Is Chang 'e a man or a woman?

brief introduction

Chang 'e, also known as Heng E [1], is a female and mythical figure.

Extraordinary beauty, after flying to heaven, lived in the fairy palace on the moon.

Heng E's tomb is located in Tiantai Mountain, Rizhao City, Shandong Province, next to Dayu's tomb. It is said that Da Yi and Heng E initiated monogamy, and later generations interpreted the story of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon in memory of them.

According to historical records, Dayu unified the tribes in Dongyi and formed a powerful country. Because this country is composed of many tribal countries that worship the sun, it is called "ten-day country" in Shan Hai Jing.

The horizon of the Tenth Kingdom is located in the south of Rizhao City, Shandong Province, on the coast of the East China Sea (see the article "Textual Research on the East Horizon of Shanhaijing Overseas"). Yaowangcheng site, a national cultural relic protection unit, is the capital of the tenth kingdom. Tiantai Mountain on the south side of Yaowangcheng site (now part of the Sun Culture Source Scenic Spot in Tanggu, Rizhao). There are many relics offering sacrifices to the sun, such as sunstone, Sun Shen Ling, old mother temple, ancestor statue, sundial and so on.

Dayi and his wife Heng E (later explained as flying Chang 'e) died and were buried in Tiantai Mountain, a tourist scenic spot of Sun Culture Source in Tanggu, Rizhao. Locals call it the Great Yiling.

Chang 'e, formerly known as Heng E, is the wife of Hou Yi.

Zhu Nanzi Ming Lan Xun: "I invited the elixir of life to the Queen Mother of the West, and it was stolen to the moon by Heng E, so I was disappointed and lost, and I couldn't continue." Induce height; "Heng E, yi wife; Yi invited the elixir of life to the Queen Mother of the West, who refused to take it. Heng E stole the fairy and went to the middle of the month to be a moon essence. " The Book of Beginners quoted the ancient edition of Zhu Nanzi, and under the sentence "Heng E stole the moon", there was also the word "entrusted the moon as a toad, but for the essence of the moon" 12, which was removed from this edition. Heng E is Chang 'e, who was born on the 12th of the month, as recorded in Shan Hai Jing Huang Da Xi Jing. The ancient sound was pronounced as e, and gradually evolved into Chang 'e who ran to the moon. There are two notes in Selected Works that quote "Returning to Tibet", both of which say that Chang 'e took the elixir of life and went to the moon. The myth of knowing Chang 'e has been circulated since ancient times, and it did not begin with Zhunanzi. Zhuang Jiyun is quoted in the Collection of Great Lies in the Quasi-South: "Heng E, all the books remain unchanged, except the Yilin family, which is quoted in the anthology as unchanged. The quasi-southern king should be cautious and constant, not constant. He suspects that Yilin is also true. " Emperor Wen of Han kept his name unchanged, so he knew that Heng E was an unchanging moth, and unchanging means unchanging. "Jie Ji" also quoted Hong as saying: "Words have no words, which were made by later generations."

Folklore is slightly different. Generally speaking, Chang 'e ate the elixir that her husband begged the Queen Mother of the West and flew to the Moon Palace. Qiong Yu, on the other hand, can't stand the cold at the top, and the so-called "Chang 'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the blue sky and the dark night heart" is a portrayal of her feelings of silence. Chang 'e confided her remorse to her husband and said, "I can't come down at ordinary times, but tomorrow is the full moon." You make pills out of flour, round like a full moon, put them in the northwest of the house, and then keep calling my name. By midnight, I can go home. " The next day, do as his wife says, and then the fruit of Chang 'e flies from the middle of the month and the husband and wife reunite. This is also the custom of making moon cakes for Chang 'e in Mid-Autumn Festival. The picture of Chang 'e, which shows this plot, expresses the world's yearning for a happy and happy life.

The goddess the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, widely circulated in modern times, refers to the fact that Chang 'e couldn't stand the temptation of life in heaven, went out hunting while taking advantage of the cave and swallowed the elixir of life alone. Because Chang 'e abandoned her husband and was afraid of being laughed at by the gods in the sky, she went to Chang 'e and wanted to settle down in the moon palace for the time being. However, the moon palace was empty and strangely deserted. She chewed the taste of loneliness and regret in the long night, and gradually became a white toad. She was tortured in the moon palace all day and lived a lonely and bitter life. Li Shangyin once wrote a poem lamenting Chang 'e: "Chang 'e should regret stealing the elixir and stay awake at night." ("Lingxian Quanguwen" series) recorded the story of "Chang 'e became a toad": "Chang 'e married a wife, stole the elixir of the heavenly queen and brought it to the moon. Will go, occupy the grave. Zhi said, "Ji, you go back to your sister, and you go west alone." . When the sky is gray, you will not be surprised or afraid, but you will prosper in the future. Chang 'e entrusted herself to the moon for the sake of toad. ”)

There is also a saying that there is a difference between Hou Yi and Hou Yi, which comes from Tian Wen.

