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Mid Autumn Festival Part II
Mid Autumn Festival is held annually on the 15th of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. On this day, the full moon shines the brightest, meaning familyreunion to the Chinese. Since the Tang(唐) dynasty (A.D. 618-906), the 15th day of the eighth lunar month has been an official holiday-Moon Festival is known as Mid Autumn Festival. The Moon Festival is still a holiday where family members get together wherever it is possible. We can say that it is a full of friendliness and a most graceful day.
Historically the moon has been used as a timepiece. The Chinese, being an agricultural people, planted and harvested according to the moon. For this reason, the Chinese have given special attention to the moon in times ofworship. In folklore, the Chinese people spread various legends and fairy tales, but "Chang O ascends to the moon" is the most well known.
Long time ago, the legend has it that the earth was in a state of havoc because there were ten suns in the sky. The heat of those ten suns shining all at once made the earth insufferably hot; many humans and animals died from the heat, the rivers dried up, and the forests burned, bringing infinite suffering. This matter startled a hero named Hou Yi. He was a courageous and fortunate person, for his wife was the lovely Chang-o and both of them were deeply in love and inseparable. He was a great archer, launching arrows at the suns, and shot down nine of the suns. He left the last one to keep the earth warm and bright and separate night from day. After that, people could enjoy lives of work in the daytime and rest at night. The world was finally at peace. Thus the awed people elevated him to the position of their leader.
One day, Hou Yi went to the Kunlum mountain(崑崙山) and had a chance encounter with the Royal Mother, who resided atop the Kunlun Mountains. At that time, she gave him her one remaining pill ofimmortality and told him if a person took the pill, he could ascend to Heaven; if two people divided it, they could live forever. But it had to be taken on the 15th night of the 8th lunar month, when the moon was full. When he returned home, he gave the pill to his wife for safekeeping. But one of his disciples saw this and on the day of the 15th night of the 8th lunar month went to meet Chang-o and asked for the pill, at the time Hou Yi wasn't home. Therefore, Chang-o took out the pill of immortality, and put it in her mouth andswallowed it. At once she felt her body becoming lighter and lighter, until she soared upward to the cold and lonely palace in the moon. Hou Yi was so broken-hearted that he drank himself into a stupor, and then the disciple killed him. Chang-o was consigned to eternity alone. After that, the custom of praying to the moon has been in folklore.
Lunar calendar 陰曆, 農曆 (n. 名詞)
Only Chinese people use the lunar calendar.
只有中國人以農曆計日
reunion 團圓, 重聚, 再會合 (n. 名詞)
I believe that we will have a reunion in the future.
我相信在未來我們一定會有重聚的一天
Graceful 優美的, 典雅的 (adj. 形容詞)
She is a graceful girl.
她是一位優雅的少女
Agricultural 農業的, 務農的 (adj. 形容詞)
In ancient times, China was an agricultural country.
在以前, 中國是一個農業國家
Harvest 收穫, 收割 (v. 動詞) 收穫, 收穫季節 (n. 名詞)
1. The farmer plants in spring and harvests in autumn.
農人在春天播種而在秋天收穫
2. This year, they harvested apples.
今年他們蘋果豐收
今年他們蘋果豐收
They attend worship at church every Sunday.
他們每星期天至教堂做禮拜
Havoc 大破壞, 浩劫 (n. 名詞)
After the havoc of the hurricane, it was too ghastly for them to look at their homeland.
在颶風的破壞後, 他們的家園慘不忍賭
Insufferably 不能忍受地 (adv. 副詞)
The sun makes it insufferably hot for people especially this summer.
太陽照射出令人難以忍受地熱, 尤其是今年夏天
Infinite 無限的, 無邊的 (adj. 形容詞)
If you don't overcome this trial, you will have infinite suffering.
假如你不克服這項考驗, 你將受無限的痛苦
Suffering 痛苦, 苦惱 (n. 名詞) 受苦的, 受難的 (adj. 形容詞)
Someone said that life is suffering.
有人說人生是痛苦的
Startled 驚動, 使吃驚 (v. 動詞)
He was startled to hear that she got married.
聽到她結婚使他震驚了一下
Awed 充滿敬畏的, 畏怯的 (adj. 形容詞)
The awed people elect him to be a President in their country.
充滿敬畏的人們選他成為他們國家的總統
Resided 住, 居住 (v. 動詞)
We have resided in the county of Taipei for a long time now.
我們居住在台北的鄉村已經有一段時間了
Remaining 剩餘的, 剩下的 (adj. 形容詞)
Could you please finish all the remaining dishes?
你可以將所有剩餘的菜吃完嗎?
Immortality 不朽, 不朽的名聲, 不滅 (n. 名詞)
Confucius had achieved immortality.
孔子擁有不朽的名聲
Swallowed 吞下 (v. 動詞)
She doesn't know how to swallow pills with a cup of water.
她不知道如何用一杯水來吞這些藥丸
Soared 往上飛舞, 高飛(v. 動詞)
After she took the pill, her body soared toward the sky.
在她吃下藥丸時, 她的身體往天空飛去
Broken-hearted 傷心的, 心碎的 (adj. 形容詞)
He was broken hearted because his girlfriend broke up with him.
他因為和女友分手而心碎了
Stupor 不省人事, 恍惚 (n. 名詞)
He drank himself into a stupor.
他喝酒喝到不省人事
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