journey to the west wiki

Journey to the West

Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en . It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature .

• 1 Quotations
• 2.1 In fiction
• 3 External links

• Spoken by Xuanzang in chapter 12
• Spoken by Taizong in chapter 12
• Spoken by Xuanzang in chapter 13
• Spoken by Wukong in chapter 25
• Proverb quoted by Wukong in chapter 74
• Heart Sūtra quoted by Wukong in chapter 85
• Spoken by Xuanzang in chapter 85
• Spoken by Wukong in chapter 85
• Spoken by Xuanzang in chapter 98
• Spoken by Tathāgata in chapter 98

Quotations about Journey to the West

• C. T. Hsia , The Classic Chinese Novel: A Critical Introduction (1968), pp. 147–148
• Hu Shih , foreword to Arthur Waley 's translation (1942), p. 5
• Lin Yutang , My Country and My People (1935), pp. 276–277
• Lin Yutang , The Importance Of Living (1937), Ch. 3: "Our Animal Heritage", I. The Monkey Epic, pp. 33–34
• Lin Yutang , The Importance Of Living (1937), pp. 34–35
• Lin Yutang , The Importance Of Living (1937), p. 35
• Lin Yutang , The Importance Of Living (1937), p. 36
• Lu Hsun , A Brief History of Chinese Fiction (1982), pp. 206–207
• Arthur Waley , Preface to Monkey (1942), p. 9
• Arthur Waley , Preface to Monkey (1942), p. 10
• Cao Xueqin , Dream of the Red Chamber (c. 1760), Ch. 22, as translated by David Hawkes in The Story of the Stone: The Golden Days (1973), p. 434

External links

• "The Stone Monkey" , from Herbert Giles 's Chinese Fairy Tales , at Wikisource
• Journey to the West (PDF) — Teaching Guide, at UW-Madison Center for the Humanities
• Journey to the West (Video Transcript) — Invitation to World Literature, at Annenberg Learner

• Chinese novels
• Picaresque novels

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Journey to the West

From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Journey to the West ( traditional Chinese : 西 遊 記 ; simplified Chinese : 西 游 记 ; pinyin : Xī yóu jì ; Wade-Giles : Hsiyu-chi) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature . Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty , and even though no direct evidence of its authorship survives, it has been ascribed to the scholar Wu Cheng'en since the 20th century.

In western countries , the tale is also often known simply as Monkey . This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley . The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God ; and Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China ; and The Adventures of Monkey .

The novel is a fictionalised account of the legends around the Buddhist monk Xuánzàng 's pilgrimage to India during the Táng dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist religious texts called sutras . The Bodhisattva Guānyīn , on instruction from the Buddha , gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples — namely Sūn Wùkōng , Zhū Bājiè and Shā Wùjìng — together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuánzàng's horse mount. These four characters have agreed to help Xuánzàng as an atonement for past sins.

Some scholars propose that the book satirises the effete Chinese government at the time. Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion , Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of Chinese folk religious beliefs today.

Part of the novel's enduring popularity comes from the fact that it works on multiple levels: it is an adventure story, a dispenser of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward enlightenment .

[ edit ] Authorship

Journey to the West is thought to have been written and published anonymously by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. [ 1 ] At the time, the trend in writing was to write in Classical Chinese and imitate the literature of the Tang Dynasty and Han Dynasty ; Wu, influenced heavily by popular stories and folk tales ever since his childhood, chose instead to write this novel in vernacular Chinese, the "vulgar" language used in everyday life among the common people, and published it anonymously because of the ill repute such works had at the time. [ 1 ] For at least three centuries, most of China believed the novel had been written by another man, a Taoist priest named Qiu Chuji ( Wade-Giles : Chiu Ch'u-ki). The people of Wu's hometown, however, attributed it early on to Wu, and kept records to such effect as early as 1625; thus, Journey to the West is the earliest Chinese novel for which the authorship is officially documented. [ 1 ]

