This is the fable that sits at the heart of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival – sort of like how the story of Santa sits at the heart of Christmas. This story is a sad one. It’s about the goddess Chang’e and her husband Hou Yi the archer, and their star-crossed love affair. I posted another story about Hou Yi last week (there are quite a few stories about him), but this one is arguably even more famous. In other stories about them, though not in this one, Chang’e is referred to as a fairy or divine being, while Hou Yi is kind of like Hercules, a hero with god-like powers.
There are a couple of other characters in here. One is 西王母, or the Queen Mother of the West. Chinese belief in this deity is very old, likely pre-dating Taoism and other more modern religions, and she pops up in several Taoist, Buddhist, and shamanistic stories throughout the ages. The second character – the villain 蓬蒙 (Peng Meng) – isn’t particularly famous (at least not to my knowledge), and I’ve only ever heard that name in relation to this story.
Key vocab
长生不老 – chángshēngbùlǎo – to live forever without aging
贪婪 – tānlán – greedy / avaricious
狡猾 – jiǎohuá – cunning / crafty / sly
威胁 – wēixié – to threaten
身不由己 – shēnbùyóujǐ – involuntarily / beyond one’s control
悲痛欲绝 – bēitòngyùjué – grief-stricken / overwhelmed with sorrow
凝望 – níngwàng – to gaze at / to stare at intently
习俗 – xísú – custom / tradition
嫦娥奔月
嫦娥奔月
后羿是一位有名的英雄，他的妻子嫦娥温柔善良，两个人感情很深，生活幸福美满。
有一天，后羿从西王母那里得到了一颗仙丹。西王母告诉他，吃了这颗仙丹就可以长生不老，飞升成仙。但是后羿放不下嫦娥，不愿意一个人离开，就把仙丹藏在家里，打算以后再做决定。
后羿有一个徒弟叫蓬蒙，此人贪婪狡猾，一心只想得到仙丹。他暗中调查，终于发现了仙丹藏在哪里。有一天，趁后羿出门的时候，蓬蒙闯进屋子，拿着武器威胁嫦娥，逼她交出仙丹。
嫦娥知道自己无法与蓬蒙抗争。她看了看手中的仙丹，心想：仙丹绝对不能落入这种坏人手中。情急之下，她做了一个决定——把仙丹吞了下去。
仙丹的力量非常强大。嫦娥刚刚咽下，就感觉身体越来越轻，双脚慢慢离开地面，身不由己地飘了起来。她飞出窗户，飞过树梢，越飞越高，直冲云霄。
嫦娥心里放不下后羿，不愿飞得太远。她抬头望去，看到月亮就在不远处，于是降落在了月亮上。
后羿回到家，蓬蒙早已逃跑。邻居把发生的事情告诉了他。后羿冲出门外，仰望夜空，只见一轮圆月高挂天上，格外明亮。他大声呼唤嫦娥的名字，却只有风声回应他。
后羿悲痛欲绝。从那以后，每逢八月十五，他都会在院子里摆上嫦娥最爱吃的食物，独自坐在月光下，久久凝望着那轮明月。
后来，这个习俗慢慢流传开来。每年八月十五，天下的人们都会在月光下聚在一起，赏月，吃月饼，思念远方的亲人。这一天，就是中秋节。
Chang’e Flies to the Moon
Chang’e Flies to the Moon
Hou Yi was a famous hero, and his wife Chang’e was gentle and kind. The two shared deep feelings for each other and lived a happy, fulfilling life together.
One day, Hou Yi obtained an elixir of life from the Queen Mother of the West. She told him that taking the elixer would grant eternal life and allow him to ascend to immortality. However, Hou Yi couldn’t bear to leave Chang’e behind and was unwilling to leave alone, so he hid the elixir at home, planning to make a decision later.
Hou Yi had an apprentice named Peng Meng. This man was greedy and cunning, with his heart set only on obtaining the elixir of life. He secretly discovered where the elixir was hidden. One day, when Hou Yi was out, Peng Meng broke into the house, threatened Chang’e with a weapon, and forced her to hand over the elixir.
Chang’e knew she couldn’t fight against Peng Meng. She looked at the elixir in her hand and thought: ‘This absolutely cannot fall into the hands of such a villain.’ In her desperation, she made a decision – she swallowed the elixir.
The power of the elixir was extremely strong. The moment Chang’e swallowed it, she felt her body becoming lighter and lighter. Her feet slowly left the ground, and she floated up involuntarily. She flew out the window, over the treetops, higher and higher, soaring straight into the clouds.
As she ascended, Chang’e couldn’t let go of Hou Yi in her heart, and she resisted flying too far away. She looked up and saw the moon close by, so she landed on it.
When Hou Yi returned home, Peng Meng had long since fled. The neighbors told him what had happened. Hou Yi rushed outside and gazed up at the night sky, where he saw a full moon hanging high above, exceptionally bright. He called out Chang’e’s name loudly, but only the sound of wind answered him.
Hou Yi was overcome with grief. From then on, every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, he would set out Chang’e’s favorite foods in the courtyard and sit alone under the moonlight, gazing at that bright moon for hours.
Later, this custom gradually spread. Every year on the fifteenth of the eighth month, people all over the land gather together under the moonlight to admire the moon, eat mooncakes, and think of loved ones far away. This day is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
