月兔，也叫玉兔，在一些神話傳說中是居住在月球上的兔子。有人認為是因空想性錯視而產生的。在許多文化中，特別是在東亞（中國、臺灣、日本、朝鮮）的民間傳說和阿茲特克神話中，常塑造成用研杵搗研缽的形象。在中國神話中，月兔在月宮陪伴嫦娥並搗藥，而在日本和韓國，月兔則是在上面製造麻糬。
月兔的記載，首見於屈原的《天問》：「夜光何德，死而又育？厥利維何，而顧菟在腹。」在西漢初期的馬王堆一號漢墓帛畫中月上繪有蟾蜍和玉兔。劉向《五經通義》：「月中有兔與蟾蜍何？月，陰也；蟾蜍，陽也，而與兔並，明陰繫於陽也。」古詩中往往以兔指代月，以下是唐代前的例子：
《古詩十九首》之十七：三五明月滿，四五蟾兔缺。
庾信《宮調曲》：金波來白兔，弱木下蒼烏。
江總《內殿賦新詩》兔影脈脈照金鋪，虯水滴滴瀉玉壼。
江總《賦得三五明月滿詩》：三五兔輝成，浮陰冷復輕。
江總《簫史曲》：來時兔月滿，去後鳳樓空。
《本生經》中記載：狐、獺、猴、兔每天到修道者處聽道。某年天旱，修道者欲遷，四獸慾挽留各自尋找食。兔子自忖無能為力，於是自投火中，把自己作為食物。修道者顯露帝釋天真身，將兔繪於月上，作為紀念。
1969年阿波羅11號登陸月球前，艙內的太空員曾在談話中提到嫦娥和月兔：
林頓·詹森太空中心呼叫：今早關心阿波羅號的頭條大事，就是你們注意看看有沒有看到一位帶著大兔子的可愛女孩，有傳說說名叫嫦娥的女孩已經在月球上居住了4000年。似乎她從丈夫那偷了顆仙丹，而被放逐到月球上。你們可能可以先找找她的同伴－一隻大兔子，牠很容易被找到，因為牠常用後腳站立在一棵月桂樹蔭下。至於這隻大兔子的名字尚未被揭露過。 （Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, there's one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.）
太空人巴茲·奧爾德林回答:好的，我們會仔細找看看這名兔女郎。
（ Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.）
*************
Ｗish Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Full Moon - Elixir of Love to bring the reunion of people,
and help the reunion of all-in-one body,spirit and soul.
The Moon rabbit in folklore is a rabbit that lives on the moon, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in Aztec mythology and East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in amortar and pestle. In Chinese folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion of the moon goddess Chang'e, constantly pounding the elixir of life for her; but in Japanese and Korean versions, it is just pounding the ingredients for rice cake.
An early mention that there is a rabbit on the moon appears in the Chu Ci, a Western Han anthology of Chinese poems from the Warring States period, which notes that along with a toad, there is a rabbit on the moon who constantly pounds herbs for the immortals. This notion is supported by later texts, including the Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era encyclopedia of the Song Dynasty. Han Dynasty poets call the rabbit on the moon the "Jade Rabbit" (玉兔) or the "Gold Rabbit" (金兔), and these phrases were often used in place of the word for the moon. A famous poet of the Tang Dynasty period, Li Bai, relates how: "The rabbit in the moon pounds the medicine in vain" in his poem "The Old Dust."
In the Buddhist Śaśajâtaka (Jataka Tale 316), a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a rabbit resolved to practice charity on the day of the full moon (Uposatha), believing a demonstration of great virtue would earn a great reward.
When an old man begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from the trees and the otter collected fish, while the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. The rabbit, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered its own body, throwing itself into a fire the man had built. The rabbit, however, was not burnt. The old man revealed himself to be Śakra and, touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew the likeness of the rabbit on the moon for all to see. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire.
A version of this story can be found in the Japanese anthology Konjaku Monogatarishū, where the rabbit's companions are a fox and a monkey.
Similar legends occur in Mexican folklore, where people also identified the markings on the moon as a rabbit. According to an Aztec legend, the god Quetzalcoatl, then living on Earth as a man, started on a journey and, after walking for a long time, became hungry and tired. With no food or water around, he thought he would die. Then a rabbit grazing nearby offered herself as food to save his life. Quetzalcoatl, moved by the rabbit's noble offering, elevated her to the moon, then lowered her back to Earth and told her, "You may be just a rabbit, but everyone will remember you; there is your image in light, for all people and for all times."
Another Mesoamerican legend tells of the brave and noble sacrifice of Nanahuatzin during the creation of the fifth sun. Humble Nanahuatzin sacrificed himself in fire to become the new sun, but the wealthy god Tecciztecatl hesitated four times before he finally set himself alight to become the moon. Due to Tecciztecatl's cowardice, the gods felt that the moon should not be as bright as the sun, so one of the gods threw a rabbit at his face to diminish his light. It is also said that Tecciztecatl was in the form of a rabbit when he sacrificed himself to become the moon, casting his shadow there.
A Native American (Cree) legend tells a different variation, about a young rabbit who wished to ride the moon. Only the crane was willing to take him. The trip stretched Crane's legs as the heavy rabbit held them tightly, leaving them elongated as cranes' legs are now. When they reached the moon Rabbit touched Crane's head with a bleeding paw, leaving the red mark cranes wear to this day. According to the legend, on clear nights, Rabbit can still be seen riding the moon.
The moon rabbit was mentioned in the conversation between Houston and the Apollo 11 crew just before the first moon landing:
Houston: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, there's one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin: Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.
From Wikipedia
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