View source for Chang'e

{{Short description|Chinese Moon goddess}}
{{About|the goddess}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Chang'e
| pic = The Moon Goddess Chang E - Unidentified artist, after Tang Yin.jpg
| piccap = The painting ''The Moon Goddess Chang E'', dated to around 1500 ([[Ming dynasty]])
| c = {{linktext|嫦娥}}
| l = Chang the Beautiful
| w = Ch‘ang<sup>2</sup>-ê<sup>2</sup>
| p = Cháng'é
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|ch|ang|2|.|e|2}}
| gan = Song4 ngo4
| j = Soeng<sup>4</sup>-Ngo<sup>4</sup>
| y = Sèuhng-Ngòh
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|s|oeng|4|-|ng|o|4}}
| poj = Siông-ngô͘
| mc = /d͡ʑɨɐŋ  ŋɑ/
| oc-zz = /*djaŋ ŋaːl/
| altname = Heng'e
| c2 = {{linktext|姮娥}}
| l2 = Heng the Beautiful
| w2 = Hêng<sup>2</sup>-ê<sup>2</sup>
| p2 = Héng'é
| poj2 = Sò͘-ngô͘
| j2 = Hang4 Ngo4
}}
'''Chang'e''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɑː|ŋ|.|ə}} {{Respell|CHAHNG|ə}}; {{Lang-zh|c=嫦娥|p=Cháng'é}}), originally known as '''Heng'e''' ({{Zhi|c=姮娥|p=Héng'é}}), is the [[Lunar deity|goddess of the Moon]] and wife of [[Hou Yi]], the great archer. Renowned for her beauty, Chang'e is also known for ascending to the Moon with her pet Yu Tu, the [[Moon Rabbit]] and living in the Moon Palace ({{Zhi|c=廣寒宮}}). She is one of the major goddesses in [[Chinese mythology]], [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Chinese Buddhism]], [[Confucianism]], and [[Taoism]]. In modern times, Chang'e is the namesake of the [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]].

== Origins and descriptions ==
Chang'e first appeared in ''[[Guicang]]'', a divination text written during the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou Dynasty]] (1046 BC – 256 BC). From the few preserved fragments of the text, it mentions "Yi shoots the ten Suns",<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Jiahao |first=Li | author-mask= Li Jiahao |date=April 2013 |title=Identifying the Wangjiatai Qin (221 B.C.E.–206 B.C.E.) Bamboo Slip "''Yi'' Divinations" (Yi ''zhan'') as the ''Guicang'' |journal=Contemporary Chinese Thought |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=42–59 |doi=10.2753/csp1097-1467440304 |s2cid=144857053 |issn=1097-1467}}</ref> and "Chang'e ascending to the moon."<ref name=":0" /> Chang'e—originally named {{zhp|p=Heng'e|c=姮娥}}—was renamed to avoid the [[Naming taboo|taboo on sharing names]] with a deceased emperor,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forgetting: Chang'e Descends to Earth, or Chang'e Escapes to the Moon |url=https://www.thewhitereview.org/fiction/forgetting-change-descends-to-earth-or-change-escapes-to-the-moon-2/ |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=The White Review |language=en-US}}</ref> in this case, [[Emperor Wen of Han|Liu Heng]], an emperor from [[Han dynasty|Han Dynasty]]. Many Chinese poems are written around the theme of Chang'e and the moon.

In [[Qin dynasty|pre-Qin Dynasty]] (before 221 BC), the text {{Zhi|tr=[[Classic of Mountains and Seas]]|s=山海經|out=tr}}, mentions {{zhi|out=tr|tr=a woman is bathing the moon; she is Chang Xi, the wife of Emperor Jun. She has given birth to twelve moons, and only then does she begin to bathe the moon|c=有女子方浴月，帝俊妻常羲生月十二，此始浴之。|s=}}.<ref>{{Cite book |translator-last=Birrell |translator-first=Anne |title=Classic of Mountains and Seas | script-title=zh:山海經 | title-link= Shanhaijing |publisher=Penguin Classics |year=1999 |isbn=978-0140447194 |language=en}}</ref> The name "Chang Xi" in this text refers to "Chang'e" since the pronunciation of "{{zhp|p=e|c=娥}}" is identical to "{{zhp|p=xi |c=羲}}" in ancient Chinese.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shen |first=Zhongwei | author-mask= Shen Zhongwei |date=2018 |title=Zheng-Zhang Shangfang 郑张尚芳 In Memoriam |journal=Journal of Chinese Linguistics |doi=10.1353/jcl.2017.0046 |issn=2411-3484 | publisher= Chinese University of Hong Kong Press |s2cid=258609133 | type= preprint}}</ref>

