Because the boy was born out of wedlock, his mother had no choice but to abandon him in the fields. A crab and duck nursed the infant until he was adopted by a farmer, who named him Lei Haiqing. Lei Haiqing acquired great musical skill as a boy growing up in the countryside, but throughout his childhood he never uttered a single word.
有關田都元帥的故事，民間傳說版本眾多，大致上是：唐朝年間，田都元帥的生母採食稻穀後懷孕，由於未婚生子，因此不得已將嬰孩丟棄田間，幸賴螃蟹與鴨子的哺育，後來才被農人收養，取名雷海青。