Traditional Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin
The Jade Rabbit
玉兔
The Jade Rabbit (玉兔, Yùtù) is a Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin as a 3-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 1 (Beginner).
A tiny rabbit with nothing but grass gives an old traveler the greatest gift of all, and earns a home on the moon. Retold from the Buddhist rabbit tale as it is told in China.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — Tells the tale as a grandfather would beside the fire.
- Xiao Bai · 小白 — A small white rabbit with a big heart and only grass to give.
- Ah Hong · 阿红 — A quick, proud fox who is always thinking about her next meal.
- Ah Jin · 阿金 — A cheeky monkey who loves to show off in the tallest tree.
- The Old Man · 老人 — A very hungry traveler with a secret.
- The Immortal · 神仙 — A glowing immortal of the sky who looks for the kindest heart.
3 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Hungry Old Man
饿了的老人
A monkey, a fox and a rabbit promise to help someone every day. Then a starving old man shows up, and the rabbit has only grass to give.
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Chapter 2: Into the Fire
跳进火里
The friends light a fire for the hungry old man. Xiao Bai steps forward with a plan that no one wants to hear.
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Chapter 3: The Rabbit on the Moon
月亮上的兔子
The old man is not who he seems. Xiao Bai must leave her friends and go somewhere very far away.
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Key words in The Jade Rabbit
Behind the story
Chinese families say the dark patches on the full moon look like a rabbit, not a man. The Jade Rabbit (玉兔) is the moon's best-known animal, and in many tales she stands beside a tree and pounds the medicine of long life.
This story comes from an old Buddhist tale about a rabbit who offers itself to a hungry traveler. It reached China with Buddhism and blended with local moon legends, including the goddess Chang'e (嫦娥), whom the rabbit keeps company on the moon.
Did you know?
- Clay rabbit figures called Tuer Ye (兔儿爷) are a beloved Mid-Autumn (中秋节) toy in Beijing.
- China's first moon rover, landed in 2013, was named Yutu (玉兔), after the Jade Rabbit.
- Japan and Korea also see a rabbit on the moon, pounding rice cakes instead of medicine.