Late [[Tang dynasty|Tang Dynasty]] (618–907), famous poet, [[Li Shangyin]], wrote the poem "Chang'e" based on the story of Chang'e stealing the [[Elixir of life|immortal elixir]]. Like this goddess, the poet discovers a connection in the solitude of moonlight, sensing their shared loneliness while gazing at the night sky. Among the hundreds of poems around Chang'e and the Moon, she gradually evolved into a symbol of nostalgia and solitude<ref>{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Xiaotong | author-mask= Li Xiaotong |chapter=Comparison of Moon Imagery in Chinese and Western |date=2023 |doi= 10.2991/978-2-494069-97-8_45 |title=Proceedings of the 2022 4th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2022) |pages=357–361 |place=Paris |publisher=Springer Atlantis | editor1= Bootheina Majoul | editor2= Digvijay Pandya | editor3=Lin Wang |isbn=978-2-494069-96-1 | series=Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, vol. 726 | doi-access= free }}</ref> for numerous poets beyond Li.

The original poem in [[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional Chinese]]:

<poem>{{lang|zh|嫦娥

雲母屏風燭影深，長河漸落曉星沉。

嫦娥應悔偷靈藥，碧海青天夜夜心。}}</poem>

The translation by [[Witter Bynner]], in his book ''The Jade Mountain'':

<poem>'''To the Moon Goddess'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bynner |first=Witter |title=The Jade Mountain |publisher=Knopf |page=75 |year=1929}}</ref>

Now that a candle-shadow stands on the screen of carven marble

And the River of Heaven slants and the morning stars are low,

Are you sorry for having stolen the potion that has set you

Over purple seas and blue skies, to brood through the long nights?</poem>

During the [[Ming dynasty|Ming and Qing dynasties]] (Ming: 1368–1644, Qing: 1644–1911), with the flourishing of urban literature, the image of Chang'e gradually became more secularized. In the novel ''[[Journey to the West]]'' ({{Zhi|c=西遊記}}, 1592), Chang'e is a title that refers to the celestial maidens in the Moon Palace, and it is the Weathervane Marshal who teases the Niche Dress Fairy, not Chang'e. In ''[[Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio|Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio]]'' ({{Zhi|c=聊齋志異|s=}}, 1766), while Chang'e remains a celestial being from heaven, her character undergoes a transformation as she descends to the mortal realm, shedding her divinity.

==Myth==
===Tales===
{{See also|Xian (Taoism)}} 
[[File:MET 46 156 25 cons.jpg|thumb|The ornate style of clothing worn by these four women suggests they are [[Xian (Taoism)|Immortals]]. The osmanthus leaf held by the largest figure, at the right, identifies her as the Moon Goddess Chang’e, who inhabits her celestial palace along with a rabbit that prepares the elixir of long life.]]
[[File:White-Rabbit-making-elixir-of-immortality.jpg|thumb|The [[moon rabbit|jade rabbit]] lived on the Moon preparing the [[elixir of life]].]]
There are many tales about Chang'e, including a well-known story about her that is given as the origin of the [[Mid-Autumn Festival]].<ref name=yn5-233/>

