I’ve just looked into the luck in the Year of the Horse in great detail and I want to share it with you. There’s quite a lot of information online about “fan tai sui,” but most of it has some errors, so I decided to put everything together clearly.

“Fan tai sui,” in essence, includes five types: Zhi Tai Sui, Xung Tai Sui, Hinh Tai Sui, Hại Tai Sui, and Phá Tai Sui. Among them, Zhi Tai Sui and Xung Tai Sui are the two types with the biggest impact. Zhi Tai Sui (your year’s zodiac) is often considered the most negative, with large fluctuations in your luck. Xung Tai Sui also brings many major upheavals, sometimes even more strongly affecting your luck than Zhi Tai Sui. When you’re affected by these two types, you need to be more careful with your health, emotions, career, and social relationships.

As for Hại Tai Sui and Phá Tai Sui, their negative effects are relatively smaller. Hại Tai Sui mainly causes external disturbances—things brought by petty people, disputes, slander, and so on. These will harm your social relationships, emotions, and your career. Phá Tai Sui, in turn, is related to issues such as relationship breakdowns, financial loss, damage, or health problems. Hinh Tai Sui is especially particular: it’s a latent influence that may appear together with other Tai Sui types, easily leading to legal trouble—so you need to pay attention to contracts and supervision.

Besides “fan tai sui,” there are also good “he tai sui” (balancing) influences. He tai sui includes Lục Hợp (the “six harmonies,” combining two zodiac animals) and Tam Hợp (the “three harmonies,” combining three zodiac animals). This kind of luck is quite powerful.

For specific Year of the Horse fortunes, the best luck belongs to people born in the Year of the Goat, with Lục Hợp. Next are those born in the Year of the Tiger and the Year of the Dog, with Tam Hợp. On the other hand, people born in the Year of the Horse have the worst luck, being affected by Zhi Tai Sui and Hinh Tai Sui. People born in the Year of the Rat face Xung Tai Sui, while those born in the Year of the Ox and the Year of the Rabbit also have some unfavorable aspects—respectively affected by Hại Tai Sui and Phá Tai Sui.

I’d also like to add a note about the Five Elements’ interactions of generation and overcoming (ngũ hành). Each zodiac corresponds to an Earthly Branch and has its own relationships of generation and overcoming: Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal. These relationships also affect your luck.

Actually, things like zodiac signs, zodiac animals, and “fan tai sui” are not precisely scientific. We shouldn’t completely trust them or take risks just because of luck, and we also shouldn’t worry too much because of “fan tai sui.” At most, when your luck is good, you can be reasonably ambitious; when you’re affected by “fan tai sui,” be more cautious in transactions and pay attention to your health.

Finally, I wish all of you a very auspicious Year of the Horse! What you put your effort into will bring you more rewards. I hope everyone can gain greater financial success, romantic/emotional fulfillment, and influence. May your wishes come true!