# Wu Gang

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{{Short description|Chinese mythical figure}}
{{for multi|the actor|Wu Gang (actor)|other uses|Wugang (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Wu Gang
| pic = Yoshitoshi - 100 Aspects of the Moon - 26.jpg
| piccap = An 1886 Japanese print of Wu Gang by [Yoshitoshi](/source/Yoshitoshi).), published 1645
| picsize = 220px
| c = {{linktext|吴刚}}
| p = Wú Gāng
}}
{{Taoism}}

'''Wu Gang''' ({{zh|t={{linktext|吳|剛}}|s={{linktext|吴|刚}}|p=Wú Gāng}}), formerly [romanized](/source/romanization_of_Chinese) as '''Wu Kang''' and also known as '''Wu Zhi''' in some sources,<ref name=wolfman>Eberhard, Wolfram. ''Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ul8kVMexa6gC&pg=PA76 pp. 76 ff]. Routledge & Kegan Paul (London), 2013. Accessed 12 November 2013.</ref> is a figure in traditional [Chinese folklore](/source/Chinese_folklore)<ref name="space"/> and [religion](/source/Taoism). He is known for endlessly cutting down a self-healing [osmanthus](/source/sweet_osmanthus) tree on the [Moon](/source/Moon),{{efn|The tree is given in the Chinese sources as a ''guì'' ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|桂}}}}), which originally referred to both the [sweet osmanthus](/source/sweet_osmanthus) (now {{lang|zh|{{linktext|桂花}}}}, "''guì'' flower"),<ref name=fiji>''The Fiji Times Online''. "[http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=246010 The Legend of Wu Gang]". 19 September 2013. Accessed 12 October 2013.</ref> a species of [olive](/source/olive), and the [cassia](/source/Chinese_cinnamon) (now {{lang|zh|{{linktext|肉桂}}}}, "meat ''guì''").<ref name=moooon/> Because of the latter's greater importance in modern international trade, it is often encountered in English translations although the sweet-smelling osmanthus is the one meant. See, for instance, Wolfram, who consistently translates ''guì'' ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|桂}}}}) as "cassia" while in fact describing and giving the scientific name for sweet osmanthus.<ref name=wolfman/><br><br>In Chinese, meanwhile, the ''[chengyu](/source/chengyu)'' "pluck osmanthus in the [Toad](/source/moon_toad) Palace" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|蟾宫折桂}}}}, ''chángōng-zhéguì'') associating the lunar tree with passing the [imperial examinations](/source/keju)<ref name=moooon/><ref>Zdic. "{{lang|zh|[http://www.zdic.net/c/e/a7/196726.htm 蟾宫折桂]}}". 2013. Accessed 13 November 2013. {{in lang|zh}}</ref><ref>{{lang|zh|杜近芳}} [Du Jinfang]. [http://tieba.baidu.com/p/84960300?pn=2 {{lang|zh|《红楼梦汉英习语词典》}}] ["A Dictionary of Chinese Idioms in the ''[Dream of the Red Chamber](/source/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber)''"]. 2003. Accessed 13 November 2013. &nbsp;&&nbsp;{{in lang|zh}}</ref> eventually led to the association of the tree with the true [laurel](/source/Laurus_nobilis), which bears similar associations in European cultures from its use in [Greece](/source/ancient_Greece) and [Rome](/source/ancient_Rome). It is now known in Chinese as the ''yuèguì'' ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|月桂}}}}) or "Moon ''guì''" and connected with the earlier myths.}} a divine punishment which has led to his description as the '''Chinese [Sisyphus](/source/Sisyphus)'''.<ref name=wolfman/><ref name=moooon>Brendon, Juliet & al. ''The Moon Year: A Record of Chinese Customs and Festivals'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=3vUZMgM5bhQC&pg=PA410 p. 410]. Kelly & Walsh, 1927. Reprinted Routledge ([Abingdon](/source/Abingdon_Press)), 2011. Accessed 13 November 2013.</ref> In modern Chinese, the ''[chengyu](/source/chengyu)'' "Wu Gang chopping the tree" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|吳剛伐桂}}}}; ''wúgāng-fáguì'') is used to describe any endless toil. The specific reason for his situation has varied in the sources,<ref name="space"/> but Wu Gang's story dates back to at least the [Tang dynasty](/source/Tang_dynasty).

