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The Xin-You Tai Sui: General Shi Zheng
An inspector who chose a clean court over his own safety, and backed every charge with proof.
- Guardian of
- People born in a Xin-You year, the Year of the Rooster
- Born between
- Feb 5, 1981 – Jan 24, 1982
Feb 1, 2041 – Jan 21, 2042 - Past life (legend)
- Shi Zheng, an imperial censor of the Song dynasty (folk legend)
- Symbol
- A sword pointing forward: no backing down on what is fair
If you were born between these dates, you were born in a Xin-You year, the Year of the Rooster, and General Shi Zheng watches over you.
(A new year starts on Lunar New Year’s Day.)
Double metal, pure and precise
Xin and You are both yin metal: a finely honed edge with nothing extra, and a rooster's clear, on-time call that puts the world in order. Double metal, double precision: a promise kept to the last detail.
General Shi Zheng guards this year. People born in Xin-You years often have firm principles and high standards for themselves. They would rather not promise than promise and fail, and they cannot stand to look away from something unfair.
Plain and clear
He wears a simple, neat official hat with no decoration. His face is clearly drawn and serious, and his bright eyes make lying feel like a bad idea.
He wears a deep blue battle robe and a red cloak and holds a sword pointing forward: a promise not to back down on what is right.
Every line with a source
According to legend, he was Shi Zheng, a Song dynasty censor whose job was to watch over officials and report misconduct. Done well, it made him the conscience of the court. Done badly, it made him a pawn. He chose the hardest way: see it through, all the way, whoever it was.
He brought charges against three powerful officials, one of them related by marriage to a top minister. Every time, he had detailed records, every line with a source, every charge with evidence, leaving nothing to argue with.
"I choose the first"
Asked if he was afraid, he said, "My job is to keep the court clean, not to keep myself safe. If I can't do both, I choose the first." His career paid the price, but cases that might have been buried came to light, and the people who had been wronged got justice.
Heaven named him the Tai Sui of the Xin-You year. A sword pointed at what's right: that is his gift to everyone born in the Year of the Rooster.
Questions people ask
Who is the Tai Sui for people born in 1981?
People born between Feb 5, 1981 and Jan 24, 1982 were born in a Xin-You year, the Year of the Rooster. Their Tai Sui is General Shi Zheng.
Who was General Shi Zheng before becoming a Tai Sui?
Shi Zheng, an imperial censor of the Song dynasty (folk legend).
What does General Shi Zheng hold?
A sword pointing forward: no backing down on what is fair.
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