Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos (Peng Zu Bai Ji)
In a Nutshell
Twenty-two folk cautionary verses, arranged by the day's stem and branch.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Structure | Ten stem verses and twelve branch verses — twenty-two in all |
| Format | Stem/branch + "do not" + activity, e.g. "On a Jia day do not open the granary; on a Zi day do not divine" |
| Nature | A folk compilation of daily cautions, attributed by legend to Peng Zu |
What are Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos?
Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos are a set of cautionary verses in the traditional almanac, arranged by the day's stem and branch: twenty-two verses in all — ten for the stems, twelve for the branches. Legend attributes them to Peng Zu; in fact they are a folk compilation of everyday cautions. Each verse follows the pattern "stem/branch + do-not + activity": for example, "On a Jia day do not open the granary — wealth will scatter," or "On a Zi day do not divine — you will invite calamity upon yourself." Each day takes the verse matching that day's stem-branch, printed in the almanac for reference.
The ten stem cautions: on Jia, do not open the granary; on Yi, do not plant; on Bing, do not repair the stove; on Ding, do not shave the head; on Wu, do not accept land; on Ji, do not tear up contracts; on Geng, do not string the loom; on Xin, do not make fermented sauce; on Ren, do not release water; on Gui, do not start lawsuits. The twelve branch cautions: on Zi, do not divine; on Chou, do not don the cap and sash; on Yin, do not offer sacrifices; on Mao, do not dig wells; on Chen, do not weep; on Si, do not travel far; on Wu, do not thatch the roof; on Wei, do not take medicine; on Shen, do not set up the bed; on You, do not receive guests; on Xu, do not eat dog meat; on Hai, do not marry. Different almanac editions carry variant readings; MoZhu's Peng Zu taboos lookup follows the almanac tables in the lunar-javascript library, with variant readings marked [to be verified].
Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos are a record of folk daily custom, bearing the clear stamp of their era — best read as folklore material. This page introduces only the verses' structure and content, and draws no inferences from them.
Classical sources
"On a Jia day do not open the granary — wealth will scatter."
(Rendered from the traditional verse.)
Source: Peng Zu's Hundred Taboos — the stem-branch verses [to be verified]
Plain-language reading: The Jia-day verse is "do not open the granary"; "wealth will scatter" is the traditional consequence. These verses are folk almanac sayings with no single base text to check against, and variant readings abound — pending verification.
*For entertainment purposes only.*