Need a little refresher on the stories and legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival? Here’s some iconic folklore to get you up to speed‚ or hit the ‘share’ button to spread the mooncake love with friends and family!
你知道中秋节的来历以及它的故事吗？让我们一起认识这个传统节日吧！记得点击 “Share” 分享给你的家人朋友！
The rabbit in this story is commonly known as ‘Jade Rabbit’ or even ‘Grandpa Rabbit’. It lives on the moon with Chang E‚ and is often hard at work pounding the elixir of life in its pestle – talk about a hardworking bunny!
玉兔，也称月兔；是和嫦娥生活在月亮上的兔子。玉兔在月球上经常帮助嫦娥捣药，是只非常勤奋的兔子
Chang’e sent the rabbit to Beijing when a deadly plague struck the town. The Moon Rabbit cured many families of the illness‚ before returning to the moon once more.
传言古时北京遭遇瘟疫，嫦娥便派玉兔去北京帮助当地人民，玉兔亦在那里治愈了很多人。
In Japan‚ the Jade Rabbit is said to be seen making mochi (rice cakes) instead of the elixir of life. The Japanese folklore tells of a deity‚ known as the Old Man on The Moon who visits Earth disguised as a beggar. He asks a fox‚ a monkey and rabbit for food.
不过在日本，玉兔并不是以捣药闻名而是负责制作年糕。日本的民俗学中讲述了一名来自月亮的神灵，他伪装成了乞丐，并分别向狐狸、猴子及兔子乞讨食物。
The fox caught him a fish‚ and the monkey brought him fruits. The rabbit had nothing to give him but grass‚ so the Old Man asks him to start a fire.
狐狸抓了一只鱼，猴子则摘了一些水果，而兔子则什么都没有找到。
As a selfless act‚ the rabbit tries to jump into the flames to sacrifice himself to the Old Man‚ but the deity rescued him.
为了乞丐的温饱，兔子拜托狐狸与猴子帮忙起火，自己作为食物跳进了火里，所幸神灵把它救了下来。
Moved by the rabbit’s kindness‚ he takes the rabbit back with him to the moon‚ where they lived happily ever after. During Japan’s mid-autumn festival‚ otherwise known as Jugo-ya‚ people will gather to watch the full moon‚ and children will sing songs about ‘Usagi’ – ‘Rabbit’ in Japanese.
因为兔子的无私及慷慨，神灵便把兔子带回了月亮一起生活。在日本的中秋节也被称为 Jugo-Ya，大家会齐聚一堂观赏满月，孩子们则会一起歌唱关于 “Usagi”（意思是“兔子”）的歌曲。