Dingsi Tai Sui General Yang Yan

Dingsi Tai Sui General Yang Yan is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who assumes duty during Dingsi years—such as 2037 and 2097—and oversees all human fortune and misfortune for that year. As the Snake is the zodiac sign associated with Dingsi, those born in the Year of the Snake enter their benming nian (zodiacal birth year), thereby sitting directly beneath the Tai Sui’s influence; conversely, those born in the Year of the Pig experience ‘clashing’ with the Tai Sui (chong tai sui). According to folk custom, both groups are advised to enshrine and worship the Tai Sui at temples to seek the deity’s compassionate protection and neutralisation of adverse energies. The Tai Sui originated in ancient Chinese astronomy, where the planet Jupiter (Suixing, or ‘Year Star’) served as the basis for the sexagenary cycle; hence arose the saying, ‘One must not dig earth directly above the Tai Sui’, reflecting the profound reverence accorded this celestial sovereign of 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.