Wu Gang

[2][5] In modern Chinese, the chengyu "Wu Gang chopping the tree" (吳剛伐桂; wúgāng-fáguì) is used to describe any endless toil.

The specific reason for his situation has varied in the sources,[3] but Wu Gang's story dates back to at least the Tang dynasty.

After the expansion of the Chinese cultural area south of the Yangtze during the Qin and Han dynasties, the lunar trees became associated with the fragrant and white-blossoming Osmanthus fragrans.

In his Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen explains that Wu Gang was added to the stories about the holiday from novellas published during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

[dubious – discuss] In this version, Wu Gang began the attempt to become a Taoist immortal but gave up lazily midway through the process.