What is a year-break day (Sui Po day)?

A year-break day is a day whose earthly branch directly opposes the year's Tai Sui branch. In 2026 the year branch is Wu, so any day carrying the opposing branch is a year-break day. Classical date-selection treats it as unsuitable for major earth-moving or structural work.

Does my birth year affect the renovation date?

Yes. A date can be clean on the almanac layer and still clash with the occupant's personal chart. This tool runs a basic personal screen by comparing the chosen day's branch to the user's Kua number and birth-year branch. A professional date selection also considers the full Four Pillars, the sitting direction of the property, and the annual and monthly flying stars — which is why this tool is framed as a baseline screen, not a complete date-selection service.

Feng Shui Renovation Date Picker (2026) | Avoid Tai Sui, Three Killings & Break Days

Q: What days should I avoid for a renovation start in 2026?

In 2026 the key days to avoid are: year-break days (day branch opposing the year branch Wu), month-break days (day branch opposing the current month branch), and the four seasonal transition days (the day before each Li Chun, Li Xia, Li Qiu and Li Dong, plus the day before each equinox and solstice). Separately, avoid disturbing the Tai Sui sector (South), the Sui Po sector (North) and the Three Killings sector (North) this year.

Q: What are the Four Separation and Four Cut-off days?

The Four Separation days (Si Li) are the day before the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice. The Four Cut-off days (Si Jue) are the day before Li Chun, Li Xia, Li Qiu and Li Dong. These are seasonal hinge points where the qi is considered unstable, and traditional almanacs mark them as unsuitable for renovation, moving or major commitments.

Q: Can I renovate in the Tai Sui or Three Killings direction?

Classical practice says no — these sectors should be kept quiet in 2026. The Tai Sui is in the South, the Sui Po opposite it in the North, and the Three Killings in the North. Drilling, demolition or structural change in those sectors is what the almanac warns against. If the work is unavoidable, keep it light and complete it outside the most sensitive days.

Step 1 — Date & Sector Being Disturbed

Planned start date

Which part of the home will be disturbed?

“Sector” means the compass area where the work happens — e.g. a kitchen in the Southeast, or a bathroom in the North. This year the Tai Sui is in the South and the Three Killings are in the North.

Step 2 — Personal Screen (Optional)

Birth year (if born before Feb 4, use the previous year)

Gender

The almanac layer alone does not know your chart. Adding your birth year and gender lets the tool flag days that clash with your personal Kua — a conflict that a generic almanac cannot see.

Screening Result

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Pick a date and sector, then click “Screen This Date” to see the verdict.

Screening layer	2026 status	What it means
Run the screen to populate the layer-by-layer breakdown.

🛠 What to do next

Run the screen to see recommended next steps.

This screen covers the headline rules — not the full date-selection process

What this tool does is a baseline screen: it checks the year’s Tai Sui and Three Killings sectors, the year-break and month-break day logic, the four seasonal transition days, and a basic personal clash against your Kua. What it does not do is a full date selection — that requires the property’s sitting direction and 24-mountain position, the monthly and daily flying stars, the full Four Pillars of the occupants, and the interaction between the chosen hour and the household. If you are about to commit to a structural renovation, use this screen to eliminate clearly unsuitable dates, then take the shortlisted dates into the structured method below.

For a more professional date-selection method, continue to “Feng Shui: The First Study — The 3,000-Year-Old Blueprint for Wealth, Love & Luck”

How Renovation Date Screening Works in 2026

A renovation is an “earth-disturbing” act. Classical date selection does not treat every day as equally suitable, and it does not treat every direction as equally safe. This tool runs the headline checks that a homeowner can act on before booking a contractor, using the 2026 (Bing Wu) year cycle as its reference.

Layer 1 — The year’s sensitive sectors: Tai Sui and Three Killings

In 2026 the Tai Sui (Jupiter) position is the South, the Sui Po directly opposite it is the North, and the Three Killings (San Sha) fall in the North. Classical practice treats these as “quiet” sectors: drilling, demolition, or structural change in them is what the almanac warns against. If your renovation is in one of these sectors, the tool will flag it regardless of how clean the calendar date looks.

Layer 2 — Year-break and month-break days

A year-break day (Sui Po day) is a day whose earthly branch opposes the year’s Tai Sui branch. In 2026 the year branch is Wu, so days carrying the opposing branch are year-break days. A month-break day works the same way at the monthly scale: the day branch opposes the current month branch. Both are treated as unsuitable for major earth-moving work. The tool calculates these from the date you enter, not from a static list.

Layer 3 — The four seasonal transition days

Traditional almanacs mark eight hinge points each year. The Four Cut-off days (Si Jue) are the day before Li Chun, Li Xia, Li Qiu and Li Dong — the season is about to end. The Four Separation days (Si Li) are the day before the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice — the qi is splitting. Renovation, moving and major commitments are conventionally avoided on these eight days. The tool approximates their dates from the year and flags them automatically.

Layer 4 — Personal clash screen

The almanac does not know who lives in the house. A day can be clean on the calendar and still clash with an occupant’s personal chart. This tool runs a basic personal screen: it derives your Kua number from your birth year and gender, and checks whether the day’s branch conflicts with that Kua or with your birth-year branch. This is not a substitute for a full Four Pillars date selection, but it catches the most common personal conflicts that a generic almanac misses.

How to read the verdict

Proceed means no headline conflict was found at the sector or day level. Caution means one minor flag — for example, a month-break day but a safe sector — where light work may be acceptable but structural changes should wait. Avoid means at least one major conflict: the work falls in the Tai Sui, Sui Po or Three Killings sector, or the date is a year-break day, or the personal screen produced a direct clash. The verdict is deliberately conservative: it is easier to move a date than to undo a renovation started on an unsuitable day.

Renovation Date Selection — FAQ

What days should I avoid for a renovation start in 2026?

The main ones are year-break days (day branch opposing the year branch Wu), month-break days, and the eight seasonal transition days around Li Chun, Li Xia, Li Qiu, Li Dong and the two equinoxes and solstices. Separately, avoid disturbing the Tai Sui sector (South), the Sui Po sector (North) and the Three Killings sector (North).

What is a year-break day and why does it matter?

A year-break day carries the earthly branch that directly opposes the year’s Tai Sui branch. In 2026 that opposing branch is calculated from the year branch Wu. Classical date selection treats it as a day of structural weakness, so it is excluded from major earth-moving, demolition and construction starts.

What are the Four Separation and Four Cut-off days?

The Four Separation days are the day before each equinox and solstice. The Four Cut-off days are the day before each season-start (Li Chun, Li Xia, Li Qiu, Li Dong). These are qi hinge points that traditional almanacs mark as unstable — unsuitable for renovation, moving or binding commitments.

Can I renovate in the Tai Sui or Three Killings direction?

Classical practice advises against it. In 2026 the Tai Sui is in the South and the Three Killings in the North. Keep those sectors quiet: no drilling, demolition or structural change. If the work cannot be moved, keep it light and schedule it outside the most sensitive days.

Does my birth year change the result?

Yes. The tool derives your Kua from your birth year and gender and checks whether the chosen day’s branch conflicts with your personal chart. A full professional date selection goes further — full Four Pillars, property sitting direction, monthly and daily flying stars — which is why this tool is a baseline screen, and the deep-dive page below explains the complete method.