The Ding-You Tai Sui: General Tang Jie

A lamp and a rooster's call

Ding is yin fire, a small lamp that shows exactly the detail you need to see. You is the rooster, who crows at dawn right on time to say: light is here, things are in order. Not a moment early, not a moment late.

General Tang Jie guards this year. People born in Ding-You years often have a strong sense of timing: when to speak, when to stay quiet, when to move. They are organized and careful with details.

The rooster helmet

He is big and covered in layers of shining gold armor. On top of his dark helmet sits a golden rooster with a tall comb. His skin has a deep blue-green tone, toughened by the battlefield, and his eyes are sharp and alert.

One hand holds a long, straight staff like a timekeeper's rod. The other is half-closed and ready: when the chance comes, he will not miss it.

"The day after tomorrow, at dusk"

According to legend, he was Tang Jie, a chief scout in the chaos of the Five Dynasties. From the enemy's marching pace, how fast they used up food, and how tired the soldiers looked, he could work out when they would attack, when they would pull back, and when they would run out of supplies.

Once, two armies had been stuck facing each other for a long time and both were short of food. The generals argued: attack or retreat? Tang Jie went out to watch for an hour, came back and said, "The enemy commander will pull out the day after tomorrow, at the hour of the rooster, around dusk."

He explained: their cooking smoke had moved south, so their grain had been moved to another camp, and at the rate they were eating, it would not last past that day. Two days later, at dusk, the enemy withdrew. His side chased them and won.

The right moment

Heaven named him the Tai Sui of the Ding-You year.

A golden rooster on his helmet and the gift of perfect timing: that is his gift to everyone born in the Year of the Rooster.