Subject: Re: weekday names

From: "Alfred W. Tueting (Tüting)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2000 22:46:05 -0000

--- In [email-masked], Ivan A Derzhanski <iad@M...> wrote:
> Pierre Abbat wrote:
> > What are the Chinese names of the planets and the days?
> 
> The names of the planets are the same in Chinese and Japanese
> (and Korean, I think), modulo phonetic shape. The ones that
> are visible to the naked eye are named after the five elements,
> the rest have their mythological names translated:
> 
> Mer Water-Star
> Ven Metal-Star
> Mar Fire-Star
> Jup Wood-Star
> Sat Earth-Star (not to be confused with the Earth)

For these 5 (corresponding to the 5 elements) I'm able to confirm:
Jupiter - muxing ¤ì¬P
Mars - huoxing ¤õ¬P
Saturn - tuxing ¤g¬P and 
Mercury - shuixing ¤ô¬P

> The days of the week are numbered in Chinese (all except Sunday)
> and named after the Sun, Moon and elements in Japanese (and Korean,
> as you say).

It's strange, but in Chinese (where even the day's double-hours are named) =
the week's days are just numbered (except xingqiri ¬P´Á¤é 
sunday)!
 
And so are the month names: "January" - zhengyue ¥¿¤ë, eryue ¤G¤ë etc.
But there are also literary names beside the colloquial ones:
e.g.
Spring king - chunwang ¬K¤ý etc.
Middle harmony - zhonghe ¤¤©M etc.
Peach moon - taoyue ®ç¤ë etc.
Clear harmony - qinghe ²M©M etc.
Pomegrate moon - liuyue ºh¤ë etc.
Lotus moon - heyue ²ü¤ë etc.
Aleurites... moon - tongyue ®ä¤ë etc.
Kassia moon - guiyue ®Û¤ë etc.
Chrysanthemum fall - juyue µâî etc.
Yang spring - yangchun ¶§¬K etc.
Winter moon - dongyue ¥V¤ë or reed moon - jiayue ¸µ¤ë etc.
Winter sacrifice moon (3 days after solstice) - layue Ã¾¤ë etc.

BTW, the solar terms are double corresponding with the zodiacal positions o=
f the sun, e.g. Spring begins - lichun ¥ß¬K (Aquarius), Rain water - 
yushui «B¤ô (Pisces), Excited insects - jingzhi Ååîh (Pisces) etc.

.aulun.