How the Year’s Tai Sui Is Determined: The Rules of Clash, Punishment, Harm, and Others

What Is Tai Sui

In the traditional calendar, 'Tai Sui' (太歲 Tàisuì) is not a mysterious star, but the earthly branch of the current year. Taking 2026 as an example, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (干支 gānzhī) combination is Bingwu (丙午), and the earthly branch is 'Wu' (午). Therefore, the Tai Sui for 2026 is Wu. To determine an individual's relationship with Tai Sui for a given year, one only needs to compare their zodiac’s earthly branch with this year's branch; no astrological or deity-based perspectives are required.

There are twelve earthly branches in sequence: Zi (子), Chou (丑), Yin (寅), Mao (卯), Chen (辰), Si (巳), Wu (午), Wei (未), Shen (申), You (酉), Xu (戌), and Hai (亥), used cyclically. When one's zodiac branch matches the year's branch, it is called 'Direct Tai Sui' (值太歲). For example, a person born in the year of Wu, whose zodiac is the Horse, has the earthly branch Wu. This matches the Tai Sui, making them a 'Direct Tai Sui'.

Six Clashes: Why the Rat Clashes in a Wu Year

There is a fixed set of 'Six Clashes' (六沖) pairs among the earthly branches:

• Zi (子) and Wu (午)
• Chou (丑) and Wei (未)
• Yin (寅) and Shen (申)
• Mao (卯) and You (酉)
• Chen (辰) and Xu (戌)
• Si (巳) and Hai (亥)

These six pairs are symmetrical: Zi clashes with Wu, and Wu also clashes with Zi. The year 2026 has the branch Wu. By checking the table, the branch that clashes with Wu is Zi. The zodiac Rat's earthly branch is Zi, so the Rat is in a clash with Tai Sui. If it were the year 2027 (Dingwei year), the year's branch would be Wei. The branch clashing with Wei is Chou, so people born in the Year of the Ox would then be in the clash with Tai Sui.

It is important to note that the Six Clashes are a fixed lookup table. No chart casting (排盤) or specific school of thought is needed; as long as you know the year's earthly branch, you can look it up.

'Breaking' Relationship: Why the Rabbit is 'Broken' in a Wu Year

'Breaking' (破 pò) is another type of relationship between earthly branches. The complete set of 'breaking' pairs includes more than one combination, but for a Wu year, the corresponding pair is Mao and Wu 'breaking' each other (卯午相破). Mao is the earthly branch of the Rabbit zodiac, so in 2026, the Rabbit is in a 'breaking' relationship with Tai Sui.

Unlike the Six Clashes, the 'breaking' relationships do not have a neat set of six symmetrical pairs. It is more like a scattered diagram, with each branch having a fixed 'breaking' partner. In practical use, one checks which branch 'breaks' the current year's branch and then corresponds that to the zodiac animal. If the year's branch were Wei, you would look up which branch 'breaks' Wei; the rule remains fixed.

'Harming' Relationship: Why the Ox is 'Harmed' in a Wu Year

'Harm' (害), also called 'piercing' (穿), is another fixed relationship between earthly branches. The pair for a Wu year is Chou and Wu 'harming' each other (丑午相害). Chou is the earthly branch of the Ox zodiac, so in 2026, the Ox is in a 'harming' relationship with Tai Sui.

The complete set of Six Harms (六害) pairs is: Zi and Wei, Chou and Wu, Yin and Si, Mao and Chen, Shen and Hai, You and Xu—six pairs in total. Like the Six Clashes, this table is fixed and requires no additional conditions. As long as the year's branch is Wu, the harmed branch is Chou. If the year's branch were Wei, the harmed branch would be Zi.

Why 'Punishment' Is Not Mentioned

The title listed 'punishment' (刑 xíng), but among the four main relationships for the Wu year of 2026, Direct Tai Sui, Clash, Breaking, and Harm already cover the four common zodiac signs: Horse, Rat, Rabbit, and Ox. The rules for 'punishment' are more complex, divided into 'Three Punishments' (三刑) and 'Self-Punishment' (自刑), and different schools of thought do not agree on whether there is a punishment in a Wu year or which branch it affects. The approach of this website is to list the source and calculation method for each relationship, allowing readers to compare and judge for themselves without us choosing a side.

The Zodiac Boundary is Lichun, Not Lunar New Year

One final detail that is often mistaken: the switch-over point for the zodiac is Lichun (立春, 'Start of Spring'), not the first day of the Lunar New Year, nor the Western calendar's January 1st. In 2026, Lichun falls on February 4th. A person born before this date, even if they have already passed the Lunar New Year, is still considered to be born in the Year of the Snake (巳), not the Year of the Horse (午). This is a rule inherent to the Ganzhi (干支) dating system, which differs from folk custom and must be followed when casting charts.

The chart-casting pages on this website will list the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch (干支) of the year pillar for readers to verify. We present the rules and the derivation process; we do not provide 'this year's fortune'—that would require choosing a specific school of judgment criteria, which is beyond the scope of this website.