Tsay was born in 1952 in Baihe Township in Tainan County. His father was a middle school teacher, but the family grew sesame and lotus on the side. Cultivation was taxing work, but not profitable for the Tsay family, and from an early age Tsay identified with the farmer's toil.
1952 年生於台南白河的蔡東纂，父親是國中教師，家裡種植芝麻、蓮花當副業，辛苦耕作卻不賺錢，讓他從小就對農民的辛勞感到不捨。