奇速英语

后羿射日与嫦娥奔月

Long long ago, there were ten suns in the sky. The hot burned the earth, making it hard for people to live. This was when Houyi appeared. Though it was difficult, he climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain and shot nine suns, leaving only one to bring warmth. People showed Houyi deep respect. To award him, the Queen Mother of the West gave him the elixir (长生不老药) which could make him live forever. Houyi did not want to live forever alone so he gave the elixir to his wife Chang’e to keep.

Houyi became a hero and well-known around. Lots of people came and took him as the teacher. One of the students was Pang Meng. He knew about the elixir by chance and decided to steal it. One day, when Houyi was out, Pang Meng broke into their house, forcing Chang’e to hand over the elixir. Chang’e had no choice but to take the elixir out. But she did not want the bad person to live forever, so she ate it herself. Slowly, the elixir carried her into the sky. Missing her husband, she managed to make her home on the moon, which was the closest to the earth.

When Houyi returned home, he couldn’t find his wife. Looking up at the moon, he saw Chang’e there, looking into his eyes lovingly. But no matter what he did, he could never fly there. The brokenhearted man put out his wife’s favorite food and kept praying, hoping that someone could bring his wife back to him again.

Deeply moved by Houyi, the Queen Mother of the West allowed them to meet once a year on August 15 of the Chinese lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest. The loving couple’s annual meeting since then has been celebrated as a festival for family reunions (团聚).