Chapter 49: Chang'e — 嫦娥 — The Lady Who Swallowed the Elixir Alone
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A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
On the Matter of Chang'e — 嫦娥 — The Lady Who Swallowed the Elixir Alone
Her name is Chang'e — 嫦娥.
Chang — 嫦 — is her name. It is a rare character. It appears almost nowhere except in her name. It is the name of the lady of the moon.
E — 娥 — means beautiful. Graceful. A woman of elegance. The character shows a woman — 女 — nü — and a brush — 我 — wo — together. A woman who paints her face. A woman of beauty.
Together — 嫦娥 — the Beautiful Chang. The Elegant Lady of the Moon.
She is also called Heng'e — 姮娥 — in some texts. The character Heng — 姮 — is a variant. It means the same. She is the same lady.
She is also called the Lady of the Moon — 月神 — Yue Shen. She is also called the Moon Goddess — 月宮仙子 — Yue Gong Xian Zi — the Immortal of the Moon Palace.
She is the wife of Hou Yi — 后羿 — the archer who shot the suns. She is the one who stole the elixir of immortality — 不死藥 — Bu Si Yao. She is the one who flew to the moon. She is the one who lives there alone.
She is one of the most famous figures in Chinese mythology. Her story is known to every Chinese person. She is the lady in the moon. She is the one who left. She is the one who cannot return.
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On the oldest records of Chang'e.
The name Chang'e appears in the earliest Chinese texts.
The Guizang — 歸藏 — the Return to the Hidden — a text from the Warring States period — 戰國時代 — Zhanguo Shidai — contains the oldest account of Chang'e. The Guizang is a divination text. It is older than the Yijing — 易經 — in some traditions. The text is lost. Fragments survive.
One fragment states: Chang'e took the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West — 西王母 — Xiwangmu. She flew to the moon. She became the moon goddess.
This is the earliest record. It is brief. It does not mention Yi. It does not mention theft. It records Chang'e taking the elixir. It records her flight to the moon. It records her transformation.
The Huainanzi — 淮南子 — compiled under Liu An — 劉安 — around 139 before the common era — contains the most complete account of Chang'e.
It states: Yi obtained the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West. Chang'e stole it. She swallowed it. She flew to the moon. She became the moon goddess. She lived in the cold palace. She was alone.
The Huainanzi does not explain why Chang'e stole the elixir. It does not explain why she flew to the moon. It records the events. It records the result. It does not explain the cause.
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On the second record. The Chuci — 楚辭 — the Songs of Chu.
The Chuci — 楚辭 — the Songs of Chu — compiled during the Warring States period — contains a poetic account of Chang'e.
It states: Chang'e flies to the moon. She lives in the cold palace. She is alone. She looks down at the earth. She sees the world she left. She cannot return. She is the lady of the moon.
The Chuci does not mention Yi. It does not mention the elixir. It describes Chang'e on the moon. It describes her loneliness. It describes her loss. It does not explain how she got there.
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On the third record. The Shanhaijing — 山海經.
The Shanhaijing — 山海經 — the Classic of Mountains and Seas — does not mention Chang'e by name. But it mentions the moon and its inhabitants.
It states: There is a lady in the moon. She is the goddess of the moon. She lives in the cold palace. She is attended by a toad — 蟾蜍 — chan chu. The toad is the moon spirit. It is Chang'e transformed. She is the toad. She is the lady. She is both.
The Shanhaijing also states: The moon has a rabbit — 兔 — tu. The rabbit pounds medicine in a mortar. It pounds the elixir of immortality. It pounds forever. It never finishes. It never stops.
The rabbit is not Chang'e. The rabbit is her companion. It is the jade rabbit — 玉兔 — yu tu. It lives with her. It works for her. It pounds the elixir that she stole. It pounds it forever. It never stops.
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On her appearance — the lady of the moon.
Chang'e is depicted as a beautiful woman — 美女 — mei nü.