In a very distant past, Chang'e was a beautiful woman. Ten suns had risen together into the skies and scorched the Earth, thus causing hardship for the people.<ref name=yn5-233/> [[Hou Yi]], a legendary archer and the husband of Chang'e, shot down nine of them, leaving just one Sun, and was rewarded with two portions of the [[Elixir of life|elixir of immortality]].<ref name=yn5-233/> As he did not want to gain immortality without his beloved wife, Hou Yi waited to consume the elixir and left it with his wife, Chang'e.<ref>{{cite web |title=Four Legends Of The Mid Autumn Festival |date=June 2021 |url=https://moonfestivalblog.com/four-legends-of-the-mid-autumn-festival/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803090452/https://moonfestivalblog.com/four-legends-of-the-mid-autumn-festival/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=3 August 2021}}</ref> While Hou Yi went hunting, his apprentice [[Fengmeng]] broke into his house and tried to force Chang'e to give him the elixir, so Chang'e took both portions herself rather than giving them up to Fengmeng. Then, Chang'e flew upward past the heavens, choosing the Moon to be her immortal residence as she loved her husband and wished to live near him.<ref name=yn5-233/> When Hou Yi discovered what transpired, he felt responsible for Chang'e, so he displayed the fruits and cakes that his wife had enjoyed, then killed himself.<ref name=yn5-233>Yang & An 2005, 89–90 & 233.</ref>

In older versions of the story, Chang'e stole the elixir from Hou Yi, drank it, and flew to the Moon so that her husband could not go after her.<ref>{{cite book|title-link=Huainanzi | script-title=zh:淮南子 | title=Huainanzi |date=2011 |publisher= Zhonghua Shuju |orig-date=139 BC|chapter=[[:zh:s:淮南子/覽冥訓|覽冥訓]]|editor=Liu An|editor-link=Liu An|quote=羿請不死藥於西王母，姮娥竊以奔月，悵然有喪，無以續之。}}</ref>

In the most classic version of the story, Wu Gang does good deeds for the King, and receives an immortality pill from him, and is asked to keep it safe in his house. One day, when Wu Gang was not home, thieves broke in, and Chang'e, in a brief shock of pain, swallows it when she was not supposed to. Citizens cried as Chang'e flew up to the Moon, now living with a jade rabbit. Her husband returns, realizes what just happened and mourns her death. He continues to cut wood for Chang'e in the mortal realm. His name is changed to Hou Yi in some adaptations of the myth.

=== In other depictions ===
[[File:嫦娥奔月.png|thumb|Chang'e flying to the Moon in [[Han dynasty]] stone [[reliefs]]]]
Chang'e also appears in [[Wu Cheng'en]]'s late 16th-century novel, the ''[[Journey to the West]]''; here, she is said to live in the {{zhp|p=Guǎng Hán Gōng|c=|s=|t={{linktext|廣寒宮}}|l=Vast-Cold Palace}}, located upon the Moon. During a heavenly festival of immortal peaches (after Sun Wukong's banishment), the heavenly official (a Canopy [[Marshal]] named ''Heavenly Tumbleweed'') who would become ''[[Zhu Bajie]]'', became heavily drunk, saw the goddess Chang'e, and attempted to force himself on her, only to be prevented and reported for this act. He was reincarnated as a boar/man beast-monster, who would later be recruited by the [[Bodhisattva]], ''[[Guanyin]]'', as a guardian for ''[[Tang Sanzang]]'' as he went on his pilgrimage to India for the ''[[Tripitaka]]'', the three baskets of scriptures written by ''[[Tathāgata]]'' ''[[Buddha]]''. Later into the story, the goddess Chang'e's pet, the [[Moon rabbit|Jade Rabbit]], [[List of Journey to the West characters#Jade Rabbit Spirit|became an antagonist]] and had to be retrieved by Chang'e and [[Taiyin Xingjun]] before ''[[Sun Wukong]]'' killed the rabbit.

=== Adaptations into film and novels ===
In 2020, a film called ''[[Over the Moon (2020 film)|Over the Moon]]'' premiered on Netflix. A young girl named Fei Fei flies to the Moon using a rocket she built to find Chang'e. Her hope is to convince her father true love exists and persuade him not to remarry. Chang'e is mourning over the loss of Houyi, who died on earth before they could be reunited. She believes Fei Fei holds the key to reuniting her with Houyi (through a magical potion created by Jade Rabbit) before the last sliver of moonlight is gone.

