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Yue Lao () is a god of
marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
and
love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
in
Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...
. He appears as an old man under the moon. Yue Lao appears at night and "unites with a
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
en
cord Cord or CORD may refer to: People * Alex Cord (1933–2021), American actor and writer * Chris Cord (born 1940), American racing driver * Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974) American industrialist * Ronnie Cord (1943–1986), Brazilian singer * Cor ...
all predestined
couples Couple or couples may refer to : Basic meaning *Couple (app), a mobile app which provides a mobile messaging service for two people *Couple (mechanics), a system of forces with a resultant moment but no resultant force *Couple (relationship), tw ...
, after which nothing can prevent their union."Yue Laou
in: E. Cobham Brewer, "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable", 1898
He is
immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
East India Company
The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany
' Vol. XXVII Published by Wm. H. Allen & Co., 1838, p. 25
and is said to live either in the moon or in the "obscure regions" (Yue ming), the Chinese equivalent of
Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...
. His legends serve as the basis for the
Red thread of fate The Red Thread of Fate (), also referred to as the Red Thread of Marriage, and other variants, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese mythology. It is commonly thought of as an invisible red cord around the finger of those that are de ...
.


Legend

A legend is told about the old man under the moon. During the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, there was a young man named Wei Gu (韋固 ''Wéi Gù''). Once he was passing the city of Songcheng, where he saw an old man leaning on his pack reading a book in the moonlight. Amazed, Wei Gu walked up and asked what he was doing. The old man answered: "I am reading a book of marriage listing for who is going to marry whom. In my pack are red cords for tying the feet of husband and wife." When Wei Gu and the old man came together to a marketplace, they saw a blind old woman carrying a three-year-old little girl in her arms. The old man said to Wei Gu: "This little girl will be your wife in the future." Wei Gu thought this was too strange to believe and he ordered his servant to stab the girl with his knife. Fourteen years later, Wang Tai, the governor of Xiangzhou, gave Wei Gu his daughter in marriage. He was having difficulty finding a suitable match of higher standing for his daughter for even though she was a beautiful young woman, she had difficulty walking and had a large scar on the small of her back. When Wei Gu asked what had happened, he was told that she had been stabbed by a man in the marketplace fourteen years before. After ten years and three children later, Wei Gu sought the old man for suitable matches for his two younger sons and daughter. The old man refused to find suitors for his children. During the later years, Wei Gu sought to find a possible match for his children but by coincidence, no marriage was put to order.


In fiction

Yue-Laou ''(sic)'' appears as a character in
Robert W. Chambers Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895. Life Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, t ...
' short story "The Maker of Moons" from the collection of the same name in 1896. He is the leader of Kuen-Yuin, a sect of Chinese sorcerers, and is called "Maker of Moons." He had corrupted "the Xin, the good genii of China" and transformed them into a monstrous composite being: "This monster is horrible, for it not only lives in its own body, but it has thousands of loathsome satellites—living creatures without mouths, blind, that move when the Xin moves, like a mandarin and his escort." In the story, it is revealed that he is the stepfather of Ysonde and is associated with the pack of gold makers. Although he is apparently killed, his body is never found. The moon immortal appears as a major character in the TV series '' Ashes of Love''. He is in charge of love and marriage of all mortal beings through the use of his red threads. In Grace Lin's ''
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon ''Where the Mountain Meets the Moon'' is a fantasy-adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. It was written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published in 2009. The novel received a 2010 Newbery Honor and the 2010 Mythopoeic Fantas ...
'', a novel published in 2009, one of the main characters is named the Old Man of the Moon and seems to have a lot of inspiration derived from Yue Lao and the story of Wei Gu, related above.
Till We Meet Again (2021 film) ''Till We Meet Again'' (; lit: ''Old Moon''; formerly known as ''Sushi Restaurant Legend'') is a 2021 Taiwanese romantic fantasy comedy film, based on the novel of the same name by Giddens Ko. Directed and written by Giddens Ko, and starring Ka ...
is a Taiwanese
romantic fantasy Romantic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, ...
comedy film where its main character has to serve as a Yue Lao in order to meet the requirements to reincarnate as a human. The 2022 mobile RPG ''Dislyte'' features a playable character based on Yue Lao. His abilities and attacks make use of a magical red cord inspired by the god's thread of fate.


References


External links

{{Commonscat, Yue Lao
Yue Lao
theworldofchinese.com Characters in Chinese fiction Chinese gods Fictional Chinese people in literature Love and lust deities Love and lust gods Lunar gods Marriage deities