Guisi Tai Sui General Xu You

General Xu You, the Guisi Tai Sui Star Lord, is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who preside annually over human affairs. He assumes office during Guisi years—such as 2013 and 2073—and oversees all blessings and misfortunes affecting humanity that year. As the Snake is the zodiac animal associated with the Guisi stem-branch combination, those born in the Year of the Snake enter their benming nian (birth-year cycle), directly 'sitting on' the Tai Sui and thus requiring ritual appeasement; conversely, those born in the Year of the Pig experience 'clashing' with the Tai Sui (chong tai sui) and likewise require propitiation. According to folk custom, devotees visit temples to install and venerate the Tai Sui image with solemn reverence, seeking the Star Lord’s protection and mitigation of adverse influences. The Tai Sui concept originates in the ancient stellar calendar based on Jupiter’s (the ‘Year Star’ or Sui Xing) twelve-year orbital cycle; the saying ‘daring not to dig earth above the Tai Sui’ reflects the deep-rooted belief in the Tai Sui as the supreme divine authority governing the year. 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.