Renyin Tai Sui General He E

Renyin Tai Sui General He E is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who rotate annually in accordance with the sexagenary cycle; he assumes office during the Renyin year (e.g., 2022 CE, 2082 CE), overseeing human fortune, misfortune, auspiciousness, and calamity for that year. The zodiac sign associated with the Renyin year is the Tiger; folk tradition holds that those born in the Year of the Tiger experience benming nian (their birth-year zodiac cycle) during this period, while those born in the Year of the Monkey encounter chong tai sui (a direct clash with the Tai Sui). Both groups are advised to visit Daoist temples to perform the An Tai Sui (‘Stabilising the Tai Sui’) and Bai Tai Sui (‘Worshipping the Tai Sui’) rituals, offering reverence to the Tai Sui Star Lord to mitigate adverse influences throughout the year. Tai Sui veneration originates in ancient Chinese stellar chronology centred on the planet Jupiter (the ‘Year Star’ or Sui Xing) and the taboo against disturbing earth where the invisible Tai Sui deity was believed to reside—hence the saying ‘disturbing the earth above the Tai Sui’. It is believed that the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities take turns serving as celestial overseers, monitoring human virtue and vice; thus, during years of conflict with the Tai Sui, devotees engage in sincere prayer and ritual observance to dispel disasters, transform misfortune into fortune, and ensure safety, harmony, and smooth progress through the year.