She wears flowing robes — 長袍 — chang pao. The robes are white. The robes are silver. The robes are the color of moonlight.
She wears a crown — 冠 — guan. The crown is made of jade. It is set with pearls. It shines like stars.
She holds a rabbit — 兔 — tu — in her arms. The rabbit is jade. The rabbit is white. The rabbit is her companion.
She stands on the moon. She looks down at the earth. Her face is sad. Her eyes are longing. She is the lady who left. She is the lady who cannot return.
In some depictions she holds a toad — 蟾蜍 — chan chu. The toad is the moon spirit. It is her transformed self. It is what she became. She is the toad. She is the lady. She is both.
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On the elixir of immortality — 不死藥 — Bu Si Yao.
The elixir that Chang'e stole was given to Yi by the Queen Mother of the West — 西王母 — Xiwangmu.
The Queen Mother lived on Kunlun Mountain — 崑崙山 — Kunlun Shan. She guarded the peaches of immortality — 蟠桃 — pantao. She possessed the elixir of immortality. She gave it to Yi as a reward for shooting the suns.
The elixir was a pill. It was made from the peaches. It was made from the herbs of immortality. It was made from the waters of the Jade Pool — 瑤池 — Yaochi. One pill would make a person immortal. One pill would allow a person to ascend to heaven. One pill would transform a mortal into a god.
Yi did not take it. He kept it. He gave it to Chang'e. He told her to keep it safe. He said he would take it when the time was right.
Chang'e took it. She swallowed it. She flew to the moon. She became immortal. She became a goddess. She left Yi behind.
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On why she took it — the reasons.
The texts do not agree on why Chang'e took the elixir.
The first account. She was selfish. She wanted to be immortal. She wanted to be a goddess. She did not want to stay on earth. She did not want to grow old. She did not want to die. She took the elixir. She flew to the moon. She left Yi behind.
The second account. She was forced. Yi's student Fengmeng — 逢蒙 — tried to steal the elixir. He threatened Chang'e. She had to protect it. She swallowed it herself. She flew to the moon. She saved the elixir from the thief. She sacrificed herself to protect what was precious.
The third account. She was loyal. Yi told her to take it. He wanted her to be immortal. He wanted her to be safe. He knew he would die. He wanted her to live. She obeyed. She took it. She flew to the moon. She did what he asked.
The fourth account. She was tricked. Fengmeng told her the elixir was poison. He told her Yi was going to take it. He told her Yi would die. She swallowed it to save him. She was tricked. She flew to the moon. She could not return.
All four accounts are recorded here. None is declared correct. The texts do not agree. Chang'e took the elixir. She flew to the moon. That is what the texts record. Why she took it is not essential.
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On the flight to the moon — how she flew.
When Chang'e swallowed the elixir, she became weightless. She rose from the ground. She floated. She ascended.
She rose above the house. She rose above the trees. She rose above the mountains. She rose above the clouds. She rose above the sky.
She flew toward the moon. The moon was bright. The moon was cold. The moon was waiting.
She flew for a long time. She flew for a day. She flew for a night. She flew until she reached the moon.
She landed on the moon. She stood on the cold surface. She looked back at the earth. She saw where she came from. She saw Yi. She saw the world she left. She could not return.
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On the Palace of Vast Cold — 廣寒宮 — Guanghan Gong.
Chang'e lives in the Palace of Vast Cold — 廣寒宮 — Guanghan Gong. It is on the moon. It is the only building on the moon.
The palace is made of jade — 玉 — yu. The walls are white. The floors are cold. The halls are empty. There are no other people. There is only Chang'e.
The palace is cold. It is always cold. The sun does not reach it. The warmth does not reach it. The moon is cold. The palace is cold. Chang'e is cold.
She walks through the empty halls. She sits in the empty rooms. She looks out the empty windows. She sees the earth. She sees the blue sky. She sees the clouds. She sees the oceans. She sees the mountains. She sees the places she knew. She cannot return.
