Tung shing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tung shing (通勝) is a book published in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, China which consists primarily of a calendar based on the Chinese lunar year.
Contents |
[edit] History
Tung shing originated from Wong lik (黃曆, the yellow calendar), which is rumoured to have been founded by Huang Di. It has changed its form numerous times throughout the years during all the dynasties; the latest version was said to have been edited by the Qing dynasty and was called Tung Shu (通書) between civilians.
Tung stands for All, Shu stands for book, so Tung Shu literally means A book that knows all. However, in Cantonese, the pronunciation of Shu resembles Sy, which means defeated, and so Tung Shu sounds like All defeated (通輸).
Therefore the name is changed to Tung shing, which means All won (通勝).
[edit] Contents
Most of the contents of the book deals with what is suitable to do on each day. Some Chinese families still follow these days for wedding ceremonies, funerals, etc.
Tung shing also provide a conversion of years and date between the lunar year and the common year. In more detailed versions, the calendar will list eclipses (both solar and lunar), the start of each season, and days when it will be cold or hot.
More recent versions even include English definitions and pronunciations written with Cantonese characters.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Online Tung shing (Chinese)