==Legend==

===Origins===
An [origin myth](/source/origin_myth) for the [lunar phase](/source/lunar_phase)s was that a great forest or great tree grew there, swiftly growing and losing leaves and blossoms over the course of each month. After the expansion of the [Chinese cultural area](/source/East_Asian_cultural_sphere) south of the [Yangtze](/source/Yangtze) during the [Qin](/source/Qin_dynasty) and [Han](/source/Han_dynasty) dynasties, the lunar trees became associated with the fragrant and white-blossoming ''[Osmanthus fragrans](/source/Osmanthus_fragrans)''. This tree flowers during the autumn<ref name=wolfman/> and promoted the connection of the [harvest festival](/source/harvest_festival) with the Moon, a connection still observed during the modern [Mid-Autumn Festival](/source/Mid-Autumn_Festival). Confections and [cassia wine](/source/cassia_wine) flavored with its blossoms are also still associated with the holiday.<ref>{{cite book|author=Asiapac Editorial|authorlink=ArtAsiaPacific|title=Origins of Chinese Tea and Wine (2010 Edition - EPUB)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=APpwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|year=2018|publisher=Asiapac Books Pte Ltd|isbn=978-981-229-991-8|page=121}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Liu|first=Jenru|title=Chinese Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzAQ2xulj8IC&pg=PA136|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-18674-2|page=136}}</ref>

By the time of the [Han](/source/Han_dynasty), the ''[Huainanzi](/source/Huainanzi)'' associated the [waxing](/source/wax_(moon)) of the moon with trees growing from the feet of a [Daoist immortal](/source/Xian_(Taoism)).

In his [''Compendium of'' Materia Medica](/source/Compendium_of_Materia_Medica), [Li Shizhen](/source/Li_Shizhen) explains that Wu Gang was added to the stories about the holiday from [novella](/source/novella)s published during the [Sui](/source/Sui_dynasty) and [Tang](/source/Tang_dynasty) dynasties.<ref name=maomao>{{cite book|last=Mao|first=Zedong|authorlink=Mao Zedong|title=The Writings of Mao Zedong, 1949-1976: January 1956-December 1957|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ftv7ks-Ehq0C&pg=PA540|year=1986|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-87332-392-5|page=540}}</ref>

===First version===
The 9th-century ''[Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang](/source/Miscellaneous_Morsels_from_Youyang)'' mentions a lunar tree over five hundred ''[zhang](/source/zhang_(unit))'' high. A certain Wu Gang of Xihe stands under it, constantly chopping at the tree, which grows back after it is chopped.<ref name="ntpu">{{cite web|url=http://www.ntpu.edu.tw/admin/a8/org/a8-6/files/www/moon/102.htm|script-title=zh:中秋傳說之——吳剛伐桂|publisher=National Taipei University|language=Chinese|accessdate=2009-08-05}}</ref>

===Second version===
Wu witnessed a liaison between his wife and [Yandi](/source/Yan_Emperor)'s grandson, after the two had already carried on an affair so long it begat three sons. In a rage, Wu murdered his wife's lover but Yandi ordered Wu banished to the Moon, where he would cut down a tree. After each blow, the tree healed itself and Wu was therefore forced to cut at it forever.<ref name="space">{{cite web|url=http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/StarShine/Starlore/c_starshine_starlore8.htm|script-title=zh:吳剛砍玉桂樹|publisher=Hong Kong Space Museum|language=Chinese|accessdate=2009-08-05}}</ref>

===Third version===
Another version features a [cherry bay](/source/cherry_bay).{{dubious|date=November 2013}} In this version, Wu Gang began the attempt to become a Taoist immortal but gave up lazily midway through the process. The [Jade Emperor](/source/Jade_Emperor) was furious and decided to punish him. The Emperor created a cherry bay on the Moon and Wu Gang was invited to chop it down in order to become an immortal. Wu Gang tried, but again the tree healed itself and the task was impossible. The shadows on the Moon are said to be created by the growing cherry bay.<ref name="midautumn">{{cite web|url=http://www.itsaboutchina.com/mid-autumn.htm|title=Mid-Autumn Festival Story|accessdate=2009-08-06|archive-date=2011-07-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713065408/http://www.itsaboutchina.com/mid-autumn.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Fourth version===
In yet another version, Wu found a teacher in the mountains in his quest for immortality. When his teacher taught him to heal, he gave up after three days. When he was taught to play [Chinese chess](/source/Chinese_chess), he gave up after two days. When he was taught the method of eternal life, he gave up after a day. His teacher then sent him to the Moon to chop down the tree.

==See also==
* [Man in the Moon](/source/Man_in_the_Moon)  – similar folklores around the world
* [Sisyphus](/source/Sisyphus) – a similar figure from Greek mythology
* [Chang'e](/source/Chang'e)
* [Moon rabbit](/source/Moon_rabbit)

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

Category:Mid-Autumn Festival
Category:Taoist mythology
Category:Characters in Chinese mythology

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wu Gang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Gang) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Gang?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.