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On the jade rabbit — 玉兔 — Yu Tu.
Chang'e has a companion. It is the jade rabbit — 玉兔 — Yu Tu. The rabbit is white. The rabbit is jade. The rabbit pounds medicine in a mortar.
The rabbit pounds the elixir of immortality. It pounds it forever. It pounds it with a pestle. It pounds it day and night. It pounds it without rest. It pounds it without end.
The medicine it pounds is the elixir that Chang'e stole. The rabbit is making more. It makes the elixir for the gods. It makes the elixir for the immortals. It makes the elixir for those who will ascend.
The rabbit does not speak. The rabbit does not eat. The rabbit does not sleep. It pounds. It pounds. It pounds. It has pounded for thousands of years. It will pound for thousands more.
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On the toad — 蟾蜍 — Chan Chu.
In some accounts, Chang'e did not remain human. She transformed. She became a toad — 蟾蜍 — chan chu.
The toad is the moon spirit. It is the spirit of the cold. It is the spirit of the dark. It is the spirit of the moon.
Chang'e became the toad. She was punished for stealing the elixir. She was transformed. She became a creature of the cold. She became a creature of the dark. She became a creature of the moon.
She is still a toad. She is still a lady. She is both. She is the toad that lives in the moon. She is the lady who looks down at the earth. She is the one who left. She is the one who cannot return.
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On the Mid-Autumn Festival — 中秋節 — Zhongqiu Jie.
The story of Chang'e is celebrated at the Mid-Autumn Festival — 中秋節 — Zhongqiu Jie. The festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month — 八月十五 — ba yue shi wu.
On this night, the moon is full. The moon is bright. The moon is round. It is the night when Chang'e is most visible.
People eat mooncakes — 月餅 — yue bing. The mooncakes are round like the moon. They are sweet. They are filled with lotus paste. They are filled with red bean. They are filled with egg yolk. The egg yolk is the moon. The egg yolk is Chang'e.
People look at the moon. They remember Chang'e. They remember the lady who left. They remember the lady who cannot return. They remember her sacrifice. They remember her loneliness. They honor her with offerings. They honor her with prayers. They honor her with the full moon.
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On the meaning of her name — Chang'e.
Her name is Chang'e — 嫦娥. The character E — 娥 — means beautiful. It is used for beautiful women. It is used for goddesses. It is used for the lady of the moon.
The name Chang'e is also a homophone for the word for constant — 常 — chang — and the word for hunger — 餓 — e — in some readings. Chang — 常 — means constant. E — 餓 — means hunger. Constant hunger. She is always hungry for what she left. She is always hungry for the world she lost. She is always hungry for Yi. She can never be satisfied. She can never return. She can never have what she wants. She is the one who is constantly hungry.
This reading is noted. It is not in the earliest texts. It is a later interpretation. It is recorded here because it captures something the older texts do not say. She is the one who left. She is the one who cannot return. She is the one who is always hungry for what she lost.
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On what she represents.
She represents the loss of home. She represents the longing for what is left behind. She represents the sacrifice that cannot be undone.
She left Yi. She left the earth. She left everything she knew. She flew to the moon. She became immortal. She became a goddess. She became alone.
She is the one who chose immortality over love. She is the one who chose the moon over the earth. She is the one who chose herself over Yi. She is the one who is punished by loneliness.
She is not evil. She is not cruel. She is a woman who made a choice. She chose to live. She chose to be immortal. She chose to leave. She suffers for her choice. She is alone. She is cold. She is the lady of the moon.
She is Chang'e. She is the Beautiful Chang. She is the Lady of the Moon. She is the one who swallowed the elixir. She is the one who flew to the moon. She is the one who cannot return. She is the one we remember when the moon is full. She is the one we honor with mooncakes. She is the one we see in the bright circle of the moon. She is looking back at us. She is looking at the world she left. She is looking at the home she cannot return to. She is Chang'e. She is the lady in the moon.
END OF CHAPTER FORTY-NINE