Tai Sui 太岁
Tài Suì · The Grand Duke of the year — the year branch, and the deity who presides over it.
What it means
Tai Sui is the Grand Duke Jupiter: originally an imaginary counter-Jupiter used to track the twelve-year orbit, later a deity, and in practice the branch that holds the current year. A sign is said to offend the Tai Sui when its branch stands in one of five relationships with the year branch — presiding, clash, punishment, harm or destruction.
Why it matters
Offending the Tai Sui is the most widely observed piece of Chinese folk astrology; temples run Tai Sui services every New Year and the custom drives real spending. The tradition frames an offence as a year of disruption rather than misfortune, and the classical responses — settling the Tai Sui and wearing red received as a gift — are about marking the year, not about preventing an outcome.
| Sign | Relationship | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Goat | Presiding (Ben Ming Nian) | 值太岁 |
| Ox | Clash + Punishment | 冲太岁 + 刑太岁 |
| Dog | Punishment + Destruction | 刑太岁 + 破太岁 |
| Rat | Harm | 害太岁 |
Where this site uses it
The Tai Sui page works out which signs are affected in each year directly from the branch tables, lists the afflicted directions, and explains the traditional remedies.