Hou Yi and Chang'e
Chinese Folktale
Hou Yi and the Ten Suns
In the earth’s early days, and when China was ruled by Emperor Yao (帝堯), the sky was littered with ten suns that alternated their illumination of the planet. The Jade Emperor (玉皇) (heavenly grandfather) had told the suns that they could only play in the sky one at a time. Otherwise, their play might destroy the earth. The suns were very young children and were not very good at doing as they were told, so one day, they decided that playing together would be more fun than playing alone.
As all ten suns appeared in the sky, the earth’s temperature became unbearably hot. Chaos ensued as a result. Crops shriveled and people fainted as the earth burned. This provided the monsters a great opportunity. When they saw what was happening, they came out from the shadows and began to prey upon humanity.
Hou Yi, a very skilled archer, saw what was happening and went to speak with the Jade Emperor. He said to the Emperor, “If the suns cannot behave, then I will have to shoot them down in order to stop the destruction of the planet.”
The Jade Emperor was very afraid of the fate that would befall his grandchildren. So, he told them to return and scolded them. However, the suns were having fun and could not hear the Emperor over their own joyful noises. The Jade Emperor realized that he could not stop them from playing together and gave Hou Yi permission to take care of the situation.
Hou Yi set out to attack the monsters who were terrorizing the land. He was armed with a giant bow constructed of tiger bones, and his arrows were made out of dragon tendons. When he finished slaying the monsters, he climbed to the highest mountain peak and confronted the playing suns.
He warned the suns and pleaded for them to return to the Jade Emperor’s palace immediately. The suns heard his warning, but they stuck their tongues out and continued to play as they had been. They taunted him by telling him to mind his own business. In response to their disregard of his pleas, Hou Yi pulled out his bow and let nine arrows loose upon the suns. Instantly, the suns fell from the sky, leaving only the tenth sun in the air. The tenth sun was terrified and ran into a cave to hide.
With no suns in the sky, the earth was suddenly plunged into deep darkness and cold. All of the living creatures begged for the sun to return to the sky, but the sun was scared of Hou Yi. So, he covered his ears and ignored the pleas. When the pleas went unanswered, the people and creatures alike went home. Suddenly, a rooster climbed up onto his roost and shouted at the sun, “Gēgē! Gēgē!” (哥哥) or “Brother!” The shrill crow of the rooster reached the sun, and the sun reluctantly emerged from the cave. Now, whenever roosters crow “brother” in the morning, the sun comes out to greet them.
Chang’e
To reward Hou Yi for his valiant deeds, the Queen mother of the west, Xiwangmu (西王母), gave Hou Yi a bottle of her immortality elixir. She wished for Hou Yi to return to the Jade Emperor’s palace as a God instead of a mortal man. This gift conflicted Hou Yi’s thoughts. Although, immortality was something he desperately wanted, he also did not want to leave his wife, Chang’e, to die alone. So, he hid the elixir while he contemplated the dilemma he was in.
However, before Hou Yi was able to make any decision, Chang’e discovered the bottle and stole it while he was asleep. She drank all of its contents. Realizing that his wife was no longer in the bed with him, Hou Yi got up and found his wife floating into the night sky. Hou Yi was so upset, that he aimed his bow and arrow at her with the intent to shoot her out of the sky. However, he ultimately could not shoot his own wife. After his anger eventually subsided, he would often stare up at the moon and think about how lonely his wife must be. In the attempt to make his wife less lonely, he began to leave food out for his wife each night. He carefully selected Chang’e’s favorite desserts and fruits. He also wanted to show her that he had forgiven her and still loved her. He continued to do this every night until his dying day. Hou Yi’s actions became a tradition that has continued to today. People in many countries leave offerings to Chang’e during their annual Mid-Autumn Festival. Chang’e is often referred to as the Lady of the Moon.
Vocabulary
All definitions are from Oxford Languages
lit·ter
[ˈlɪtə]
verb
littered (past tense) · littered (past participle)
make (a place or area) untidy with rubbish or a large number of objects left lying about
alternate
uk/ˈɒl.tə.neɪt/ us/ˈɑːl.tɚ.neɪt/
verb
to happen or exist one after the other repeatedly
to make something happen or exist one after the other repeatedly
il·lu·min·ate
verb
make (something) visible or bright by shining light on it; light up
un·bear·able
[ʌnˈbɛːrəb(ə)l]
adjective
not able to be endured or tolerated
en·sue
[ɪnˈsjuː, ɛnˈsjuː]
verb
happen or occur afterwards or as a result
shrivel
[ˈʃrɪv(ə)l]
verb
wrinkle and contract or cause to wrinkle and contract, especially due to loss of moisture
prey on/upon
preyed on/upon; preying on/upon; preys on/upon
to hunt and kill (something) for food
to hurt, cheat, or steal from (someone)
ar·cher
[ˈɑːtʃə]
noun
a person who shoots with a bow and arrows, especially at a target as a sport.
be·fall
[bɪˈfɔːl]
verb
literary
befall (verb) · befalls (third person present) · befell (past tense) · befalling (present participle) · befallen (past participle)
(especially of something bad) happen to (someone
scold
[skəʊld]
verb
remonstrate with or rebuke (someone) angrily
slay
[sleɪ]
verb
archaic
literary
kill (a person or animal) in a violent way
con·front
[kənˈfrʌnt]
verb
confronted (past tense) · confronted (past participle)
come face to face with (someone) with hostile or argumentative intent
plead
[pliːd]
verb
make an emotional appeal
taunt
[tɔːnt]
noun
a remark made in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone
dis·re·gard
[dɪsrɪˈɡɑːd]
verb
pay no attention to; ignore
let loose
to allow (someone or something) to move or go freely
plunge
[plʌn(d)ʒ]
verb
plunged (past tense) · plunged (past participle)
fall suddenly and uncontrollably
alike
[əˈlʌɪk]
adjective
(of two or more people or things) similar to each other
vali·ant
[ˈvalɪənt]
adjective
possessing or showing courage or determination
im·mor·tal·ity
[ɪmɔːˈtalɪti]
noun
the ability to live forever; eternal life
elixir
[ɪˈlɪksə, ɪˈlɪksɪə]
noun
a magical or medicinal potion
mor·tal
[ˈmɔːt(ə)l]
adjective
(of a living human being, often in contrast to a divine being) subject to death
con·tem·plate
[ˈkɒntɛmpleɪt, ˈkɒntəmpleɪt]
verb
look thoughtfully for a long time at
di·lemma
[dɪˈlɛmə, dʌɪˈlɛmə]
noun
a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable
in·tent
[ɪnˈtɛnt]
noun
intention or purpose
ul·tim·ate·ly
[ˈʌltɪmətli]
adverb
finally; in the end
sub·side
[səbˈsʌɪd]
verb
subsided (past tense) · subsided (past participle)
become less intense, violent, or severe
References
Hamilton, M. (2022). Chang’e: Chinese Goddess. Mythopedia. Retrieved on April 1, 2024.
Hamilton, M. (2022). Jade Emperor: Chinese God. Mythopedia. Retrieved on April 1, 2024.
Hamilton, M. (2022). Hou Yi: Chinese Hero. Mythopedia. Retrieved on April 1, 2024.
Hamilton, M. (2022). Xiwangmu: Chinese Goddess. Mythopedia. Retrieved on April 1, 2024.