What are the Chinese zodiac and the elements for 2026?
2026 is the year of the Fire Horse. The heavenly stem is Yang Fire, Bing, the earthly branch is Wu (Horse), the Nayin element for the year is water.
Chinese Lunar New Year starts on February 17, 2026. However, in terms of Feng Shui arrangements, the energy for the year of the Horse begins on February 4, the start of spring, which precedes the lunar year.
Tai Sui’s position in 2026, the year of the Horse, is primarily in the south region, the house of the zodiac Horse, within 165° – 195° of a location. The opposite direction is the house of the zodiac Rat, the north region within 345° – 15°, where Sui Po (Year Breaker) is located in 2026.
2026 Tai Sui’s effect for the year of Fire Horse will take place after February 4, 2026.
What is Tai Sui?
Tai Sui is short for Tai Sui God, or Tai Sui General. It is a Chinese Feng Shui term for the body of personified annual energy that mirrors the ideal trail of Jupiter both celestially and locally in projection.
In Chinese folklore, sixty Tai Suis are named after a historically honorable general. Each Tai Sui governs the world of mortals annually in the 60-year sexagenary cycle. The Tai Sui General in 2026, Year of the Horse, is named after General Wen Zhe.
The impact of Tai Sui on three important aspects
Tai Sui is a body of energy that changes annually. In general, when we are talking about Tai Sui, we refer to the annual energy that fills the annual zodiac house both locally and celestially. Depending on the topic and context, the emphasis of Tai Sui’s effect varies, and the ambiguity often causes some confusion in practice. I will break down the most important information about Tai Sui in 2026 into three aspects below,
- Tai Sui’s effect on people, zodiacs offending Tai Sui (Fan Tai Sui)
- Tai Sui’s effect on space (Feng Shui Dos and Don’ts for Tai Sui’s and Sui Po’s position, and my secret method of energy decluttering on these two corners).
- Tai Sui’s effect on time (what hours you should avoid, what you should pay attention to, and what you should not care about)
We will get into details of each aspect below, and I will also share with you some of my secret remedies.
Tai Sui’s effect on people, zodiacs offending Tai Sui (Fan Tai Sui)
- What is Fan Tai Sui (offending Tai Sui)?
Tai Sui governs the annual zodiac house and thus has a different reaction with the rest of the zodiacs. When interaction is incompatible or unfavorable to Tai Sui’s house, that zodiac is considered to be offending Tai Sui. Fan Tai Sui means offending Tai Sui. There are five types of offending Tai Sui, being against Tai Sui, clashing with Tai Sui, being afflicted by Tai Sui, being harmed by Tai Sui, and being broke by Tai Sui. As a result, there are often four to five zodiacs offending Tai Sui each year.
- Which Chinese Zodiacs will offend Tai Sui in 2026?
As we mentioned above, there are five types of offending Tai Sui. Below is an overview of the Chinese zodiacs offending Tai Sui in 2026, Year of the Horse.
| Zodiacs offending Tai Sui in the 2026 Year of the Horse | |
| Zodiac against Tai Sui | Horse |
| Zodiac clashing with Tai Sui | Rat |
| Zodiacs afflicted by Tai Sui | Ox |
| Zodiacs harmed by Tai Sui | Rabbit |
| Zodiacs broken by Tai Sui | Rooster |
Being against Tai Sui means that the house of the yearly zodiac is filled with a body of strong annual energy; for this reason, it magnifies any strength or weakness, benefits or flaws in the natal chart of a person. It is similar to the conjunction aspect in Astrology. People who are against Tai Sui will often experience instability, emotional and health issues, setbacks, and family issues. In 2026, the zodiac Horse is against Tai Sui.
Clashing with Tai Sui means a zodiac is clashing directly with the zodiac of the year. For that reason, it often weakens or brings damage to certain aspects of life, for example, health, finances, relationships, etc. It is like the opposition aspect in Astrology. People who are clashing with Tai Sui will often experience opposition, obstacles, accidents, or setbacks. In 2026, the zodiac Rat will be clashing with Tai Sui.
Being afflicted with Tai Sui often results in certain retributions or punishments; it often brings about things unusual in life. Being afflicted with Tai Sui is like the square aspect in Astrology. People who are afflicted with Tai Sui will often experience certain retributions or punishment due to their mistakes or attitudes. The self-afflicting zodiacs are more likely to suffer the consequences of their own decisions. In 2026, the zodiac Ox will be afflicted by Tai Sui.
Being harmed by Tai Sui means the supportive energy of a zodiac is being clashed; as a result, it brings about backstabbers, enemies, negative changes, job changes, failure, illness, relationship entanglement, etc. In 2026, the zodiac Rabbit is harmed by Tai Sui.
