Taiyin Xingjun () is the Chinese goddess of the moon. While often intertwined with the legend of Chang'e, Taiyin Xingjun is the original guardian of the moon. Chinese folk religion also uses Chang'e as the incarnation of Taiyin Xingjun. Taiyin Xingjun is believed to be the Taoist counterpart of the Buddhist bodhisattva Candraprabha, also known as the Moonlight Bodhisattva.
Origin and legends
Taiyin Xingjun is a deity associated with the moon in Chinese religion. She is also known as the Moon Goddess, Moon Maiden, and Moonlight Bodhisattva.
In Taoist cosmology, the name Taiyin refers to one of the Four Symbols (四象) and represents laoyin (老阴), or "old yin", in the yin-yang system. Some legends identify Taiyin Xingjun with one of the two eyes of Pangu, with Taiyin Xingjun emerging from his right eye and Taiyang Xingjun from his left.
The moon was also worshipped in ancient China. The Book of Documents, in the "Canon of Yao", lists the sun, moon, and stars among the celestial deities. Ancient rituals often involved sacrifices to both the sun and the moon, with the sun worshipped in the east and the moon in the west.
During the Qing dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival practices included both Taoist and Buddhist elements. Taiyin Xingjun was worshipped alongside figures such as the Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Jade Rabbit. Taoist temples used the title in depictions of the deity.
A different legend appears in the Qing dynasty novel The Legend of the Eight Immortals (Ba Xian Dedao Zhuan) by Wugou Daoren. It describes Taiyin Xingjun as the third daughter of the Jade Emperor and the ruler of the Moon Palace. According to the story, the Jade Emperor appointed her to the Moon Palace because of her solitary nature and her preference for a quiet life. The story contrasts her with Chang'e, whom it presents as less pure because of her marriage to Houyi.
In Taiwanese folk beliefs, Taiyin Xingjun is regarded as the deity who governs the moon. According to one account, the worship of Taiyin Xingjun originated from the worship of natural phenomena in animistic traditions and the deity was originally represented without a human image. At Tiantan Temple, described as one of the earliest temples in Taiwan, the deity is represented by a wooden tablet inscribed with the name "Taiyin Xingjun". With the spread of the story of Chang'e flying to the moon, Chang'e became associated with Taiyin Xingjun, and some people came to regard her as an incarnation of Chang'e. Modern images of Taiyin Xingjun commonly depict a woman in traditional court dress holding the moon. She is also known as Taiyin Niangniang.
Taiyin Xingjun is sometimes associated with the Queen Mother of the West. The Yunji Qiqian describes the Queen Mother of the West as the primordial qi of Taiyin and associates the moon with her right side. It also states that the sun and moon are located beneath her left and right breasts respectively, and identifies the sun with the King Father of the East and the moon with the Queen Mother.
In some traditions, Chang'e is regarded as a resident of the moon rather than its principal deity, while Taiyin Xingjun is identified as the deity of the moon. Taiyin Xingjun is also associated with the name Jielin (羯臨). The Gujin Tushu Jicheng quotes a text stating that "Yuhua" is associated with the sun and "Jielin" with the moon, describing them respectively as the essences of the sun and moon.
According to the poem Two Ghosts () by Ming dynasty poet Liu Ji, the Jade Emperor appointed two spirits, Jielin (羯臨) and Yuhua (玉華), to govern the moon and the sun. The poem describes Jielin as the essence of the moon and Yuhua as the essence of the sun.
Taiyin Xingjun is associated with the worship of the moon, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar. People traditionally worship the moon and offer incense, candles, and food. Stories about the moon, including the story of Chang'e, are also associated with the festival.
In Journey to the West, Taiyin Xingjun appears when Sun Wukong is fighting a demoness who is later revealed to be the Jade Rabbit. Taiyin Xingjun arrives with Chang'e and tells Sun Wukong that the demon is the Jade Rabbit, which escaped from the Guanghan Palace. She asks Sun Wukong to spare the Jade Rabbit and then takes her back to the Moon Palace.
In Fengshen Yanyi, Queen Jiang is appointed Taiyin Xingjun by Jiang Ziya when he names the gods.
Worship
Taiyin Xingjun is rarely worshipped in mainland China, but some temples in Taiwan are dedicated to her. One of the oldest is the Guan Shengdijun Temple in Daxi, which has more than a hundred years of history and also enshrines Taiyin Xingjun.
According to Taiwanese media, Taiyin Xingjun and Taiyang Xingjun, the deity associated with the sun, are often worshipped alongside the Jade Emperor. As the deities of the moon and sun, Taiyin Xingjun and Taiyang Xingjun are also regarded as a couple.
According to Wu Yingtao's Taiwanese Folklore (), people in Taiwan offer mooncakes, food, rice vermicelli, and taro to their ancestors and the land god during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some people also worship the moon. After nightfall, they set up an incense table in the courtyard and place red candles, mooncakes, fresh fruit, and other offerings on it. They then burn incense and worship the moon.
In Taiwanese folk belief, Taiyin Xingjun is regarded as a guardian deity of women and children. Yue Lao is associated with matchmaking and marriage, while Taiyin Xingjun is believed to help with women's personal and social relationships. According to staff at the Kaigi Jade Emperor Palace in Tainan, Taiyin Xingjun manages both "internal fate" and "external fate". External fate includes work and relationships with other people. Sales workers, for example, may offer cosmetics when praying to Taiyin Xingjun for better relationships and popularity. Internal fate refers to personal relationships and emotional problems. The temple staff also distinguish Taiyin Xingjun from Yue Lao by saying that Taiyin Xingjun can help end harmful relationships.
A popular religious text in Taiwan is the True Scripture of Taiyin Xingjun (). According to the belief associated with the text, praying to Taiyin Xingjun can help children who are malnourished or frequently ill. The practice involves fasting, burning incense on the full moon nights of the 15th and 16th days of the lunar month, and reciting the True Scripture of Taiyin Xingjun ten times. It is believed to bring peace to the family.
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