Nevertheless, some scholars still have doubts about the novel's authorship. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Translator W.F.J. Jenner, for example, points out that the although Wu had knowledge of Chinese bureaucracy and politics, the novel itself doesn't include any political details that "a fairly well-read commoner could not have known." [ 2 ] Furthermore, it is unknown how much of the novel Wu or whomever the true author was actually created , and how much he simply compiled and edited, since much of the legend behind Journey to the West already existed in folk tales. [ 2 ] Nevertheless, the Journey to the West is the most authoritative version of these stories, as no competing story has appeared since they were compiled in this novel, [ 2 ] and Wu has become inextricably linked with the book and is seen as the generally accepted author, even if some doubts remain. [ 3 ]

[ edit ] Synopsis

The novel comprises 100 chapters. These can be divided into four very unequal parts. The first, which includes chapters 1–7, is really a self-contained prequel to the main body of the story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sūn Wùkōng, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat, and secrets of immortality, and through guile and force makes a name for himself as the Qítiān Dàshèng ( simplified Chinese : 齐天大圣 ; traditional Chinese : 齊天大聖 ), or "Great Sage Equal to Heaven". His powers grow to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Taoist) deities, and the prologue culminates in Sūn's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy. Hubris proves his downfall when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain for five hundred years.

Only following this introductory story is the nominal main character, Xuánzàng, introduced. Chapters 8–12 provide his early biography and the background to his great journey. Dismayed that "the land of the South knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins", the Buddha instructs the Bodhisattva Guānyīn to search Táng China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of "transcendence and persuasion for good will" back to the East. Part of the story here also relates to how Xuánzàng becomes a monk (as well as revealing his past life as the "Golden Cicada " and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by the Emperor Táng Tàizōng , who previously escaped death with the help of an underworld official).

The third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story which combines elements of the quest as well as the picaresque . The skeleton of the story is Xuánzàng's quest to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Vulture Peak in India, but the flesh is provided by the conflict between Xuánzàng's disciples and the various evils that beset him on the way.

The scenery of this section is, nominally, the sparsely populated lands along the Silk Road between China and India, including Xinjiang , Turkestan , and Afghanistan . The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely fantastic; once Xuánzàng departs Cháng'ān , the Táng capital, and crosses the frontier (somewhere in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, all inhabited by flesh-eating demons who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give immortality to whoever ate it), with here and there a hidden monastery or royal city-state amid the wilds.

The episodic structure of this section is to some extent formulaic. Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters and usually involve Xuánzàng being captured and having his life threatened while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although some of Xuánzàng's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various goblins and ogres, many of whom turn out to be the earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Xuánzàng) or animal-spirits with enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.

Chapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Xuánzàng's disciples, who, inspired or goaded by Guānyīn , meet and agree to serve him along the way in order to atone for their sins in their past lives.

• The first is Sun Wukong ( simplified Chinese : 孙悟空 ; traditional Chinese : 孫悟空 ), or Monkey, previously "Great Sage Equal to Heaven", trapped by Buddha for rebelling against Heaven. He appears right away in Chapter 13. The most intelligent and violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Xuánzàng. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold band that the Bodhisattva has placed around his head, which causes him excruciating pain when Xuánzàng chants certain magic words.
• The second, appearing in chapter 19, is Zhu Bajie ( simplified Chinese : 猪八戒 ; traditional Chinese : 豬八戒 ), literally Eight-precepts Pig, sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously Marshal Tīan Péng ( simplified Chinese : 天蓬元帅 ; traditional Chinese : 天蓬元帥 ), commander of the Heavenly Naval forces, banished to the mortal realm for flirting with the Princess of the Moon Chang'e . He is characterized by his insatiable appetites for food and sex, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, but is always kept in line by Sūn Wùkōng.
• The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river-ogre Sha Wujing ( simplified Chinese : 沙悟净 ; traditional Chinese : 沙悟淨 ), also translated as Friar Sand or Sandy. He was previously Great General who Folds the Curtain ( simplified Chinese : 卷帘大将 ; traditional Chinese : 捲簾大將 ), banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Heavenly Queen Mother. He is a quiet but generally dependable character, who serves as the straight foil to the comic relief of Sūn and Zhū.
• The fourth disciple is the third prince of the Dragon-King, Yùlóng Sāntàizǐ ( simplified Chinese : 玉龙三太子 ; traditional Chinese : 玉龍三太子 ), who was sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl. He was saved by Guānyīn from execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He appears first in chapter 15, but has almost no speaking role, as throughout most of the story he appears in the transformed shape of a horse that Xuánzàng rides on.

