MANTICARTS / STUDY PATH
Calendars: cycles, terms and boundaries
Move from cyclic labels to time assumptions, precision and ambiguity in chart inputs.
Study sequence
Many systems share stems, branches and solar terms, yet origins and boundaries must be checked for each time unit. Memorizing the cycle does not complete a calendar conversion. Separate the symbol table from the date record before documenting their connection.
Historical dates may involve era names, leap months, places and missing clock times. Modern conversion tables also have coverage and time-standard limits. Preserve the original notation and document every conversion, retaining candidates when an interval crosses a boundary.
Calculations here use explicit teaching conventions. For date selection, Four Pillars or Qimen, consult the relevant edition for its own calendrical assumptions. Similar input fields do not guarantee identical boundary rules.
CURRICULUM
Four connected units
- 01
Stems and branches
Test forward/backward movement and inclusive counting.
OUTPUTCycle traces
- 02
Calendars and solar terms
Record date, time, precision and time standard on one input card.
OUTPUTDate-input card
- 03
A procedure reconstruction lab
Make branches for boundary crossings and missing inputs explicit.
OUTPUTBoundary decision table
- 04
Prepare a study portfolio
Retain original values, conversion sources and revision reasons.
OUTPUTReviewable conversion dossier
CAPSTONE
Bring the work together
Use a fictional date to prepare an input card, cycle trace, boundary branches and source note, keeping unknowns visible.
Portfolio methodCONNECTED DOSSIERS
Explore the specialist dossiers
择日与选择术
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.
四柱子平命理
Birth year, month, day and hour are each expressed as a stem-branch pillar; the day stem anchors analysis of ten relations, phases, patterns, seasonal adjustment, major cycles and years.
奇门遁甲
A nine-palace system placing the Three Wonders, Six Instruments, Eight Gates, Nine Stars and spirits according to season, date and yin-yang rotation to analyze timing, direction and action.
卦气、纳甲与八宫
Correlations of hexagrams and lines with months, seasonal nodes, stems, branches, phases, pitch and waxing-waning cycles; a technical substrate for Six Lines, fate calculation and some fengshui systems.
国家星占与天象占候
Observation of eclipses, comets, guest stars, planetary configurations and unusual celestial events, interpreted through star offices, terrestrial correspondences and political order.
Open self-study path · 2026-10-24. Exercises are editorial material; references appear in each unit. Images are thematic illustrations. Study records are separate from formal assessment and credential procedures.