Being broken by Tai Sui has a relatively slight negative impact in comparison to other types of offending Tai Sui. However, most of the issues caused by breaking Tai Sui are happening under the table, in the back, hidden, invisible for now, or hard to realize by others, for example, betrayal by a friend, food poisoning, legal entanglement, and financial loss. In 2026, the zodiac Rooster is broken by Tai Sui.
- Are zodiacs offending Tai Sui bad luck?
In fact, contrary to what people think, offending Tai Sui does not mean bad luck, or offending Tai Sui, does not necessarily bring bad luck to a person. Offending Tai Sui simply means that a certain aspect of one’s life is magnified; it can be either positive or negative, though in most cases, one may experience certain kinds of challenges in life. The nature of the actual outcome will be determined by other factors.
For those experiencing low fortune in various areas of life or wishing to guard against negative energy, I highly recommend wearing a customized consecrated Tai Sui talisman—especially if you belong to one of the five zodiacs offending Tai Sui in 2026: Horse, Rat, Rooster, Rabbit, or Ox.
This talisman is meticulously consecrated according to the highest standards of my Dao lineage, the Quan Zhen school—one of the most classical Daoist lineages with over a thousand years of expertise in creating powerful Daoist magic. This talisman is a great protection tool to minimize the annual harmful influences and support an overall improvement in your fortune throughout the year. If you’d like to learn how to choose the best Tai Sui amulet or talisman, I’ve written an in-depth guide on the topic: A Beginner’s Guide to the Best Tai Sui Amulet/Talisman
- Which are the lucky zodiacs in 2026?
In addition to Zodiac offending Tai Sui, some zodiacs are compatible with Tai Sui. When your zodiac is compatible with annual energy, at least one aspect of your life is elevated or bestowed with certain positive opportunities. The lucky zodiacs for 2026, Year of the Horse, are the Zodiac Tiger, Zodiac Dog, and Zodiac Dragon.
Space, the direction or region that Tai Sui stays in that particular year
- The direction of Tai Sui in 2026, the year of the Horse
Tai Sui’s direction in 2026, the year of the Horse, is in the south region, the house of the zodiac Horse, which is within 165° – 195° of a location. The opposite direction of that is the house of Zodiac Rat, the northwest region within 345° – 15°, where Sui Po (Year Breaker) is in 2026. Both Tai Sui and Sui Po positions should avoid any reconstruction or activities with heavy vibration.
- Feng Shui Dos, Don’t and Remedy for Tai Sui and Sui Po in Year of the Horse, 2026
Dos for Tai Sui position (165° – 195°) and Sui Po (Year Breaker) position in the north (345° – 15°):
- Keep both areas calm.
- Hang a 6-rod wind chime
- Display a natural Wu Lou
- Display the House Protection Talisman or the Five Thunder Protection Talisman if any of your entry, kitchen, bedroom, or office is in either sector.
Don’ts for Tai Sui position (135° – 165°) and Sui Po (Year Breaker) position in the northwest (315° – 345°):
- Avoid long periods of activity in both Tai Sui and Sui Po areas.
- Avoid any reconstruction activities in the relevant Tai Sui positions.
- Avoid remodeling projects, such as breaking the ground, changing floor tiles, taking down the walls, heavy hammering, or activities that cause heavy vibration etc.
Below is the secret remedy checklist that can help to declutter negative energy in both the Tai Sui and Sui Po areas of 2026 :
- Avoid items such as spherical items, shiny items, pieces of jewelry, crystals, and appliances such as an alarm clock and audio system in the Tai Sui position.
- Avoid displaying animals such as rats or horses (regardless of whether they are statues or images) in the Tai Sui position.
- Avoid displaying animals such as oxen, rabbits, sheep, tigers, or monkeys (regardless of whether they are statues or images) in the Sui Po region.
- Display a sheep and an ox in the Tai Sui position.
- Display a snake and a pig in the Sui Po position.
However, the most important factor to minimize Tai Sui’s negative impact is to avoid any reconstruction and remodeling activities in both Tai Sui’s and Sui Po’s regions, which is good enough in general. Especially this year of 2026, Tai Sui position overlaps with Five Yellow, Sui Po overlaps with Three-killings. Any activities such as breaking the ground, drilling, or breaking the wall will activate the negative qi of these annual problematic areas.
But, what if you have to do a reconstruction in Tai Sui’s position, say, water is leaking in that corner of your house, what can we do then?
What we often hear from a consultant is that there is nothing you can do about it, and negative consequences will follow.
Well, there is an advanced method to minimize the negative effect and I have never seen anyone revealing it in public. I have always used it to help my clients when they activate Tai Sui by accident, and it has worked magic in many cases. Though it was within the advanced practice category, the practice itself is not complicated, I put down a step-by-step guideline below:
First, if possible, start that reconstruction in the last 20 minutes of an hour, and try to keep yourself or your family away from the site being activated. It is the weak end of an hour in terms of energy.
