Chang'e
| Chang'e | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 嫦娥 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 姮娥 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Cháng'é |
| Wade–Giles | Ch'ang2-o2 |
| Gan | |
| Romanization | Song4 ngo4 |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Sèuhng Ngòh |
| Jyutping | Soeng4 Ngo4 |
| Southern Min | |
| Hokkien POJ | Siông-ngô͘ |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Héng'é |
| Wade–Giles | Heng2-o2 |
| Southern Min | |
| Hokkien POJ | Sò͘-ngô͘ |
Chang'e or Chang-o, originally known as Heng'e, is the Chinese goddess of the Moon. She is the subject of several legends in Chinese mythology, most of which incorporate several of the following elements: Houyi the archer, a benevolent or malevolent emperor, an elixir of life, and of course, the Moon. In modern times, Chang'e has been the namesake of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.
There are many tales about Chang'e, including a well-known story which is given as the origin of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. In a very distant past, ten suns had risen together into the skies and scorched the earth, thus causing hardship for the people. The archer Yi shot down nine of them, leaving just one sun, and was given the elixir of immortality as a reward. He did not consume it straight away, but hid it at home, as he did not want to gain immortality without his beloved wife Chang'e. However, while Yi went out hunting, Fengmeng broke into his house and tried to force Chang'e to give him the elixir; she refused and drank it herself. Chang'e then flew upwards towards the heavens, choosing the moon as residence. Yi discovered what had transpired and felt sad, so he displayed the Fruits and Cakes that Chang'e had liked, and gave sacrifices to her.
The recently rediscovered divination text Guizang contains the story of Chang'e as a story providing the meaning to Hexagram 54 of the I Ching, "Returning Maiden".
On Mid-Autumn Day, the full Moon night of the eighth lunar month, an open-air altar is set up facing the Moon for the worship of Chang'e. New pastries are put on the altar for her to bless. She is said to endow her worshipers with beauty.
Chang'e was mentioned in a conversation between Houston Capcom and the Apollo 11 crew just before the first Moon landing in 1969:
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Wikipedia