太岁 (tài suì) — Jupiter (the planet, in traditional Chinese astronomy); the God of the Year (a deity in Chinese folk religion whose shifting position forbids construction in that direction); (figurative) a local tyrant or powerful person one should not provoke

Definition

In Chinese folk belief, 太岁 is the God of the Year whose direction changes yearly; building or digging in that direction is taboo. Figuratively, calling someone "太岁" means a local bully no one dares to provoke.

noun
Jupiter (the planet, in traditional Chinese astronomy)the God of the Year (a deity in Chinese folk religion whose shifting position forbids construction in that direction)(figurative) a local tyrant or powerful person one should not provoke

Examples

  • 太岁。
    Gǔ rén rèn wéi tài suì zài tiān kōng zhōng de wèi zhì huì yǐng xiǎng rén jiān yùn shì.
    Ancient people believed that the position of Jupiter in the sky could affect fortunes on earth.
  • 太岁，。
    Jīn nián tài suì zài nán fāng, lǎo yí bèi dōu shuō bú yào zài nà lǐ dòng tǔ.
    This year the God of the Year is in the south; the elders all say not to break ground there.
  • 太岁，。
    Nà ge rén shì dāng dì chū le míng de tài suì, méi rén gǎn rě tā.
    That guy is a notorious local bully — nobody dares to offend him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

太tàigreat
岁suìyear

太 means great and 岁 refers to the year, so 太岁 names the great year deity and related meanings.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

太 is a modified form of 大, with an extra dot added to show 'too big'.

Open 太 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歲; 岁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
步步bù
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè歲suì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 歲, the part 步 shows movement over time, and 戉 gives the sound; this explanation is about 歲, not the simplified 岁.

Open 岁 →

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