In Tian Wen, which day is it? Yanwu Xie Yu? After the easy appearance, five questions were interspersed, namely, "the emperor surrendered the easy and reformed the evil." "Hu Shefu James Hope, and his wife? Xie Feng thinks the SEALs are an opportunity. Why offer the paste of steamed meat, and then the emperor doesn't want it? Marrying Chun Hu dazzled his wife. Why pat the leather and give it a slap? What is more difficult to stop the Western Expedition? Become a yellow bear, what is the living witch? " Houyi. In other words, a so-called "folklore" of Hou Yi's wife is "Chun Hu" instead of "Chang 'e".

Hou Yi is probably the descendant of Chang 'e's husband Hou Yi. Because he is also good at shooting, he is also a kinsman, so he is called Hou Yi.

[Edit this paragraph] Goddess of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon

There are many versions and contradictions about the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon.

This is one of the versions:

According to legend, one year in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, which made the earth smoke and the ocean dry up, and ordinary people could no longer live.

This incident alarmed a hero named Hou Yi. He climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, drew his bow and shot down nine redundant suns in one breath.

Hou Yi has made great achievements in the world and is respected and loved by the people. Many people with lofty ideals come here to study and be teachers. The treacherous and cunning Meng Peng also mixed in.

Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. Besides hunting, Hou Yi spends all his time with his wife, and people envy this beautiful and loving couple.

One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek truth. He happened to meet the Queen Mother passing by and asked her for a bag of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal.

However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he had to temporarily give the elixir to Chang 'e. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the dresser's treasure chest, but Meng Peng saw it.

Three days later, Hou Yi led his entourage out hunting, while Meng Peng with ulterior motives pretended to be ill.

Shortly after Hou Yi led the crowd to leave, Meng Peng broke into the backyard of the back room with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir.

Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Meng Peng. In times of crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure chest, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp.

Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew into the sky. Because Chang 'e was worried about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.

In the evening, when Hou Yi came home, the maids cried and told what happened during the day. Hou Yi was surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villain. Meng Peng has escaped. I was so angry that Hou Yi beat his chest and shouted. The grief-stricken Hou Yi looked up at the night sky and called the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon is particularly bright and bright, with a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e.

Hou Yi hurriedly sent someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, set up a table sweetmeats, put on her favorite honey-eating fresh fruit, and offered a memorial service to Chang 'e at the Moon Palace.

After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up an incense table under the moon and prayed for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e. Since then, the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai has spread among the people.

Another version is:

According to legend, Hou Yi and Chang 'e were both Yao people. According to the myth, during the Yao period, ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, scorching the land and drying the crops. People are breathless and unconscious. Due to the hot weather, some strange birds and animals also ran out from the dry rivers and lakes and the fiery forests, causing harm to people everywhere.

The human disaster alarmed the gods in heaven, and the heavenly emperor Chang Jun ordered Hou Yi, who was good at archery, to come down to earth to help Yao get rid of the people's suffering. Hou Yi came to the world with a red bow, a bag of white arrows and his beautiful wife Chang 'e.

Hou Yi immediately began to fight against Japan. He took the red bow from his shoulder, took out the white arrows and shot them at his arrogant grandson one by one. In an instant, nine out of ten suns were shot. It was only because Yao thought that leaving a grandson was useful to the people that Hou Yi was prevented from continuing shooting. This is the story of the famous Houyi Shooting Day.

However, Hou Yi's great achievements were envied by other gods, who went to the Heaven Emperor to spread rumors and slander, so that the Heaven Emperor finally alienated Hou Yi and sentenced him to the world forever. After being wronged, Hou Yi and his wife Chang 'e had to live in seclusion and hunt for a living by Hou Yi.

How did Chang 'e fly to the moon? There are different versions in ancient books. According to Huai Nan Zi, Hou Yi sympathized with his wife who was exiled to the world because of her troubles, and went to the Queen Mother of the West to ask for the medicine of immortality, so that the husband and wife could live in harmony forever. However, Chang 'e is not used to living a poor life. When Hou Yi was not at home, she stole all the pills and fled to the moon. Another way of saying this is Qu Yuan's Tian Wen (about 340 years ago), saying that Hou Yi later cheated on Chang 'e and had an affair with Hebo's wife, which caused Chang 'e's great dissatisfaction and left Hou Yi for heaven. After the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, I soon regretted it. She remembered her husband's kindness to her at ordinary times and the warmth of the world. Compared with the loneliness on the moon, she felt desolate.

Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty wrote:

The shadow of mica screen candle is deep, the long river is gradually falling, and the stars are sinking;

Chang 'e, I must regret eating the elixir, and now I am alone, in the blue sky, singing every night.

