The Cantonese expression 'fan tai sui' translates into English as 'offending the grand duke'. This does not mean that one has behaved inappropriately in front of royalty. Rather, 'tai sui' refers to one of the 60 gods that make up the sexagenary cycle. The full complement of statues of the 60 'grand dukes' can be seen in temples dedicated to them in Taiwan and Hong Kong. 'Grand duke' also refers to the governing Chinese zodiac animal of the year, which, for 2010, is the tiger. Hence, those who offend the grand duke this year are those who were born in a Year of the Tiger - 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986 and 1998. There is the mistaken impression that those born in a Year of the Tiger are destined to have a bad year. Rather, those who should be more concerned are those who clash with the grand duke, such as those born in a Year of the Monkey (1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 and 2004). Some fung shui masters recommend that those born in a clashing year should pay their respects at a temple so as to reduce any potential misfortune. But it is too generalised to assume that all those born under the monkey sign will suffer a bad year; a more detailed analysis of a person's eight characters of birth, or paht chee (as expressed by the time, day, month and year), and his luck cycle will yield more clues.