Chapter 22, where Shā is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river that the travelers cross brings them into a new "continent". Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterized by a different magical monster or evil magician. There are impassably wide rivers, flaming mountains , a kingdom ruled by women, a lair of seductive spider-spirits, and many other fantastic scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four brave disciples have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Xuánzàng from various monsters and calamities.

It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha, as, while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped heavenly animals belonging to bodisattvas or Taoist sages and spirits. Towards the end of the book there is a scene where the Buddha literally commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Xuánzàng is one short of the eighty-one disasters he needs to attain Buddhahood .

In chapter 87, Xuánzàng finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane (though still exotic) setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of Vulture Peak, where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Xuánzàng receives the scriptures from the living Buddha.

Chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Táng Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveler receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sūn Wùkōng and Xuánzàng achieve Buddhahood , Wùjìng becomes an arhat , the dragon is made a nāga , and Bājiè, whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

[ edit ] Historical context

The classic story of the Journey to the West was based on real events. In real life, Xuanzang (born c. 602 - 664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late- Sui Dynasty and early- Tang Dynasty Chang'an . Motivated by the poor quality of Chinese translations of Buddhist scripture at the time, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, despite the border being closed at the time due to war with the Gokturks . Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he travelled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tian Shan mountains to Turfan . He then crossed what are today Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , and Afghanistan , into Gandhara , reaching India in 630. Xuanzang travelled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites and studying at the ancient university at Nalanda .

Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646 to a warm reception by Emperor Taizong of Tang . He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in order to store the scriptures and icons he had brought back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty . With the support of the Emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Palace of the Lustre of Jade) monastery dedicated to translating into Chinese the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on March 7 , 664 . The Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.

Popular stories of Xuánzàng's journey were in existence long before Journey to the West was written. In these versions, dating as far back as Southern Song , a monkey character was already a primary protagonist. Before the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming, elements of the Monkey story were already seen.

[ edit ] Main characters

[ edit ] tripitaka or xuánzàng.

Xuánzàng (玄奘) (or Táng-Sānzàng (唐三藏), meaning "Táng-dynasty monk" — Sānzàng (三藏) or "Three Baskets", referring to the Tripitaka , was a traditional honorific for a Buddhist monk) is the Buddhist monk who set out to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures for China . He is called Tripitaka in many English versions of the story. Although he is helpless when it comes to defending himself, the bodhisattva Guānyīn helps by finding him powerful disciples (Sūn Wùkōng, Zhū Bājiè, and Shā Wùjìng) who aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the local inhabitants by defeating various monsters. The fact that most of the monsters and demons are trying to obtain immortality by eating Xuánzàng's flesh, and are even attracted to him as he is depicted as quite handsome, provides much of the plot in the story.

[ edit ] Monkey King (Emperor of Monkeys) or Sūn Wùkōng

Sūn Wùkōng is the name given to this character by his teacher, Patriarch Subhuti , and means "the one who has Achieved the Perfect Comprehension of the Extinction of both Emptiness and non-Emptiness "; he is called Monkey King in English .

He was born out of a rock that had been dormant for ages in Flower Fruit Mountain that was inhabited/weathered by the sun and moon until a monkey sprang forth. He first distinguished himself by bravely entering the Cave of Water Curtains (pinyin: Shuǐlián-dòng ) at the Mountains of Flowers and Fruits ( Huāguǒ-shān ); for this feat, his monkey tribe gave him the title of Měi-hóuwáng ("handsome monkey-king"). Later, he started making trouble in Heaven and defeated an army of 100,000 celestial soldiers, led by the Four Heavenly Kings , Erlang Shen , and Nezha . Eventually, the Jade Emperor appealed to Buddha , who subdued and trapped Wukong under a mountain. He was only saved when Xuanzang came by him on his pilgrimage and accepted him as a disciple.

