Xinyou Tai Sui General Shi Zheng

Xinyou Tai Sui General Shi Zheng is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who assumes duty during the Xinyou year (e.g., 2041, 2101), overseeing all human fortune and misfortune for that year. As the Rooster is the zodiac sign associated with Xinyou, those born in the Year of the Rooster enter their benming nian (zodiacal birth-year), thereby sitting directly beneath the Tai Sui—a condition requiring ritual appeasement. Conversely, those born in the Year of the Rabbit experience ‘clashing’ with the Tai Sui (chong tai sui), also necessitating temple rites. According to folk custom, devotees thus install and venerate the Tai Sui deity at temples to seek divine protection and mitigation. The Tai Sui originates from ancient stellar calendrics centred on Jupiter (the ‘Year Star’), and the saying ‘Dare not disturb the earth above the Tai Sui’ reflects its revered status as the supreme celestial administrator for 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.