Wen Yiduo's textual research shows that the rabbit as the essence of the moon began in the Han Dynasty, and it was a toad in the pre-Qin period, and later changed to a toad rabbit. There are jade rabbits and toads working together on the Han Dynasty stone in Jiaxiang, Shandong Province, and the silk paintings unearthed in Mawangdui also depict toad rabbits and the moon. By the Jin Dynasty, rabbits had represented the moon alone.
Extended data:
The East Palace is an ancient palace in China, named after its location. Later, it refers to Chu Jun who lives in the East Palace. It is also called "Spring Palace" and "Green Palace" because "East" is the color of spring and green. The location of the national treasury is also called "storage palace". In the Western Han Dynasty, because the Changle Palace of the Empress Dowager was in the east of Weiyang Palace, the "East Palace" was also used to refer to the Empress Dowager.
"East Palace" originally refers to the ancient palace in China, so it was named after its location. Later, he borrowed Prince Chu Jun who lived in the East Palace. However, "Prince's East Palace" is not just the name of the palace where the prince lives. In fact, it is another name for a system, that is, the "Oriental Palace System".
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia-Zodiac
? Baidu encyclopedia-east palace