His primary weapon is the rúyì-jīngū-bàng ("will-following golden-banded staff"), which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep behind his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions (hence the "will-following" part of the name). The staff, originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the East Sea Dragon King, weighs 13,500 pounds, which he pulled out of its support and swung with ease. The Dragon King, not wanting him to cause any trouble, also gave him a suit of golden armor. These gifts, combined with his devouring of the peaches of immortality and three jars of immortality pills while in Heaven, plus his ordeal in the eight-trigram furnace of Lao Tzu (which gave him a steel-hard body and fiery golden eyes), makes Wukong the strongest member by far of the pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he can also pull hairs from his body and blow on them to transform them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle). Although he has mastered seventy-two methods of transformations, it does not mean that he is restricted to seventy-two different forms. He can also do a jīndǒuyún ("cloud somersault"), enabling him to travel vast distances in a single leap. Wukong uses his talents to fight demons and play pranks. However, his behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guanyin, which cannot be removed by Wukong himself until the journey's end. Xuanzang can tighten this band by chanting the Tightening-Crown spell (taught to him by Guanyin) whenever he needs to chastise him. The spell is referred to by Xuanzang's disciples as the "Headache Sutra", and is as follows:- "Om-munney pud-meyon", ( Om Mani Padme Hum ?) which is spoken quickly and repeatedly.

Wukong's child-like playfulness is a huge contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his acrobatic skills, makes him a likeable hero, though not necessarily a good role model . His antics present a lighter side in what proposes to be a long and dangerous trip into the unknown.

[ edit ] Zhū Bājiè

Zhū Bājiè ("Pig of the Eight Prohibitions") is also known as Zhū Wùnéng ("Pig Awakened to Power"), and given the name Pigsy , Monk Pig or just simply Pig in English .

Once an immortal who was the Tiānpéng-yuánshuǎi ("Field Marshal Tianpeng") of 100,000 soldiers of the Milky Way , during a celebration of gods, he drank too much and attempted to flirt with Cháng'é , the beautiful moon goddess, resulting in his banishment into the mortal world. He was supposed to be reborn as a human, but ended up in the womb of a sow due to an error at the Reincarnation Wheel, which turned him into a half-man half-pig monster. Staying within Yúnzhan-dòng ("cloud-pathway cave"), he was commissioned by Guanyin to accompany Xuanzang to India and given the new name Zhu Wuneng.

However, Wuneng's desire for women led him to Gao Village, where he posed as a normal being and took a wife. Later, when the villagers discovered that he was a monster, Wuneng hid the girl away. At this point, Xuanzang and Wukong arrived at Gao Village and helped subdue him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Xuanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is the jiǔchǐdīngpá (" nine-tooth iron rake "). He is also capable of thirty-six transformations (as compared to Wukong's seventy-two), and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Wukong. However, Bajie is noted for his fighting skills in the water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey. He is the second strongest member of the team.

[ edit ] Shā Wùjìng

Shā Wùjìng (literally meaning "Sand Awakened to Purity"), given the name Friar Sand or Sandy in English , was once the Curtain Raising General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a monster because he accidentally smashed a crystal goblet belonging to the Heavenly Queen Mother during the Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up residence in the Flowing Sands River , terrorizing the surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sūn Wùkōng and Zhū Bājiè when the Xuānzàng party came across him. They consequently took him in, as part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Shā Wùjìng's weapon is the yuèyáchǎn ("Crescent-Moon-Shovel" or " Monk's Spade "). Aside from that, he knows eighteen transformations and is highly effective in water combat. He is about as strong as Bājiè, and is much stronger than Wùkōng in water. However, Bājiè can beat Wujing in a test of endurance, and Wùkōng can beat him out of water.

Shā Wùjìng is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickerings of his fellow-disciples. He has no major faults nor redeeming characteristics. Perhaps this is why he is sometimes seen as a minor character.

Wùjìng eventually becomes an Arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than Bājiè, who is relegated to cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for eternity, but is still lower spiritually than Wùkōng or Xuānzàng who are granted Buddhahood.

