Dingchou Tai Sui General Wang Wen

Dingchou Tai Sui General Wang Wen is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who assumes duty during the Dingchou year (e.g., 1997, 2057), overseeing all human fortune and misfortune for that year. As the Ox is the zodiac sign associated with Dingchou, those born in the Year of the Ox enter their benming nian (natal zodiac year)—a period traditionally regarded as sitting directly beneath the Tai Sui—and thus require ritual appeasement; conversely, those born in the Year of the Goat experience ‘clashing’ with the Tai Sui (chong tai sui). According to folk custom, both groups should visit temples to install and venerate the Tai Sui image with sincere devotion, seeking the Stellar Lord’s protection and mitigation of adverse influences. The Tai Sui cult originates from the ancient stellar calendar system centred on Jupiter (Sui Xing), whose twelve-year orbital cycle gave rise to the twelve Earthly Branches; the saying ‘one must not dig earth beneath the Tai Sui’ reflects the deep-rooted belief in the Tai Sui as the supreme celestial sovereign governing each year’s destiny. Devotees commonly attend Daoist temples on the 8th day of the 1st lunar month—the traditional auspicious date for worshipping the Tai Sui—to pray for disaster avoidance, longevity, and smooth passage through the year.