Wu Gang 吴刚
Wú Gāng
Wu Gang chops the moon’s gui tree, but every cut closes before the tree can fall.
- Chinese name
- 吴刚
- Pinyin
- Wú Gāng
- Best known for
- 吴刚伐桂
- Reading level
- HSK 4 recommended
Who is Wu Gang?
Wu Gang is the man condemned to cut a tree on the moon that heals after every blow. Unlike an ordinary woodcutter, he cannot make lasting progress: each wound in the trunk closes, and the tree remains standing.
What does the source actually say?
Follow the traditional account and the details that distinguish it from later retellings.
The source account
The Tianzhi section in the first volume of Duan Chengshi’s Youyang Zazu records a huge tree on the moon and a man who keeps cutting it. The wounds immediately close. It identifies him as Wu Gang of Xihe, says that he committed an offense while learning immortality, and gives tree-cutting as his punishment.
Reading the details
The brief passage does not explain the offense. Elaborate accounts of what he did wrong should therefore be identified as other versions, rather than silently inserted into this one. Our reading story preserves the punishment and the self-healing tree without inventing that missing explanation.
How to read 吴刚伐桂
吴刚 is Wú Gāng: Wú has a second tone, and Gāng has a first tone. In traditional characters the name is 吳剛. Wu is his family name, and Gang is his given name.
吴刚伐桂 (Wú Gāng fá guì) names his task: ‘Wu Gang cuts the gui tree.’ 伐 means to fell or cut down a tree. 桂 refers here to the legendary lunar tree, commonly rendered as cassia or osmanthus in English. An English plant label should not turn a mythical tree into a precise botanical claim.
A moon figure with a different task
Chang’e, the Jade Rabbit, and Wu Gang can all appear in discussions of Chinese moon lore, but they are separate figures. Chang’e’s familiar story concerns reaching the moon; the rabbit is associated with pounding medicine; Wu Gang repeatedly cuts the tree.
The useful contrast is between a changing action and an unchanged result. In the Chinese story, look for 伤口 (shāngkǒu, wound), 恢复 (huīfù, return to a previous state), and 不停地 (bù tíng de, continuously). They explain why another swing of the axe does not bring his work closer to completion.
Jingwei also repeats a seemingly impossible task. Her sea-filling follows a drowning and transformation, while Wu Gang’s work is a punishment. Their similar imagery does not make them participants in one shared plot.
Meet Wu Gang
in Chinese.
A short excerpt from Wu Gang and the Moon Tree, with character-aligned pinyin.
Legend tells of a very tall gui tree on the moon.
Under the tree stands a man named Wu Gang.
传说，月亮上有一棵很高的桂树。
树下有一个人，名叫吴刚。
Traditional accounts vary across texts and periods. This guide distinguishes its source from later adaptations.
Questions about Wu Gang
Names, source traditions, and the details behind the story.
Why does Wu Gang chop the tree?
In Youyang Zazu, he is punished for an offense committed while learning immortality. The passage does not specify the offense.
Why can’t Wu Gang cut the tree down?
Each cut heals, so the tree returns to its previous state. The account describes continual chopping without the tree falling.
Is Wu Gang the Jade Rabbit?
No. Wu Gang is the man cutting the moon tree. The Jade Rabbit is a separate lunar figure associated with pounding medicine.