Yunü ( zh, c= 玉女, p=Yùnǚ, l=Jade Girl, Jade Maiden) is a

Daoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

deity or goddess in Chinese mythology and Chinese traditional religion who, along with her male counterpart Jintong "Golden Boy", are favored servants of the

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

and Zhenwudadi. They are also believed to serve as guides in the underworld and the protectors of houses and temples. Some Golden Boy and Jade Girl pairs are found on graves at Bukit Brown Cemetery as they are believed to serve as guides in the Underworld. This couple helps virtuous souls over a golden bridge to paradise and souls whose good deeds outweighed the bad over a silver bridge to paradise. Therefore, by erecting the Golden Boy and Jade Maiden by the grave of the deceased, living family members hope that the deceased will not venture into the courts of hell but instead lead their afterlife in paradise.

Legends

Yunü and Jintong have appeared in several stories since the

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

and Yuan dynasties and have become important figures in Chinese mythology. Specific examples are the nanxi version of the legend ''Jintong and Yunü'', and Yuan dynasty writer Jia Zhongming's

zaju ''Zaju'' was a form of Chinese opera which provided entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime, with a certain emphasis on comedy (or, happy endings). Although with diverse and earlier roots, ''z ...

by the same name. In this context, Yunü is called

Longnü Longnü (; Sanskrit: ''nāgakanyā''; Vietnamese: ''Long nữ''), translated as ''Dragon Girl'', along with Sudhana are considered acolytes of the bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) in Chinese Buddhism. Her presence in Guanyin's iconograph ...

, and Jintong is called Shancai Tongzi. According to the ''Shenyijing'', Yunü and her companions loved to play

pitch-pot Pitch-pot () is a traditional Chinese game that requires players to throw arrows or sticks from a set distance into a large, sometimes ornate, canister. The game had originated by the Spring and Autumn period, Spring and Autumn and Warring Stat ...

( zh, c=投壺, p=tóuhú), a game in which arrows or darts are thrown into a vase. In the ''

Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra The ''Buddhāvataṃsaka-nāma-mahāvaipulya-sūtra (The Mahayana, Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named "Buddhāvataṃsaka")'' is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras, Mahāyāna sutras of East Asian Buddhism.Hamar, Imre. Buddhāvataṃsakasūtr ...

'', she and Jintong seek enlightenment and are acolytes of

Guanyin Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

. In this context, Yunü is called

, and Jintong is called Shancai Tongzi (

Sudhana Sudhanakumāra (), mainly known as Sudhana and Shancai or Shancai Tongzi in Chinese, and translated as ''Child of Wealth'', along with Longnü "Dragon Girl" are considered acolytes of the bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) in Chinese Buddhis ...

"Child of Wealth"). In the classic Chinese novel ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...

'', Yunü is a servant maid of the

in Heaven. She falls in love with a star god called

Kuimulang Kuimulang () is a deity in traditional Chinese spiritual beliefs. He is considered to be one of the 28 Mansions, which are Chinese constellations. These constellations are the same as those studied in Western astrology. Kuimulang originated from ...

and decides to elope with him. However, she doesn't want to ruin Heaven's pureness, so she reincarnates as a human. She enters the human world as Baihuaxiu ( zh, c=百花羞), the third princess of the Kingdom of Baoxiang ( zh, c=寶象國). Meanwhile, Kui Mulang travels to Earth and waits for her, becoming a demon lord, Yellow Robe. The demon kidnaps the princess (who has no memory of her existence as Yunü), marries her, and they have two children. Some folktales say that

Xue Dingshan Xue () is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 薛 (Xuē). It is romanized as Hsüeh in Wade-Giles. In Hong Kong and Macau it is usually romanized through its Cantonese pronunciation Sit. In Korean, it corresponds to Seol (설), in Jap ...

and

Fan Lihua Fan Lihua (樊梨花) is a fictional folk heroine in Chinese folklore and a legendary female general from the Western Liang during the early years of the Tang dynasty. She was the wife of Xue Dingshan and the daughter-in-law of the famous early Tan ...

were originally the Golden Boy and Jade Girl. The Jade Emperor was furious with them and wanted to punish them for breaking the celestial utensils. Fortunately, the

Old Man of the South Pole The Old Man of the South Pole ( Chinese & ), also called the Old Immortal of the South Pole (), Xian of Longevity (), or Star of Longevity (), is the Taoist deification of Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina. He is typically ...

begged for their mercy and was demoted to the mortal world. In the ''Hanyi ji'' play, the protagonists Qi Liang and Meng Jiang are reincarnations of Jintong and Yunü. In most popular versions of the ''

Butterfly Lovers The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend centered around the tragic romance between Liang Shanbo () and Zhu Yingtai (), whose names form the Chinese title of the story. The title is often abbreviated as Liang Zhu (). The story was selected a ...

'', the protagonists Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are human reincarnations of Jintong and Yunü who are expelled from Heaven Court by Guanyin or the Jade Emperor for their sins and forced to live as a thwarted couple for three or seven generations before being reunited and restored to their original status.

In popular culture

*Yunü is a common designation for a beautiful woman or, in Daoism, for a

xian Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

or "immortal". *Literary works often refer to attractive and well-matched couples as a Jintong and Yunü. *Yunü is a common name for ''

Usnea ''Usnea'' is a genus of fruticose lichens in the large family Parmeliaceae. The genus, which currently contains roughly 130 species, was established by Michel Adanson in 1763. Species in the genus grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anch ...

'', a species of lichen. *During the Spring Festival, pictures featuring Yunü and Jintong can be found on the doors of many households. *There are several mountain peaks bearing Yunü's name, such as the

Mount Hua Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about east of Xi'an. It is the "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as ...

Yünu (), one in the

Wuyi Mountains The Wuyi Mountains or Wuyishan ( zh, c=武夷山, p=Wǔyí Shān, poj=Bú-î-soaⁿ; formerly known as Bohea Hills in early Western documents) are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping, in northern Fujian, Fujian province near t ...

(), and

another Another may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, a culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel ** ''Another'' (TV series), a Japanese ...

in the Yuntai Mountains ().

References

{{reflist

Sources

* Li Jianping 李劍平, ed. (1998). Zhongguo shenhua renwu cidian 中國神話人物辞典 (Xi'an : Shanxi renmin chubanshe), 144. Chinese goddesses Taoist deities Journey to the West characters