The Origin of Tai Sui: From Celestial Construct to Feared Deity

As the saying goes, "Who dares to dig earth on Taisui's head?" Taisui is a well-known fearsome deity in Chinese folk beliefs. In daily life, a difficult-to-deal-with person is also called "Taisui," and someone with a fierce appearance is said to "look like Taisui." So, what exactly is Taisui?

Taisui’s Direct Connection to Ancient Star Worship

In ancient China, there were two methods of observing celestial bodies to formulate calendars:

One method divided the sky into 12 segments along the apparent motion path of Suixing (Jupiter) — moving from north to west, then south, then east (known as "rightward rotation"). These segments were called the "Twelve Ci." Each time Suixing traveled through one segment, it represented one year. This observation method was later also used to divide the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the 12 months of the year.
The other method divided the sky into 12 regions in the order of north → east → south → west (known as "leftward rotation"). These regions were named after the Twelve Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai, and were called the "Twelve Chen." This method was later mainly used to record the 12 hours of a day and the changes in the positions of fixed stars throughout the year, especially the rotation of the Big Dipper.

These two observation methods each had their own uses. Except for the opposite directions of division and different names, their sky division systems were essentially the same. Since the Warring States Period (475–221 BCE), people had tried to reconcile the two systems. The simplest way was to imagine a "Taisui" (also called Suiyin or Taiyin) that moved at the same speed as Suixing but in the opposite direction. Taisui was believed to travel along the Twelve Chen, entering one Chen each year.

Suixing is a physical celestial body in the sky, but Taisui is intangible — it was actually an imaginary concept created to meet the needs of timekeeping. Therefore, people claimed that Taisui "moves leftward on the earth," meaning it moves in the opposite direction to the celestial Suixing underground. This is how the concept of Taisui originated.

▲ Suixing Moves Rightward; Taisui Moves Leftward ▲

The Deification of Taisui and Related Taboos

Although Taisui is not a celestial body, it was deified and worshipped in a similar way to other stars.

By the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE) at the latest, people already believed that the direction Taisui traveled each year was associated with taboos related to earth-breaking for construction, relocation, and marriage.

Wang Chong, a Confucian scholar of the Han Dynasty, criticized the popular Taisui superstitions in his work Lunheng (Balanced Discourses): "Folk customs hold that when breaking earth for construction, there are certain months and days that bring 'calamity.' Wherever such calamity falls, there must be deaths. Suppose Taisui is in Zi, and the year’s calamity falls on You; the first lunar month corresponds to Yin, and the month’s calamity falls on Si. If construction is done on land corresponding to Zi or Yin, the families in the areas of You and Si will suffer the calamity. Affected families will perform counter-magic rituals: they hang objects representing the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, earth — note: fire is omitted here) . If the calamity of the year or month falls on a western family, that family hangs metal; if it falls on an eastern family, the family hangs charcoal. When verified, all these practices are false." He also pointed out: "Folk beliefs also hold that relocation must avoid offending Taisui — it is said that 'relocating to Taisui’s position brings misfortune,' and 'facing away from Taisui also brings misfortune.' Suppose Taisui is in Jiazi (a combination of Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch), then no one in the world can relocate north or south, and people must also avoid building houses or holding weddings." This superstitution criticized by Wang Chong has persisted among the people and remained prevalent until modern times.

There is also a legend that if one digs earth in Taisui’s direction, they will unearth a moving lump of flesh — which is Taisui’s incarnation. The person who digs will bring disaster to their entire family. This is the origin of the allusion "daring not to dig earth on Taisui’s head."

Historical records contain many such stories. For example, Youyang Zazu·Xuji (Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang·Sequel), Volume 2, records: "In Jimo County, Laizhou Prefecture, there was a commoner named Wang Feng, who had two brothers. Wang Feng did not believe in taboos related to directions. He once dug a pit in the area corresponding to Taisui and found a lump of flesh the size of a bushel, wriggling. He immediately filled the pit, but the flesh kept emerging as he filled it. Frightened, Wang Feng abandoned it. Overnight, the flesh grew and filled the courtyard. Within a few days, Wang Feng, his brothers, and their servants all died suddenly — only one daughter survived."

The Evolution of Taisui Worship: From Folk Belief to Imperial Recognition

Originally, the Taisui belief was popular among the people and not included in the national ritual system. However, since the Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, it gained recognition from the supreme rulers, who set up special altars for Taisui worship.

The duties of Taisui also changed slightly. In addition to governing taboos on construction directions, it was also regarded as the "venerable deity in charge of a full year" and was often worshipped together with the "Yuejiang" (Monthly General) and "Rizhi" (Daily Governor) deities. In folk tales and novels, Taisui was further personified. For example, in Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), Yin Jiao — the crown prince of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty — was portrayed as the "Yearly Taisui Deity," in charge of the good and bad fortunes of the year; Yang Ren was the "Jiazi Taisui Deity," responsible for investigating people’s past mistakes. As for Sanjiao Yuanliu Soushen Daquan (Comprehensive Collection of Gods from the Three Religions), it unified Yin Jiao with the "lump of flesh" in folk legends, stating that Yin Jiao was born wrapped in a meat ball. Later, he was enfeoffed as the "Earthly Envoy of the Nine Heavens," "Zhide Taisui," and "Marshal Yin with the Power of Execution."