==Space travel==
{{See also|Chinese Lunar Exploration Program}} Chang'e was mentioned in a conversation between [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|Houston]] [[Flight controller|CAPCOM]] and the [[Apollo 11]] crew just before the first Moon landing in 1969: {{blockquote| [[Ronald Evans (astronaut)|Ronald Evans]] ([[Capsule communicator|CC]]): Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, is one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says the girl named Chang-O has been living there for 4,000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large [[Moon rabbit|Chinese rabbit]], who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.<br/>
[[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]] ([[Command Module Pilot|CMP]]): Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.{{NoteTag|NASA transcripts had attributed the response to Aldrin ([http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11transcript_tec.pdf ''Apollo 11 Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription'']. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Page 179), but corrected NASA transcripts attribute it to Collins (Woods, W. David; MacTaggart, Kenneth D.; O'Brien, Frank. [https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap11fj/14day5-landing-prep.html "Day 5: Preparations for Landing"]. ''The Apollo 11 Flight Journal''. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 26 June 2018.)}}}} The [[International Astronomical Union]] has assigned the name [[Alphonsus (crater)#Interior craters|Chang-Ngo]] to a small [[impact crater]] on the Moon. 

In 2007, China launched its first lunar probe, a robotic spacecraft named [[Chang'e 1]] in the Goddess' honor. A second robotic probe, named [[Chang'e 2]], was launched in 2010.<ref>{{cite news | first=Stephen | last=Clark | title=China's second moon probe dispatched from Earth | url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/01change2launch/ | work=Spaceflight Now | date=1 October 2010 | access-date=1 October 2010}}</ref> A third Chang'e spacecraft, called [[Chang'e 3]], landed on the Moon on 14 December 2013, making China the third country to achieve such a feat after the former Soviet Union and the United States. The lander also delivered the robotic rover [[Yutu (rover)|''Yutu'']] ("Jade Rabbit") to the lunar surface. On 3 January 2019, [[Chang'e 4]] touched down on the far side of the Moon and deployed the ''Yutu-2'' rover. Likewise all Chinese landers since then are named as Chang'e.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/02/health/china-lunar-rover-far-moon-landing-intl/index.html|title=China lunar rover successfully touches down on far side of the Moon, state media announces|last=Rivers|first=Matt|date=3 January 2019|work=CNN|access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Moongoddess.jpg|thumb|Statue of Chang'e; Temple of the [[Thean Kong Thnuah Temple|Jade Emperor]] (Thni Kong Tnua) in [[Penang]], [[Malaysia]]. On the evening of the [[Moon Festival]], an altar is erected outside the temple before the goddess; it blesses the clothing or hair accessories placed there and gives beauty and love to their owners.]]
The original plotline and inspiration of [[Naoko Takeuchi]]'s ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' is inspired by the legend of Chang'e (and ''Nayotake-no-Kaguya-hime'' from ''[[The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter]]'' and the myth of [[Selene]] and her mortal-turned-immortal lover, [[Endymion (mythology)|Endymion]] from [[Classical mythology|Classical]] [[Greco-Roman]] [[Greek mythology|Mythology]]). The [[Sailor Moon (character)|titular character]] is a princess of the Moon while her [[Tuxedo Mask|love interest]] is from Earth; her reincarnation's civilian identity's name is "Usagi Tsukino" (a pun on the "[[Moon rabbit|Rabbit on the Moon]]").

