The moon toad first appeared in the literature and art of the Han dynasty. The Huai Nan-tzu describes a creature called chun-wu which inhabits the sun, and the moon toad which inhabits the moon. These animals are also illustrated in silk paintings of the Western Han.
漢代「淮南子」一書中，有「日中有踆烏、月中有蟾蜍」的說法；長沙馬王堆出土的西漢帛畫裡，也出現有金烏的太陽和有金蟾的月亮。