Genshin Impact Yaoyao: Osmanthus, Moon Rabbit, and Lunar Immortal

Yaoyao, a girl from the moon; the osmanthus fragrance is sweet, and she holds an adorable "little bunny." I wonder if Travelers are familiar with her? Do you know why she possesses such powerful healing abilities? What kind of creature is "Yuegui"? Today, follow us in exploring Yaoyao's character lore!

In Chinese, "Yaoyao" carries the meaning of "beautiful jade." As the verse goes, "If not seen atop the Jade Mountain, then surely met beneath the moon at Jasper Terrace." Yaoyao, a girl named after precious jade—what splendid things might be associated with her? Before our formal beginning, let us choose to understand her through three elements~!

1. Yaoyao "Osmanthus"

According to official sources, we know Yaoyao's constellation is named Osmanthus. In reality, osmanthus is a plant of the genus Osmanthus. The presence of osmanthus in Yaoyao's design extends far beyond just her constellation name. On both sides of Yaoyao's temples, she wears a small osmanthus hairpin. The hairpin features four-petaled osmanthus flowers arranged in a cross shape—delicate, intricate, and highly realistic.

Beyond this, we can spot numerous osmanthus elements on Yaoyao, and these osmanthus varieties are not limited to one type. Currently identified are pale golden osmanthus and orange-red osmanthus. For example:

1. Small osmanthus hairpins on both sides of her straight bangs;
2. Pale green osmanthus patterns on her pockets;
3. Orange osmanthus decorations on the overlapping folds of her pouch;
4. Yellow osmanthus ornaments along the hem of her skirt;
5. Osmanthus-shaped tassels at the end of her pouch.

As for her magical tool "Yuegui," we will introduce it in the following sections-it holds no small amount of scholarly significance!

2. Yaoyao - "Moon "Rabbit"

Travelers must have noticed that Yaoyao holds a giant bright yellow stuffed rabbit in her arms—round eyes, long ears, stubby legs, and a fluffy short tail, brimming with childlike innocence. From Streetward Rambler's notes, we can learn that this yellow stuffed rabbit is named "Yuegui."

Streetward Rambler mentioned wanting to gift the magical tool she cherished in her youth to Yaoyao for protection. But before she could say anything, Cloud Retainer had already given Yuegui plush to Yaoyao... So, this rabbit doll is the immortal-crafted artifact "Yuegui" made by Cloud Retainer herself. Should Yaoyao face danger, it would protect her life.

Looking at the neat stitches on "Yuegui," one can even imagine the maker sewing full-hearted affection into it stitch by stitch... Yaoyao's endearing nature is genuine, and Cloud Retainer's care for children is equally sincere.

Travelers slightly familiar with Chinese culture will surely notice that "Yuegui" bears design features of the traditional Chinese cloth tiger doll. The cloth tiger is a widely circulated folk art in China. The common method involves sewing cotton fabric into shape and stuffing it with cotton or herbs. It embodies people's auspicious wishes to ward off evil spirits and diseases, as well as the older generation's hopes and blessings for the younger generation.

But how did the cloth tiger transform into a cloth rabbit? Though both are cloth crafts, they differ greatly. I speculate this relates to the "Moon Rabbit" (玉兔) and "Wu Tu" (於菟) in Chinese culture. To understand how the cloth tiger became the "Moon Rabbit," we must first grasp the connection between "Jade Rabbit" (玉兔) and "Wu Tu" (於菟) in Chinese characters.

In ancient Chu, people called tigers "Wu Tu" (於菟). The Chu people revered tigers, associating all deities with tigers-even the moon god was considered a tiger deity. Thus, "Wu Tu" became their term for the moon. Over time, the pronunciation of "Wu/Yu" (於) shifted toward "Yu" (玉), while the character "Tu" (菟) transformed due to a misinterpretation by Jin Dynasty scholar Wang Yi. When annotating Qu Yuan's Heavenly Questions, he mistakenly read "Gu Tu in the belly" (顾菟在腹) as "Gu Rabbit" (兔), later perpetuated by others. This error turned "Tu" (菟) into "Rabbit" (兔), and "Wu Tu" (於菟) was conflated with "Jade Rabbit" (玉兔).

Pondering carefully, perhaps Yaoyao's companion "Yuegui" was a tiger in its past life! Of course, this is mere conjecture. As for why Yaoyao's basket holds a rabbit doll and radishes... Could it be because rabbits love radishes? Or does Yaoyao enjoy planting radishes with rabbits on the moon? Or perhaps she herself is as fair and tender as a radish?

3. Yaoyao—"Lunar "Immortal"

In Chinese culture, elements such as osmanthus and rabbits are inseparably linked to the moon. On Yaoyao, whether it be "Yuegui," osmanthus, or rabbits—all make me believe Yaoyao shares an indelible bond with the moon. The pair of bells on Yaoyao's head resemble the bright moon in the sky. And the hair knot atop her head resembles the grass rope tied to the bells. However, Yaoyao's bow-like hairstyle bears some similarity to the "Feixian Ji" (Flying Immortal Bun) in Chinese culture.

The so-called "Feixian Ji" is a hairstyle where the hair is divided into two strands, twisted into loops, and coiled atop the head. It is said this hairstyle first appeared in the Han Dynasty and was generally worn by celestial maidens and unmarried maidens

Finally, let us talk about Yaoyao's "Yuegui." Speaking of "Yuegui," the first thing that comes to mind is not the laurel commonly seen in Greek mythology (which belongs to the Lauraceae family, not Oleaceae), but the Chinese myth "Wu Gang Cutting the osmanthus." In Chinese mythology, the so-called "Moon osmanthus" refers to the osmanthus tree growing on the moon. According to Chinese legend, the immortal Wu Gang from the Western River was punished by the Jade Emperor to cut down an osmanthus tree in the Moon Palace. However, this tree would immediately heal and restore itself after being cut down.

Thus, Wu Gang could never fell this immortal tree, and the Jade Emperor made this endless cycle a perpetual punishment for him... This shows that the osmanthus tree possesses extraordinarily vigorous vitality-so much so that it becomes almost terrifying. From this, it is evident that the design inspiration for Yaoyao's potent healing abilities likely stems from this myth, and "Yuegui" functions exceptionally well in her hands!

It is worth noting that "Yuegui" was officially designed in bright yellow, likely to echo both the imagined color of the moon and the actual hue of osmanthus flowers in reality.

Above is all the research content about Yaoyao. I hope you Travelers enjoyed it! Of course, Genshin Impact has many characters inspired by Chinese culture, and we will analyze them one by one in the future. Don't miss our upcoming articles, and be sure to stay tuned to the Genshin Impact merchandise on our site!