Secondly, put seven grains of raw rice and mix it with seven dashes of salt in freshwater, dash the saltwater in four corners of the house, and the family members who got involved. It will significantly lower the negative impact of Tai Sui. However, since this is a powerful practice and it may do damage to spirits, one should call out to the corner before dashing the water into it. Please join Willow’s Feng Shui Best Guide and check for details.
Thirdly, after dashing the water on both family members that are present and to the corners of the house, leave the site for 24 hours (spend the night in a hotel) if possible, and return the next day.
Another secret tip that has been passed down from Daoism is to apply the consecrated Five Thunder Talisman (the left one below) and the Sha-deflective Reconstruction Talisman (the right one below) to the reconstruction areas.
This Five Thunder Protection Talisman is a very well-known and revered protection talisman from the Daoism Quan Zhen School, meticulously consecrated for comprehensive protection and cleansing. Crafted following Quan Zhen School’s highest protection talisman standard, this talisman serves multiple protective purposes, ensuring the safety and well-being of its bearer in various situations. In this case, the Five Thunder Protection Talisman can be either carried in person or displayed in the living room or the reconstruction area to minimize the negative energy caused by heavy activities or reconstruction in annual afflicted areas, such as Tai Sui, Sui Po, and Three-Killings.
The Sha-Deflective Reconstruction Talisman is a powerful protection talisman designed to deflect harmful Sha Qi caused by wrong innovation activities. In classical Daoist magic, it serves as a vaccine to prevent a location from sudden qi disturbance caused by reconstruction. It is particularly effective in mitigating the negative energy caused by activating annual afflicted areas, such as Tai Sui, Sui Po, and the Three-Killings. This talisman is invaluable during renovation activities, as it minimizes the harm and protects individuals from ill-developed negative energy that can arise from such disturbances.
The best practice is to post the Sha-deflective Reconstruction Talisman in the living room or facing the reconstruction area, while carrying the Five Thunder Talisman in person.
The more thoroughly you follow these instructions above, the less negative effect you will experience in the upcoming days.
Time, the hours, days, and months that have a conflict with Tai Sui
In Feng Shui practice, there are often three factors to be considered for a matter: earth, heaven, and mankind; earth being the space, mankind being the person who got involved, these are basically the zodiac and space arrangement that I mentioned earlier in this article. The third factor, heaven, is the time to initiate an event, to activate a certain type of energy. There are unfavorable times that may affect the development of a matter and cause issues, and there are also auspicious times that will push things in the direction we desire.
For example, in 2026, the year of the Horse, people are advised to avoid the time of the zodiac Horse and Rat because they are considered Tai Sui and Sui Po time and may bring too much instability to an event.
When is the time of the zodiac Horse and Rat?
Month-wise, the month of Snake is between June 5 to July 6, and the month of Rat is between December 7 to January 4, 2027.
The picture below is a general range of each zodiac month; the actual starting date and end date can be one day before or after the estimated dates below.
To identify Tai Sui or Sui Po days, use the Chinese almanac. These days should be avoided for major activities. Once you identify any day of Horse and Rat, the next sixth day is considered a Tai Sui or Sui Po day and should be avoided. For example, February 4, 2026, is day of the Rooster, so the February 5 would be day of the Dog, February 6 day of the Pig, February 7 the day of the Rat, meaning February 7 is the Sui Po day, and the next 6th day February 13 is the day of the Horse, the Tai Sui day, and after another six days, February 19 is day of the Rat again, the Sui Po day, and so forth. These days are not considered great options to start an important project in general.
Hours associated with Tai Sui are often avoided in time picking. Chinese zodiac hour system is different from the occidental hour system. The day starts after 11 pm the day before and ends at 11 p.m., not midnight. The zodiac hours go in a bi-hourly system, starting with 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. as the hour of Rat, 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. as the hour of OX, and so on.
People are often advised to avoid using the time of the Horse (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Rat (11 p.m. to 1 a.m.) to initiate an important event, wedding, grand opening, etc.
| Zodiac & corresponding hours | |
| Rat | 11pm – 1am |
| Ox | 1am -3am |
| Tiger | 3am-5am |
| Rabbit | 5am-7am |
| Dragon | 7am-9am |
| Snake | 9am-11am |
| Horse | 11am-1pm |
| Sheep | 1pm-3pm |
| Monkey | 3pm-5pm |
| Rooster | 5pm-7pm |
| Dog | 7pm-9pm |
| Pig | 9pm-11pm |
Time picking is a very complex subject that only be mastered by a small group of advanced masters. When it is practiced correctly, it can produce a wonderful result. However, the amount of calculation is huge and results in an expensive charge. People often refer to the auspicious/ominous time in a traditional almanac for convenience; however, the time a traditional almanac can offer is often way too generic and arbitrary and thus helps very little for practical purposes.
If you are interested in the subject of Tai Sui, I also have another Tai Sui article explaining the origin of Tai Sui and its different impacts in depth.
For the 2026 Feng Shui Flying Star arrangement, please check this article here.
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