月下老人

[Zhende ma?]

I was reading a while back about the legend of 月老 from the Tang Dynasty. In a nutshell, a man named Wei Gu in Songcheng came upon an old man in the moonlight writing the names of people in a book. Upon asking him what he was doing he told Wei Gu he was writing the names of people to be married in the book and Wei Gu realized he was the spirit in charge of matchmaking for humans (did I get this right?). So I think 月老 is thought of as the Chinese version of cupid right? How does he figure in Chinese culture now? Or is cupid more the universal symbol of love?

[wushijiao]

So I think 月老 is thought of as the Chinese version of cupid right? How does he figure in Chinese culture now? Or is cupid more the universal symbol of love?

I don't know. Maybe someone else can help.

Anyway, here's what 中国文化中的典型任务与事件 says, "含义：　月下老人是传说中主管男女婚姻的神，后来人们把好心的媒人称作月下老人．＂

Example sentences of how to use this term in modern Chinese, according to the book:

1) 她是一个热心人，喜欢当月下老人，已经促成了好几对婚姻．

２）现在的小伙子姑娘们还用得着什么月下老人？　他们早就自由恋爱，自己对上象了．

３）每次分来新大学生时，有点儿门路的家长或好心肠的月下老人就会挤到人事处那里翻这些人的照片和简历．

[wisp chou]

ur right!月老 is the chinese cupid.today 月老 is also widely used,but it seems young generation of chinese prefers using cupid instead.

[chengdu-zx]

1。在 传说 中，月下老人 equals Cupid.(but cupid is more powerful for using his arrow,and 月下老人is more gentle for using pen and book,haha!)

2.在 现代，月下老人is just a figuration,that means a matchmaker in a marriage.

and i can tell you someting more about nowadays 月下老人 or matchmaker.

in daily life,we seldom call the matchmaker in marriage 月下老人,for that's a very literary parlance.we just call the parlance "媒mei2人"。媒means introducer,intermedium, agent.

在 古代，媒人 是 一种 职业，通常 由 aged women 来 从事，so the word "媒" is made from 女 and 某. obviously,女 here is the meaning of thoes women,and "某"here is the pronunciation.and, 媒人 also is called 媒婆（po2），婆 is aged womon.

今天，媒人 可以 是 一种 职业，也可以 只是 一种 业余 活动.everyone can be a introducer or matchmaker in a friend's or relative's or colleague's marriage,no reward,just for fun or doing good.

so there comes a tale,if you are not a professional matchmaker but you do matchmaking,you'll get a bad luck.i think that tale is made by those professional matchmakers who are afraid of losing their job!haha!if i can introduce two friends to come to know eachother,maybe they would not be a couple for insufficient luck,but maybe they can be friends.that's good.so i don't care about that illusive tale.