What Is the Story Behind the Hilitune Song in Genshin Impact?

The Hilitune is one of the most iconic songs in Genshin Impact. A lot of players are familiar with the song as this is randomly sung by Hu Tao in one of her idle animations in the game. However, not a lot of people are familiar with the complete lyrics of the Hilitune in Genshin Impact and the origin behind it. The song is actually quite dark despite its rather lively and fun tune. For players who want to dive deeper into the lore of Teyvat, specifically for the character Hu Tao, here is the story behind the Hilitune in Genshin Impact.

The origin of the Hilitune song in Genshin Impact

Hu Tao’s iconic Hilitune song in Genshin Impact is based on the dark Chinese children’s song titled “The Ten Rabbits.”

Here is the full lyrics of the song as translated from Chinese;

The 1st Rabbit got ill,

The 2nd Rabbit came to see him;

The 3rd Rabbit collected herbs,

The 4th Rabbit boiled (the herbs);

The 5th Rabbit died,

The 6th Rabbit carried (his coffin).

The 7th rabbit dug a hole,

The 8th rabbit buried (the 5th rabbit);

The dark forest, the little tombstone,

was the rabbit’s cold body;

There were no more lament and crying.

The sun rose slowly,

The 9th rabbit was grief-stricken;

The 10th rabbit asked why,

The 9th rabbit said: the 5th rabbit would never come back!

According to the song, there are a total of 10 Rabbits or Hilichurls. The lyrics imply that the 5th Hilichurl was killed and used as an ingredient to make a medicine to cure the 1st Hilichurl. In the game, Hu Tao only sang half of the song in Chinese while other languages changed the lyrics as it would probably be too dark for other regions. 

The Japanese version of the Hilichurl song in Genshin Impact kept the theme intact but slightly changed the outcome of the story where the sick Hilichurl was not cured even after taking the medicine.

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