The Mid-Autumn Festival, known as 中秋节 (zhōng qiū jié), is one of the most celebrated traditional festivals in China. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, a date tied to the full moon, which symbolizes reunion, peace, and harmony.
Every year, families gather, admire the moon, and share mooncakes. But the festival’s deepest meaning comes from its legends, three classic stories that have been passed down through generations. Let me share them with you, along with the key vocabulary you will hear during the festival.
Conceptual illustration of friends admiring the full moon with mooncakes and tea in a traditional courtyardThe Legend of Chang’e Flying to the Moon
Perhaps the most famous Mid-Autumn legend is that of Chang’e (嫦娥, cháng é), the goddess of the moon. The story begins with her husband, Hou Yi (后羿, hòu yì), a skilled archer.
In ancient times, ten suns rose in the sky and scorched the earth, melting crops and threatening everyone’s survival. Hou Yi shot down nine of them with his bow, leaving just one sun to warm the world. As a reward, the Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir of immortality. Hou Yi loved his wife dearly, so he did not drink the elixir. Instead, he gave it to Chang’e for safekeeping.
Unfortunately, Hou Yi’s apprentice, Peng Meng (蓬蒙, péng méng), discovered the secret and tried to steal it. With no way to escape, Chang’e drank the elixir herself. As soon as she swallowed it, she floated up through the window and into the sky, landing on the moon, where she still lives today in the Guanghan Palace. Heartbroken, Hou Yi offered sacrifices and admired the moon every year on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, hoping to feel closer to his beloved wife. This is why families gather and gaze at the moon during the festival, remembering a story of love and sacrifice.
The famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin wrote a poem about Chang’e that Chinese students still recite today. Here is the complete poem, with the full four lines:
yún mǔ píng fēng zhú yǐng shēn云母屏风烛影深On the marble screen the candlelight is sinking deep.cháng hé jiàn luò xiǎo xīng chén长河渐落晓星沉The River of Heaven slants and the morning stars fall low.cháng é yìng huǐ tōu líng yào嫦娥应悔偷灵药Chang’e should repent of having stolen the elixir.bì hǎi qīng tiān yè yè xīn碧海青天夜夜心Blue sea and blue sky, her heart aches every night.
These lines capture the loneliness of Chang’e on the moon, and they are a beautiful piece of cultural knowledge to share with Chinese friends.
Wu Gang Cutting the Cassia Tree
A lesser-known but fascinating legend is that of Wu Gang (吴刚, wú gāng), a mortal who was punished by the gods for his arrogance. Wu Gang longed to become an immortal, but the gods decided to give him a task he could never finish: he was sent to the moon to cut down the cassia tree (桂树, guì shù). The trick was that the tree healed itself with every strike. No matter how hard Wu Gang chopped, the tree grew back immediately, so he has been cutting it for eternity.
The Chinese phrase for this is 折桂 (zhé guì), which literally means “breaking off a cassia branch,” and it has come to symbolize perseverance and, in later tradition, passing exams.
Whenever you look at the moon’s shadowy patches and hear someone mention 吴刚, you will know they are telling the story of the man who never gives up, even when the task is impossible.
The Jade Hare Pestling Medicine
The third classic legend is the story of the Jade Rabbit (玉兔, yù tù). According to the tale, three immortals disguised themselves as beggars and tested the kindness of a fox, a monkey, and a rabbit. Only the rabbit offered its own body as food to help the beggars, so the immortals rewarded it by sending it to the moon to live with Chang’e.
On the moon, the Jade Rabbit’s job is to pound herbs with a mortar and pestle, preparing the elixir of life. The Chinese verb for this is 捣药 (dǎo yào, to pound medicine). Children grow up hearing about the rabbit’s tireless work, and you will see his image everywhere during the festival, on lanterns, toys, and mooncake boxes.
The Revolt of Zhu Yuanzhang
Beyond the moon legends, there is a story that connects the festival directly to mooncakes. During the Yuan Dynasty, the people suffered under the Mongol rulers, and a man named Zhu Yuanzhang planned a rebellion. But passing secret messages under the watchful eyes of the rulers was almost impossible.
His advisor came up with a clever idea: they hid the plan for the uprising inside small cakes and distributed them to the people. The cakes traveled safely, the message spread, and the rebellion succeeded. Zhu Yuanzhang went on to found the Ming Dynasty, and mooncakes became forever linked to cleverness and freedom.
For more on the customs that grew out of these stories, our guide to Mid-Autumn Festival customs tells the full picture.
A Chinese Riddle for You
Let us end the stories with a little brain teaser from the original lesson. Here is a classic Chinese character riddle:
chūn hé qiū dōu bù rè春和秋都不热Neither spring nor autumn are hot.dǎ yī zì打一字Guess one character!
The answer is 秦 (qín). Here is how it works: the characters 春 and 秋 both contain the components 日 (rì, sun) and 火 (huǒ, fire), which are both related to heat. Remove those two components from 春 and 秋, and what remains combines into the single character 秦. Clever, right? Chinese riddles like this are a favorite game during family gatherings.
Common Questions About the Legends
Explore the Legends with a Live Teacher
The best way to bring these stories to life is to retell them in Chinese with a teacher who can correct your tones and explain the cultural details. At eChineseLearning, our teachers have been helping students explore Chinese culture and language since 2006, with learners from over 100 countries. Book a free 30-minute trial lesson and practice telling these legends yourself. You might also enjoy our guide to the benefits of studying Chinese or our guide to Chinese internet slang in 2026 while you are here.
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