Nüwa 女娲
Nǚwā
When the sky breaks and disaster reaches the earth, Nüwa gathers five-colored stones to repair the world.
- Chinese name
- 女娲
- Pinyin
- Nǚwā
- Best known for
- 女娲补天
- Reading level
- HSK 4 recommended
Who is Nüwa?
Nüwa is a goddess associated with restoring the world after a cosmic disaster. In the sky-repair account preserved in the Huainanzi, she repairs heaven with five-colored stones and restores its supports. Her story centers on making an uninhabitable world safe again.
What happens to the sky?
Follow the traditional account and the details that distinguish it from later retellings.
The source account
The Lanming Xun chapter of the Huainanzi describes a world whose supports have failed: the land is broken, fire and flood spread, and dangerous creatures threaten people. Nüwa melts five-colored stones to repair the sky. She also uses the legs of a giant turtle to restore the four supports, defeats a black dragon, and stops the waters with reed ashes.
Reading the details
This is more than a story about filling one hole. The passage presents several actions that restore order to the world. A short learner retelling may focus on the stones and the damaged sky, while the source contains a larger sequence of repairs.
How to say 女娲
女娲 is written 女媧 in traditional Chinese. Its pinyin is Nǚwā: nǚ has a third tone and wā has a first tone. English spellings include Nüwa and Nuwa; keeping the ü makes the Mandarin vowel clearer.
The story title 女娲补天 (Nǚwā bǔ tiān) means ‘Nüwa repairs the sky.’ 补 means to mend or repair, and 天 means sky or heaven. These words identify her central action rather than a weapon or royal title.
Nüwa and Jingwei are different figures
Do not confuse 女娲 (Nǚwā) with 女娃 (Nǚwá), the girl who becomes Jingwei in the Shanhaijing. The second character and its tone differ: 娲 wā belongs to the goddess’s name, while 娃 wá appears in the girl’s name. Similar English spellings can hide that distinction.
In our Chinese reading text, follow what is damaged, what Nüwa gathers, and what changes after the repair. The pinyin and translation help with the action; this guide supplies the source context. The story is a myth, not a historical account of the physical sky.
Meet Nüwa
in Chinese.
A short excerpt from Nüwa Mends the Sky, with character-aligned pinyin.
Long ago, a hole suddenly opened in the sky.
Fire rose from the earth, and floods rushed toward people’s homes.
很久以前，天空突然破了一个洞。
大火从地上升起，洪水也流向人们的家。
Traditional accounts vary across texts and periods. This guide distinguishes its source from later adaptations.
Questions about Nüwa
Names, source traditions, and the details behind the story.
Who is Nüwa?
Nüwa (女娲, Nǚwā) is a Chinese goddess known for repairing the sky. She is also associated with creating humanity in other traditions; the sky-repair account discussed here is from the Huainanzi.
What stones does Nüwa use?
The Huainanzi describes five-colored stones. It does not provide a modern mineral identification for each color in this passage.
Is Nüwa the girl who becomes Jingwei?
No. The goddess is 女娲 (Nǚwā); Jingwei’s original name is 女娃 (Nǚwá). They are different figures in different accounts.