Tai Sui
God of the Year
Ben Ming Nian (ๆฌๅฝๅนด), Chong (ๅฒ), Hai (ๅฎณ), Po (็ ด), and Xing (ๅ) relations with the year animal each shift the score and tier.
Methodology ยท transparency
How we make predictions
Our horoscopes aren't random paragraphs or a black box. Every sign earns a weighted score from traditional Chinese astrology, then readable copy that has to explain those same factors โ career, love, health, and wealth included. Here's the whole pipeline.
- Deterministic score
- Classical sources
- Human-reviewed copy
- Culture, not destiny
The pipeline, end to end
- 01
Your inputs
Start with just an animal sign, or add a birth date and (optionally) a birth time for a more personal reading.
- 02
Traditional factors
We map how the forecast year interacts with your sign across four classical systems โ Tai Sui, branch relations, Wu Xing, and light BaZi.
- 03
Weighted score & tier
Each factor nudges a base score up or down by a fixed weight. The number maps to a fortune tier โ fully deterministic, no randomness.
- 04
Editorial layer
AI-assisted copy turns the raw factors into readable career, love, health, and wealth notes โ each grounded in the computed factors and reviewed before publish.
The four traditional systems
For every sign and forecast year we calculate how the year's animal, stem-branch pillar, and element interact with your birth sign. These are the systems doing the work:
Branch relations
Harmonies & clashes
San He (ไธๅ Three Harmonies), Liu He (ๅ ญๅ secret friends), and Liu Chong (ๅ ญๅฒ Six Conflicts) between the twelve earthly branches.
Wu Xing
Five elements
Two layers: your personal stem element (after a birth date) and each sign's fixed branch element, run through generating and controlling cycles.
BaZi
Optional, light
Add a birth time for day- and hour-pillar clash or support notes. We do not compute a full BaZi chart (ๅ็ฅ, ๅคง่ฟ, monthly luck).
From factors to a score
Scores start at a base of 65 and move up or down as each factor applies its traditional weight. The final number lands in one of four tiers, shown as a pill on every forecast page.
- Challenging
- < 45
- Mixed
- 45โ59
- Favorable
- 60โ74
- Highly favorable
- โฅ 75
- Highly favorable
A year that opens doors
You move with the year's current instead of against it โ bold plans find backing, the right people show up, and timing keeps falling your way.
- Favorable
Steady, building momentum
A productive stretch where noble helpers appear and quiet effort compounds โ nothing flashy, just real ground gained month after month.
- Mixed fortune
Peaks and valleys
Genuine movement, but over uneven ground โ expect pivots and pressure that refine you, with lessons that only pay off later.
- Challenging year
Headwinds to navigate
Tai Sui friction, element pressure, or branch clashes test your footing โ lean on allies, move with care, and let steady choices carry the year.
- Ben Ming Nian
Your zodiac year returns
The wheel comes back to your own sign โ visibility and karma both run high. Wear red, guard your energy, and choose deliberately.
Tier thresholds: highly favorable โฅ 75, favorable โฅ 60, mixed โฅ 45, challenging below 45. Ben Ming Nian always uses its own tier regardless of score.
Worked example
Dragon in 2026
Year of the Fire HorseFavorablescore 69/100
These are the exact factors the engine surfaces for this sign and year:
- Sign's fixed element: earth vs year's fire: The dragon's fixed branch element (earth) meets the horse year's fire โ year element supports you. Every dragon shares this element, separate from your personal birth-year element.
How the readable copy is written
Raw factors are accurate but terse. We use AI-assisted writing to turn them into readable forecasts โ but every โwhy,โ career, love, health, and wealth paragraph must cite the same Tai Sui, branch, and Wu Xing factors the engine computed. Copy is reviewed before it ships as static content, not regenerated on every page view.
On each forecast page you see both layers: editorial prose plus a bullet list showing the exact traditional factors behind the score โ so you can always check our work.
What we do โ and what we don't
โ What we do
- Compute every score from the same documented traditional rules โ the same sign always returns the same number.
- Show you the exact factor list behind each score under "Why this forecast?"
- Tie every paragraph of copy to the factors the engine actually computed.
- Use official Chinese New Year dates (1920โ2030) so your sign and the year boundary are consistent.
โ What we don't
- Generate random horoscopes or regenerate text on every page view.
- Claim to predict real-world events, money, or health outcomes.
- Compute a full professional BaZi chart, monthly luck, or ๅคง่ฟ cycles.
- Use the Li Chun solar term (~Feb 4) to start the zodiac year โ we follow popular ็่ tradition.
What changes with your birth date
| Level | You provide | What shifts |
|---|---|---|
| Animal sign only | Pick Rat, Dragon, Horse, etc. | Tai Sui, branch relations, and each sign's fixed branch element vs the year |
| Birth date | Exact date (Chinese New Year aware) | Your stem element from the 60-year cycle (ๅ ญๅ็ฒๅญ) adds personal Wu Xing scoring |
| Birth time (optional) | Time of birth (light BaZi) | Day- and hour-pillar clash or support with the forecast year โ not a full BaZi chart |
Calendar boundary: Chinese New Year
Your zodiac animal and element are determined by whether your birth date fell before or after Chinese New Year in that calendar year (late January through mid-February), using official dates from 1920โ2030. We do not use Li Chun (็ซๆฅ, Start of Spring, ~February 4), which professional Four Pillars astrology often uses to start the annual pillar.
That choice keeps our calculator, year horoscopes, and Tai Sui tables aligned with the popular ็่ tradition most visitors expect. Optional BaZi year pillars in our engine use the same Chinese New Year boundary so your sign and pillars stay consistent.
Glossary: key Chinese termsShowHide
Tai Sui (ๅคชๅฒ): the deity or energy presiding over the lunar year. Clashing Tai Sui (ๅฒๅคชๅฒ) signals upheaval; harmonious years bring support.
San He (ไธๅ): Three Harmonies groups (Rat-Dragon-Monkey, Ox-Snake-Rooster, Tiger-Horse-Dog, Rabbit-Goat-Pig) that naturally support each other.
Liu Chong (ๅ ญๅฒ): Six Conflicts pairs (Rat-Horse, Ox-Goat, etc.) with strong friction and change.
Ben Ming Nian (ๆฌๅฝๅนด): your zodiac year returns; wear red for protection and move carefully.
Wu Xing (ไบ่ก): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water in generating and controlling cycles. See our elements guide.
For entertainment and cultural education only. Not professional advice.
Forecasts combine traditional Chinese astrology scoring with AI-assisted editorial copy grounded in computed factors. They describe traditional readings, not predictions of specific events.