Something's funny about the bunny_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Something's funny about the bunny

The tale has been so ingrained into our consciousness that not everyone realizes it is one of Aesop's fables.

In the homegrown canon, tuzi scaled the highest prominence in the moon legend. Any mention of the "jade rabbit" is an allusion to the moon or its goddess, Chang'e.

But is the rabbit her pet or one of her reincarnations? I did a little digging, and uncovered several - often-contradictory - stories of origin.

Tale 1: After Chang'e flees to the Moon Palace (because she stole the immortality pill from her husband), she is punished by the Celestial Emperor, who turns her into a white rabbit. Her job is to work in the heavenly pharmacy.

Tale 2: Three immortals disguise themselves as beggars. They accost a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey give them food.

The rabbit says: "I don't have any food, but you can eat me." He throws himself into a fire. The immortals are so moved that they send it to heaven, where it becomes Chang'e au pair.

Tale 3: A pair of rabbits has four beautiful daughters. In sympathy for Chang'e's fate, they decide to send the youngest to her side.

Tale 4: The Jade Rabbit is actually transformed into Houyi, Chang'e's husband. To be with her, he turns himself into a rabbit and lives by her side at the Moon Palace.

Tale 5: Houyi and Chang'e start as gods and descend to the human world. But Chang'e, tired of worldly chores, flees to the moon and is turned into a toad. "Jade Rabbit" is a homonym for her and the result of a linguistic error made in literary transpositions.