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Mythic Mandarin

The moon goddess: a Mid-Autumn legend

HSK 3 Unit 8: Festivals and stories · Lesson 2 of 7 · About 22 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow the legend of Chang'e and Hou Yi told in simple Chinese, and talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival and mooncakes.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 团圆 mean?

    1. to be reunited (as a family)
    2. to solve
    3. about, concerning
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to be reunited (as a family).

    团圆 (tuányuán) means to be reunited (as a family).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to have a holiday”?

    1. 广播
    2. 放假
    3. 季节
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 放假.

    “to have a holiday” is 放假 (fàngjià).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    刮风 guāfēng

    1. season
    2. to be windy
    3. to board (a plane)
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to be windy.

    You heard 刮风 (guāfēng): to be windy.

New words

  • 中秋节ZhōngqiūjiéMid-Autumn Festival
  • 月饼yuèbǐngmooncake
  • 月亮yuèliangmoon
  • 传说chuánshuōlegend, it is said
  • 想念xiǎngniànto miss (someone)
  • 太阳tàiyangsun
  • 自己zìjǐoneself
  • 种zhǒngkind, type
  • 一直yìzhíall along, always

The Mid-Autumn Festival

中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié) falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is at its fullest. Families get together, look at the moon and eat 月饼, mooncakes. A round moon is a symbol of a family together again.

  • 中秋节晚上，我们一边吃月饼，一边看月亮。

    Zhōngqiūjié wǎnshang, wǒmen yìbiān chī yuèbǐng, yìbiān kàn yuèliang.

    On Mid-Autumn night, we eat mooncakes and look at the moon.

  • 我很想念我的家人。

    Wǒ hěn xiǎngniàn wǒ de jiā rén.

    I miss my family very much.

传说 (chuánshuō) is a legend, or it is said. This is our own simple retelling of one of the best-known Chinese legends.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

The legend of Chang'e

Professor Yang tells his students the Mid-Autumn legend.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 很久以前 hěn jiǔ yǐqián a long time ago; 射 shè to shoot (an arrow); 射箭 shèjiàn to shoot arrows, archery; 后羿 HòuYì Hou Yi; 嫦娥 Cháng'é Chang'e; 王母娘娘 Wángmǔ Niángniang the Queen Mother of the West; 仙药 xiānyào elixir of immortality; 保护 bǎohù to protect

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How many suns were there at first?

    1. one
    2. ten
    3. nine
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, ten.

    天上有十个太阳.

  2. Listening

    Why did Chang'e drink the elixir?

    1. To protect it.
    2. She wanted to fly.
    3. Hou Yi told her to.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, To protect it..

    为了保护仙药，自己把它吃了.

  3. Listening

    Where does Chang'e live now, in the legend?

    1. in the sun
    2. on the moon
    3. in the mountains
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, on the moon.

    嫦娥飞到了月亮上.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 传说Chuánshuō很久以前hěn jiǔ yǐqián，天上tiānshàng有yǒu十shí个gè太阳tàiyang，人们rénmen热rè得de没有méiyǒu办法bànfǎ生活shēnghuó。

    Legend has it that long ago there were ten suns in the sky, and it was so hot people could not live.

  2. 一Yí个gè叫jiào后羿HòuYì的de人rén很hěn会huì射箭shèjiàn，他tā射shè下xià了le九jiǔ个gè太阳tàiyang。

    A man called Hou Yi was a great archer, and he shot down nine of the suns.

  3. 王母娘娘Wángmǔ Niángniang给gěi了le他tā一yì种zhǒng仙药xiānyào，吃chī了le就jiù能néng飞fēi到dào天tiān上去shàngqu。

    The Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir: whoever drank it could fly up to the heavens.

  4. 后羿HòuYì的de妻子qīzi嫦娥Cháng'é为了wèile保护bǎohù仙药xiānyào，自己zìjǐ把bǎ它tā吃chī了le。

    To protect the elixir, Hou Yi's wife Chang'e drank it herself.

  5. 嫦娥Cháng'é飞fēi到dào了le月亮yuèliang上shàng，从cóng那nà以后yǐhòu，她tā就jiù一直yìzhí住zhù在zài那儿nàr。

    Chang'e flew up to the moon, and from then on she has lived there.

