2. Chu (Remove) Day - Signifies sweeping away; suitable for cleaning, seeking medical treatment, and clearing out the old.
3. Man (Full) Day - Signifies fullness and abundance; suitable for praying for blessings, marriage, and acquiring wealth.
4. Ping (Level) Day - An ordinary day; matters proceed averagely, with no significant auspicious or inauspicious influences.
5. Ding (Stable) Day - Signifies peace and stability; suitable for positioning a bed, establishing agreements, and signing contracts.
6. Zhi (Hold) Day - Signifies holding and maintaining; suitable for construction, planting, and capturing.
7. Po (Break) Day - Signifies breakage and ruin; highly inauspicious for marriage or opening a business, but suitable for demolishing old houses and tearing down walls.
8. Wei (Dangerous) Day - Signifies danger; suitable for offering sacrifices and praying for blessings, but climbing heights and traveling are inadvisable.
9. Cheng (Success) Day - Signifies accomplishment and success; highly auspicious for all endeavors, and anything may be undertaken.
10. Shou (Collect) Day - Signifies harvest and collection; suitable for collecting debts, warehousing goods, and acquiring wealth.
11. Kai (Open) Day - Signifies opening and clearing; suitable for opening a business, traveling, and conducting transactions.
12. Bi (Close) Day - Signifies closing and shutting; suitable for burials and storage, but opening a business is inadvisable.

Calculation Method for the Twelve Spirits

Using the Earthly Branch of the month command as the starting point for the "Jian" day:

• The first month has its month command in Yin, so a Yin day is designated as "Jian."
• Proceeding in sequence: a Mao day is "Chu," a Chen day is "Man," and so forth.
• It cycles according to the fixed order: Jian → Chu → Man → Ping → Ding → Zhi → Po → Wei → Cheng → Shou → Kai → Bi.

Classification of Auspicious and Inauspicious Days

Auspicious Days of the Yellow Path (Six Auspicious): Jian, Chu, Man, Kai, Cheng, Ding. Inauspicious Days of the Black Path (Six Inauspicious): Ping, Zhi, Po, Wei, Shou, Bi.

However, this is only a broad classification; in actual practice, determinations must be made by combining them with the specific undertaking. For instance, although a "Po Day" is considered inauspicious, it is actually quite appropriate if the task is demolishing an old house.

Integration with Other Factors

The Twelve Duty Cycle Spirits serve merely as a foundational layer of date selection. Practical date selection also requires consideration of:

• The auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch combinations.
• Whether auspicious symbolic stars are present on the day (such as the Heavenly Virtue or Lunar Virtue).
• Whether inauspicious symbolic stars are present on the day (such as the Heavenly Punishment or Five Ghosts).
• Whether the day clashes (Chong) with the native's BaZi.

The Twelve Spirits provide a preliminary filtering framework, upon which comprehensive judgments are made by integrating these other factors.