In the Song Dynasty, Su Shi wrote in the poem "Shuidiao Getou":

"When is the bright moon? Ask about Sky Wine. I don't know about palaces in the sky. What year is tonight? I'm willing to ride the wind to the sky, I'm afraid I can't stand the cold for nine days in a pavilion of fine jade. Dance knows the shadow, how it seems to be on earth! "

Chang 'e was originally called Heng E, but in the Western Han Dynasty, it was renamed Chang 'e to avoid the taboo of Liu Heng, the literary emperor of China. Some people combine Li Shangyin's poems with Su Shi's meaning. Make a couplet to sum up her trip to the moon: "Don't steal the elixir, look at the blue sea and clear sky, what do you want every night?" When will there be a bright moon? I'm afraid of Qionglou Yuyu, and I can't stand the cold. "

[Edit this paragraph] The relationship between Chang 'e and Journey to the West.

Tian Peng, marshal of Tianhe, was dismissed as the later Pig Eight Rings because he was drunk and molested Chang 'e and threw a pig fetus in the wrong place. Chang 'e's jade rabbit was demonized and later brought back to the Moon Palace by the Moon Star King and Chang 'e, which cleared a difficult path for Tang Priest to learn from the scriptures.

[Edit this paragraph] Ancient poems

Chang'e

Author: Li Shangyin

The mica screen was dyed red by thick candles, and the Milky Way gradually tilted towards the morning star.

Chang 'e, I must regret eating the elixir, and now I am alone, in the blue sky, singing every night.

Brief introduction of the author

Li Shangyin (about 865,438+02 or 865,438+03 —— about 858), a Han nationality, is a famous poet in the late Tang Dynasty. Originally from Hanoi, Huaizhou (now Qinyang City, Henan Province), he was born in Xingyang, Henan Province (now Xingyang, Zhengzhou). His poems are of great literary value. Wen, which is called Xiao with Du Mu, is called Wen Li, which is similar to Duan and Wen in the same period, and both of them are ranked as 16 in the family, so they are also called "Thirty-six Style". There are 300 Tang poems, including 22 poems by Li Shangyin, ranking fourth. His poems are novel in conception and rich in style, especially some love poems are lingering and memorable. But it is too obscure to be solved. There is a saying that "poets love Quincy, but only hate that no one writes about Jian Zheng". Caught in the struggle between Niu and Li, I was frustrated all my life. After his death, he was buried in his hometown Xingyang.

All comments

1. Chang 'e: the fairy on the moon in ancient mythology. "Huainanzi Lan Mingxun": "Iraq invited the fairy medicine Queen Mother to steal it to the moon." Keep working.

2. Mica screen: a screen embedded with mica. This statement states that Chang 'e is alone in the Moon Palace room, and only the candle shadow and screen accompany her at night.

3. Long River Sentence: The Milky Way is drifting westward, the morning star will disappear, and another lonely night has passed.

4. Blue Sea: "Ten Kingdoms": "Fusang is on the east coast of the East China Sea, and the shore is straight. Landed in Wan Li, with blue sea in the east. The sea is wide, narrow and sweaty, and it is as blue as the East China Sea. "

Rhyme translation:

The mica screen was stained with a thick candle shadow.

The milky way is gradually setting, and the morning star has also sunk.

Chang 'e must regret stealing the elixir of life,

Now I am alone, blue sea and blue sky, chilling every night.

Make an appreciative comment

This article satirizes those who believe in immortals and pursue immortality. Take Chang 'e as an example, saying that she has been tasting loneliness in the moon palace since she stole the fairy medicine and became immortal. While satirizing falsehood, the poet raised an important philosophical question of life: What is the meaning of life? The question implied in this question is: how should people live? What is the purpose of longevity or even longevity? How should realistic people choose between love and immortality? The author obviously disapproves of Chang 'e sacrificing secular life for longevity. He believes that such a lonely longevity is actually a torture and destruction of life. On the contrary, it is not as meaningful as the love of the children in the world.

The artistic skills of this poem are also very mature. The whole poem aims to reveal the philosophy of life, but it does not use conceptual language at all, but tells a moving story and inspires people to think.

In this poem, predecessors have said self-mutilation, pregnancy, mourning and satire on the female crown. Liu and Yu said in Xie Ji: "The theory of mourning is the most unreasonable. ..... and self-injury, pregnancy and female crown, although seemingly unrelated, can be interlinked. ..... Presumably Chang 'e's psychology has revealed the author's own situation and state of mind. Last month, Chang 'e stole medicine, staying away from the hubbub, and standing high in Qionglou Yuyu. Although it is very clean and quiet here, it is difficult to get rid of the feeling of cold and loneliness every night. It's very similar to a female crown who worships immortals and pursues halal but can't stand loneliness, and it's also similar to a poet who despises vulgarity and yearns for nobility and is trapped in physical and mental loneliness. It's natural. Therefore, Chang 'e, the goddess and the poet are actually three in one, with similar environment and empathy. "