  6. 后羿HòuYì非常fēicháng想念xiǎngniàn她tā。每年Měinián八bā月yuè十五shíwǔ，月亮yuèliang最zuì圆yuán的de时候shíhou，他tā就jiù把bǎ她tā喜欢xǐhuan吃chī的de东西dōngxi放fàng在zài外面wàimian。

    Hou Yi missed her terribly. Every year on the fifteenth of the eighth month, when the moon is fullest, he put her favourite food outside.

  7. 这Zhè就jiù是shì中秋节Zhōngqiūjié的de一yí个gè传说chuánshuō。

    That is one of the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 这就是中秋节的一个传说。

    Zhè jiù shì Zhōngqiūjié de yí gè chuánshuō.

    That is one of the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

  • 嫦娥飞到了月亮上，从那以后，她就一直住在那儿。

    Cháng'é fēi dào le yuèliang shàng, cóng nà yǐhòu, tā jiù yìzhí zhù zài nàr.

    Chang'e flew up to the moon, and from then on she has lived there.

  • 传说很久以前，天上有十个太阳，人们热得没有办法生活。

    Chuánshuō hěn jiǔ yǐqián, tiānshàng yǒu shí gè tàiyang, rénmen rè de méiyǒu bànfǎ shēnghuó.

    Legend has it that long ago there were ten suns in the sky, and it was so hot people could not live.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 中秋节 mean?

    1. Mid-Autumn Festival
    2. bicycle
    3. free time
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, Mid-Autumn Festival.

    中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié) means Mid-Autumn Festival.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “mooncake”?

    1. 放假
    2. 月亮
    3. 月饼
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 月饼.

    “mooncake” is 月饼 (yuèbǐng).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 月亮 (moon)?

    1. yuèliang
    2. yuèliàng
    3. yuèliǎng
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, yuèliang.

    月亮 is read yuèliang. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    传说 chuánshuō

    1. wall
    2. legend, it is said
    3. right, correct
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, legend, it is said.

    You heard 传说 (chuánshuō): legend, it is said.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 想念 (to miss (someone)). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: xiǎngniàn

    想念 is xiǎngniàn in pinyin.

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    王母娘娘给了他一种仙药，吃了就能飞到天上去。 Wángmǔ Niángniang gěi le tā yì zhǒng xiānyào, chī le jiù néng fēi dào tiān shàngqu.

    1. To protect the elixir, Hou Yi's wife Chang'e drank it herself.
    2. Legend has it that long ago there were ten suns in the sky, and it was so hot people could not live.
    3. The Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir: whoever drank it could fly up to the heavens.
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, The Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir: whoever drank it could fly up to the heavens..

    You heard 王母娘娘给了他一种仙药，吃了就能飞到天上去。 (Wángmǔ Niángniang gěi le tā yì zhǒng xiānyào, chī le jiù néng fēi dào tiān shàngqu.): The Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir: whoever drank it could fly up to the heavens.

  7. Reading

    Read: 中秋节的时候，月亮最圆。我在外国工作，不能回家，所以我一边吃月饼，一边想念我的家人。 Why can't the writer go home?

    1. She works abroad.
    2. She is ill.
    3. She has no holiday.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, She works abroad..

    我在外国工作，不能回家.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence means Chang'e flew up to the moon?

    1. 嫦娥飞月亮上到了。
    2. 嫦娥到飞了月亮上。
    3. 嫦娥飞到了月亮上。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 嫦娥飞到了月亮上。.

    嫦娥飞到了月亮上。 Verb + 到 + place.

  9. In context

    You are far from home at the festival. What do you say about your family?

    1. 我很传说他们。
    2. 我很团圆他们。
    3. 我很想念他们。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 我很想念他们。.

    我很想念他们。: 想念: to miss someone.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for mooncake

    Show the answer

    Answer: 月饼

    月饼: mooncake.

Retell the legend

Retell the legend of Chang'e out loud in your own words, in six to eight sentences. Record it and listen back.

  1. The ten suns and Hou Yi.
  2. The elixir and why Chang'e drank it.
  3. Where she went and what Hou Yi did every year.

Sentence frames

  • 传说很久以前，＿＿。

    Chuánshuō hěn jiǔ yǐqián, ＿＿.

    Legend has it that long ago ...

  • 从那以后，＿＿。

    Cóng nà yǐhòu, ＿＿.

    From then on, ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I can follow and retell the legend of Chang'e.
  • I can talk about the Mid-Autumn Festival and mooncakes.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: Legs on a snake: the story behind an idiom