Kua Fu Chasing the Sun 夸父追日

As conventionally used, ‘myth’ means one of two things: (1) stories of the gods or the creation of the world, things lying wholly in the supernatural domain, or (2) exaggerated or invented stories of humans or human events. Chinese myths are mostly of the second type. China does not, for example, see law as the gift of some deity, but as instituted by some culture heroes, men or women who triumph over obstacles.

Heroes are not all-powerful and immortal beings. Instead they represent the best of what it means to be human, demonstrating great strength, courage, wisdom, cleverness, or devotion.

One of those heroes in Chinese mythology is Kua Fu. The story of Kua Fu chasing the Sun has become the trope of man's determination and volition against nature. However, in modern day Chinese usage, the story of Kua Fu chasing the sun is used to describe a person who fails to obtain his goal because he greatly overestimates himself.

The story is Kua Fu is recorded in the ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing)’.

Kua Fu had a race with the Sun. He chased and got very close to the Sun, when he was too thirsty and hot to continue.

He drank all the water from the Yellow River and Wei River, but he still felt thirsty and hot. So, he marched northward for the lakes in the north of China. Unfortunately, he fell down and died halfway because of thirst.

He dropped his walking stick which turned into a stretch of peach, green and lush.

.

一般上，神话用来表述两种事件：1。超自然的东西，如世界的创造、神的故事，或2。夸张的或创作出的有关人类或人类事件的故事。中国神话大多是第二类的故事。华人不认为规律是神鬼赠送的礼物，而认为是那些战胜自然障碍的英雄所制定的。

英雄并不是战无不胜、长生不老的生物。相反的，他们代表了人类意义中最完美的，先是强大的力量、勇气、智慧、智力与献身精神。

夸父就是中国神话中的一个英雄。‘夸父追日’的故事代表了人类要战胜自然的决心与意志。但是，现代华文用法却把《夸父追日》用来形容一个人由于自视过高而不能达到目的。

这个故事出自《山海经》。

夸父与日逐走，入日；渴，欲得饮，饮于河、渭；河、渭不足，北饮大泽。未至，道渴而死。弃其杖，化为邓林。