Page 344 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 337
giving joy to a mother’, as it betokens the return of a son from far away, or the visit of a
guest.
Spinning Damsel and Cow Spinning Damsel and Cowherd herd

zhi-nu, niu-lang

A favourite Chinese myth – and one of the best-known outside China – is the story of the
cowherd who comes across a lot of girls bathing in a lake. He takes the clothing
belonging to one girl, and then sees how the other girls fly up to the sky clothed in
feathers – all except one: she becomes his wife, bears him a son and contributes to the
house-keeping by doing some weaving. One day, the child finds her robe of feathers
hidden away; the mother puts it on and flies away to the sky. One of the cows, moved by
her master’s plight, tells him to slaughter her and use her hide to follow his wife into the
sky. He does this and meets his wife again, but they are so happy in their connubial bliss
that they quite forget to do their work. The god of heaven orders that they should meet
only once a month thereafter. This verdict is entrusted to a magpie for delivery – but the
magpie gets it wrong and tells them that they can meet only once a year.
Their meeting is on the night of the 7th day of the 7th month, the annual feast of young
girls, and a day on which rain should fall, so that we cannot see the meeting of the happy
couple.

Spinning Damsel and Cowherd