The 2009 edition of the T'ung Sing
Pages from the T'ung Sing
Many Chinese families who are either Buddhists or Taoists might have the T'ung Sing in their homes. The T'ung Sing or "Know Everything Book" can be considered as a bible of the practical and the spiritual in everyday life.
In English it is known as the Ancient Chinese Almanac or the Farmer's Almanac and is said to have originated over 4000 years ago and has been translated by a team of Chinese and Western autorities. It is a revered, spiritually powerful object as it is an extraordinary repository of Chinese culture and beliefs.
Many Chinese families use the T'ung Sing to find the lucky date and time for the special occasions like wedding, engagement, grand opening, moving house and so on.
The word Tung stands for All in Mandarin and Shu stands for book, so Tung Shu literally means "A book that knows all'. However, in Cantonese, the pronunciation of the word for book also sounds like the word defeated, and so Tung Shu can be made to sound like "All defeated (通輸)". As a result, they prefer to call it T'ung Sing which means "All won" (通勝).
The word Tung stands for All in Mandarin and Shu stands for book, so Tung Shu literally means "A book that knows all'. However, in Cantonese, the pronunciation of the word for book also sounds like the word defeated, and so Tung Shu can be made to sound like "All defeated (通輸)". As a result, they prefer to call it T'ung Sing which means "All won" (通勝).
References:
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/almanac.htm
Therefore the name is changed to Tung shing, which means All won (通勝).
Therefore the name is changed to Tung shing, which means All won (通勝).
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