Dingmao Tai Sui General Shen Xing

Dingmao Tai Sui General Shen Xing is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who assume annual duty in the Dingmao year (e.g., 1987, 2047), overseeing human fortune and calamity throughout that year. As the Rabbit is the zodiac sign associated with Dingmao, those born in the Year of the Rabbit enter their benming nian—their zodiacal birth-year—and thus sit directly beneath the Tai Sui, while those born in the Year of the Rooster experience ‘clashing’ with the Tai Sui. According to folk custom, both groups are advised to enshrine the Tai Sui at a temple and offer sincere worship to seek the Tai Sui Star Lord’s protection and mitigation of adverse influences. The Tai Sui originates from the ancient stellar calendar based on Jupiter’s twelve-year orbital cycle (the ‘Sui Xing’, or Year Star); the saying ‘daring not to dig earth above the Tai Sui’ reflects the deep-rooted reverence for the Tai Sui as the supreme divine authority governing the year. Devotees commonly visit Daoist temples on the 8th day of the 1st lunar month to worship the Tai Sui, praying for disaster avoidance, longevity, and smooth passage through the year.