Once upon a time there were two stars, sons of the Golden King of the Heavens. The one was named Tschen and the other Shen. One day they quarreled, and Tschen struck Shen a terrible blow. Thereupon both stars made a vow that they would never again look upon each other. So Tschen only appears in the evening, and Shen only appears in the morning, and not until Tschen has disappeared is Shen again to be seen. And that is why people say: “When two brothers do not live peaceably with one another they are like Tschen and Shen.”

{Note: You can read an illustrated version of this story, plus other Chinese tales, in our collection Chinese Tales: An Enchanting Collection of 24 Chinese Folk Tales and Fairy Tales , now available for Amazon Kindle and paperback.}

Note: Tschen and Shen are Hesperus and Lucifer, the morning and evening stars. The tale is told in its traditional form.