In the video game series ''[[Touhou Project]]'', Chang'e is the mysterious sworn enemy of Junko,<ref>[https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Junko She has a deep grudge against Chang'e, one of the Lunarians.]</ref> the final boss of the 15th game ''[[Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom]]''.<ref>[https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Legacy_of_Lunatic_Kingdom/Characters Junko Final Stage Boss];</ref>

Chang'e and her story is the main theme of the 2020 American-Chinese [[animation|animated feature film]] [[Over the Moon (2020 film)|''Over the Moon'']] produced by [[Netflix]]. The goddess is voiced by [[Phillipa Soo]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Debruge|first1=Peter|date=9 October 2020|title='Over the Moon' Review: Netflix Celebrates Chinese Culture With Dazzlingly Designed but Otherwise Conventional Lunar Toon|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/over-the-moon-review-1234798509/|access-date=2020-12-19|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Chang'e and her story was reimagined in the 2022 fantasy novel ''[[Daughter of the Moon Goddess]]'' by Sue Lynn Tan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE INSPIRATION BEHIND DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/inspiration-behind-daughter-moon-goddess |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=STARBURST Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Australian psychedelic rock band [[King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard]] included the track "Chang'e", containing elements of her story, on their 2023 album ''[[The Silver Cord (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard album)|The Silver Cord]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://genius.com/King-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-change-the-silver-cord-lyrics | title=Be the auteur }}</ref> They reference her again in the song "Mirage City" on their 2024 album ''[[Flight b741]]''.<ref>{{Citation |title=King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Mirage City |url=https://genius.com/King-gizzard-and-the-lizard-wizard-mirage-city-lyrics |access-date=2024-10-19}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Tang dynasty bronze mirror with moon goddess and rabbit design, HAA.JPG|Tang Dynasty Bronze Mirror with Chang'e and [[Moon rabbit]], [[Honolulu Museum of Art]]
Datong 282.jpg|Porcelain Pillow of Guanghan Palace in [[Yuan Dynasty]], collected in Datong Museum
Chang E, The Moon Goddess.jpg|Fan Map of Chang'e in Yuan or Early Ming Dynasty
Carved lacquer wooden box, Ming Dynasty.jpg|Moon Palace on [[Ming Dynasty]] lacquer wooden box
费以耕、张熊梅月嫦娥图扇页.jpg|Fan map of Chang'e by [[Fei Yigeng]] and [[Zhang Xiong (Qing dynasty)|Zhang Xiong]], from [[Qing dynasty]]
Long Corridor-嫦娥.JPG|Colored Paintings of the [[Summer Palace]] Corridor: Guanghan Autumn Scenery, a copy of Qian Hui'an 's imitation of [[Qing Dynasty]] painter [[Hua Yan]] in the late Qing Dynasty
Chang'e flees to the moon by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.jpg|[[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi]] [[Ukiyo-e]] ''A Hundred Poses of the Moon'' Chang'e flees to the Moon
The dragon, image, and demon; or, The three religions of China- Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, giving an account of the mythology, idolatry, and demonolatry of the Chinese (1887) (14760951946).jpg|Illustration of Chang'e in "Three Religions in China: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism" (1887) of [[Hampden Coit DuBose|DuBose]]
Chang'e flies to the moon - Project Gutenberg eText 15250.jpg|Chang'e flies off into the Moon as her husband [[Hou Yi|Houyi]] watches
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of lunar deities]]
* [[List of Chinese mythology]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Yang |first1=Lihui |author2=An, Deming |title=Handbook of Chinese mythology |year=2005 |publisher=ABC-Clio |location=Santa Barbara |isbn=1-57607-806-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofchines0000unse }}

==Further reading==
* Allan, Tony, Charles Phillips, and John Chinnery, ''Land of the Dragon: Chinese Myth'', Duncan Baird Publishers, London, 2005 (through Barnes & Noble Books), {{ISBN|0-7607-7486-2}}
* Laing, Ellen Johnston, "From Thief to Deity: The Pictorial Record of the Chinese Moon Goddess, Chang E" in Kuhn, Dieter & Stahl, Helga, ''The Presence of Antiquity: Form and Function of References to Antiquity in the Cultural Centers of Europe and East Asia''. Wuerzburg, 2001, pp.&nbsp;437–54. {{ISBN|3927943223}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Chang'e}}

{{Chinese mythology}}
{{Taoism footer}}
[[Category:Mid-Autumn Festival]]
[[Category:Chinese goddesses]]
[[Category:Lunar goddesses]]
[[Category:Taoist deities]]
[[Category:Rabbit deities]]