The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for Chinese people all over the world to come together, eat special cakes and gaze at the full moon.
中秋節(jié)是一個全世界的華人和家人聚在一起吃月餅、賞月亮的節(jié)日。

Though a happy occasion, there's a heartbreaking story that explains how it came to be.
雖然這是一個快樂的節(jié)日，但這背后卻有著一段令人心碎的傳說。

Chinese legend tells of the hero Houyi and his beautiful wife Chang'e.
在中國的傳說中，有位英雄叫做后羿，他有個美麗的妻子名叫嫦娥。

As with many legends, there are differing and often contradictory accounts.
和其他很多傳說一樣，有關(guān)中秋節(jié)的傳說也有很多不同的甚至是相互矛盾的版本。

One tells that Chang'e was a heavenly girl who worked among fairies and immortals in the palace of the Jade Emperor. One day, she broke a special porcelain jar and was banished to live among humans on earth, with the promise that she could return if she performed valuable deeds there.
有一種版本中稱，嫦娥原是玉皇大帝天宮中同其他仙女天神一起工作的女子。有一天，她打碎了一個特殊的瓷罐，因此被驅(qū)逐到凡間和人類生活在一起，只有當(dāng)她做了好事她才能重新返回天上。

Joining a family of farmers, she met Houyi, a hunter and master archer, and eventually, they would marry.
嫦娥在一戶農(nóng)民家里遇到了身為獵人和射手的后羿，后來他們結(jié)婚了。

But the world of mortals soon found itself in peril. The Jade Emperor had 10 mischievous sons who transformed themselves into 10 suns, scorching the earth and its people. Houyi took it upon himself to save them. Using incredible strength and superior marksmanship, he shot down nine of the suns and left one in the sky so that humans could draw upon its warmth and light.
但是凡間隨后就出現(xiàn)了危險。玉皇大帝的10個愛搞怪的兒子化作10個太陽，炙烤著大地和人類。后羿主動承擔(dān)責(zé)任以拯救大家，他力大無比，射術(shù)超群，一口氣射下了9個太陽，只留下一個給人們帶來溫暖和光芒。

It is here, again, that accounts diverge. One version has it that both Houyi and Chang'e were heavenly beings, and that a vengeful emperor condemned them to live on Earth as mortals thereafter. Houyi wished to avert death, so he acquired an elixir that would confer immortality. He was warned to drink only half the potion, and he reasoned that his wife could drink the rest.
故事到這里又分成了不同的版本。一個版本說后羿和嫦娥都是天上的神仙，皇帝想要報復(fù)他們所以罰他們下凡間成為人類。后羿為了能夠長生不死拿到了不死藥。但他只被允許喝半瓶，剩下的半瓶他準(zhǔn)備留給妻子。

In one account of the legend, a greedy friend of Houyi's named Peng Meng tried to obtain the formula for himself, but Chang'e wouldn't let him, and drank it all. Another states that Chang'e could not resist immortality, and so consumed it herself.
一個版本的傳說中，后羿有一個名叫蓬蒙的朋友，他為人奸詐，一心想偷那瓶不死藥。嫦娥為了不讓他偷走把整瓶都喝掉了。而另一個版本中，嫦娥是因為受不了凡人的生活而喝掉了整瓶不死藥。

However you interpret the legend, it eventually transpired that Chang'e's body became light, and she flew out a window up to the moon, leaving her husband all alone on the Earth.
但是不論哪個版本，最后的結(jié)果都是嫦娥的身體變得越來越輕，接著她從窗戶飛出飛向了月亮，把他的丈夫獨自一人留在了凡間。

On a clear night, Houyi saw Chang'e in the moon, called out to her and even tried to shoot it down, but it was too late.
在一個月朗風(fēng)清的夜晚，后羿看到了月亮上的嫦娥，他大聲喊她并試圖把她射下來，可一切都太晚了。

Now a lunar goddess, Chang'e was doomed to be apart from her husband forever. Houyi honoured his wife by arranging a table with incense, meats and fruits that she loved. The tradition of making sacrifices to the moon carried through the ages, from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045 to 770 B.C.) onward.
如今作為月亮女神，嫦娥注定與她的丈夫永遠分離。后羿為了紀(jì)念妻子會在桌子上擺上香爐以及她愛吃的肉類和水果。祭祀月亮的傳統(tǒng)就這樣從西周時期（公元前1045年-前770年）傳承至今。

And so it is today, that Chinese all over the world meet outside, eat together and gaze at a plentiful moon, like the legendary and historical ancestors who came before.
因此今天世界各地的中國人在這個節(jié)日里都會聚在一起，像傳說里的先人們一樣，吃月餅、賞月亮。