During the late Warring States period, King Qingxiang of Chu and his court poet Song Yu were hunting and sightseeing in the Yunmeng region. Standing on a hillside, they saw the magnificent Gaotang Temple rising before them. Above the temple, clouds coiled and swirled, taking on shapes like mountains, layer upon layer, reaching straight up to the heavens. In the blink of an eye, the clouds shifted again, transforming endlessly—truly a thousand changes and ten thousand forms, emerging without cease.
Gazing at the breathtaking scenery, King Xiang of Chu sighed in admiration and asked, "What is this mist?" Song Yu replied, "This is the Lady of the Morning Clouds." The king pressed, "Who exactly is this Lady of the Morning Clouds?" Song Yu explained, "In the past, your father, King Huai of Chu, visited Gaotang and, feeling weary, rested during the day. In a dream, he saw a woman who said, 'I am the goddess of Witch Mountain, a guest at the Gaotang Terrace. Hearing that you, the honored king, have come to Gaotang, I wish to serve you and share a sweet night with you.' Her graceful figure and affectionate eyes stirred deep admiration in King Huai."
Thus, King Huai of Chu shared a bed with the goddess of Mount Wu, becoming husband and wife for a night. As she departed, the goddess said to him with deep affection, "I dwell on the southern side of Mount Wu, in a perilous high place. At dawn, I am the colorful clouds in the sky; at dusk, I transform into drifting rain. Morning and evening, I am always here beneath Sunlit Terrace." With these words, she drifted away into the air.
One morning, King Huai of Chu stepped outside to observe the sky, and just as the goddess of Mount Wu had described, the morning clouds first appeared vibrant and lush, towering like a sturdy pine. Moments later, they dazzled with brilliance, as beautiful as a woman whose charms could topple a kingdom. As the clouds raised their arms and veiled the sun with their sleeves, they seemed like a distant lover gazing longingly. Suddenly, they shifted form, resembling a chariot drawn by four horses, with banners of five-colored bird feathers fluttering in the wind. At times, they were a cool breeze; at other times, a drizzling rain—appearing and vanishing without trace, ever-changing, until the wind ceased and the rain cleared. King Huai watched for a long time, his longing and love for the goddess growing ever deeper, so he built a temple in her honor, naming it "Morning Clouds."
After hearing Song Yu's words, King Xiang of Chu invited him to compose a rhapsody on Gaotang. Song Yu then wrote the "Gaotang Rhapsody," recounting the story of King Huai's encounter with the goddess on Sunlit Terrace and vividly describing the majestic natural scenery of Gaotang, creating a masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages.
The idiom "Wushan Clouds and Rain" originally referred to the ancient legend of the goddess of Mount Wu summoning clouds and rain, later used as a metaphor for sexual union.
Source: Song Yu (Warring States Period, Chu State), *Gaotang Rhapsody*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "巫山云雨" came to describe how the ancient legend of the goddess of Mount Wu summoning clouds and rain is used as a metaphor for sexual union.