[ edit ] List of demons

There are many demons in the story. They are listed below:

[ edit ] Notable English-language translations

• Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley . For many years, the best translation available in English . Often considered the most readable and amusing retelling of the story. [ citation needed ] However, Waley only translated 30 out of the 100 chapters (which corresponds to roughly 1/6 of the whole text) while excising, e.g., most of the verse. (Penguin reprint ISBN 0-14-044111-5 )
• Journey to the West (1982–1984), a complete translation in three volumes by W.J.F. Jenner. Aimed at a general reader with no previous background in Chinese. [ citation needed ] Foreign Languages Press Beijing ( ISBN 0-8351-1003-6 , ISBN 0-8351-1193-8 , ISBN 0-8351-1364-7 ; 1993 edition in four volumes: ISBN 978-7-119-01663-4 )
• The Journey to the West (1977–1983), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu . The most faithful rendering of the original, designed primarily for an academic reader. [ citation needed ] University of Chicago Press: HC ISBN 0-226-97145-7 , ISBN 0-226-97146-5 , ISBN 0-226-97147-3 , ISBN 0-226-97148-1 ; PB ISBN 0-226-97150-3 , ISBN 0-226-97151-1 ; ISBN 0-226-97153-8 ; ISBN 0-226-97154-6 . In 2006, an abridged version of this translation was published under the title The Monkey and the Monk .

[ edit ] Further reading

• Jenner, W.J.F. (1984). "Translator's Afterword." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 4. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 2341–2343.
• Shi Changyu 石昌渝 (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22.
• Yu, Anthony: "Introduction". Journey to the West . Trans. and ed. Anthony Yu. Vol. 1. Chicago - London: University of Chicago Press, 1977. 1–62.

[ edit ] See also

• List of media adaptations of Journey to the West

[ edit ] References

• ^ a b c Hu Shih (1942). Introduction . New York: Grove Press. pp. 1–5.  
• ^ a b c d Jenner, W.J.F. (1984). "Translator's Afterword." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 4. Seventh Edition.
• ^ a b Shi Changyu (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22.

[ edit ] External links

[ edit ] full text, [ edit ] traditional chinese.

• Journey to the West from WikiSource ( UTF-8 encoding)
• Journey to the West from the Gutenberg Project ( UTF-8 encoding)
• Journey to the West from Open Lit ( Big5 encoding)
• Journey to the West from MillionBook.net ( Big5 encoding)

[ edit ] Simplified Chinese

• Journey to the West from Xahlee ( UTF-16 encoding)

[ edit ] English

• Journey to the West - Freeware complete English text version in PDF format (2.56MB)

[ edit ] Other links

• Monkey - Great Sage equal of Heaven - fansite.
• Journey to the West - Comprehensive and detailed website with in-depth information about Journey to the West.
• Story of Sun Wukong and the beginning of Journey to the West with manhua
• Solarguard Monkey Plot summary (one paragraph for each of one hundred in novel) plus summary of book on historical Xuanzang.
• Edit this page

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Journey to the West (1986 TV series)

• Chinese mythology
• Liu Xiao Ling Tong
• Chi Chongrui
• Ruan Ruolin
• China Television Production Center
• 铁道部第十一工程局

Journey to the West is a Chinese television series adapted from the classic 16th-century novel of the same title . The first 11 episodes of the series were first broadcast on CCTV in China on 1 October 1986. The series became an instant classic in China and was praised for being one of the most original and faithful interpretations. The series was budgeted for 30 episodes, due to budgetairy reasons, five of the planned episodes were left out. The screenplay for these left out episodes was rewritten and lengthened. Also some more portions of the original novel were covered in the second season, which was released in 1999. CCTV released the entire series online on YouTube [1] [2] as an edited version (all episodes are 45 minutes long) with English subtitles. The second season starts in the edited version with the capture of the Tang Monk (footage of the original episode 3). After that the edited version follows the original order. However, episode 5 Meeting immortals at Peacock Platform of the second season was deleted and parts of the content were integrated into the fourth episode Obstacle at Lion Camel Ridge making a total of 40 episodes instead of the original 41. [3]

List of episodes

Wu cheng'en and journey to the west, external links.

Season 1 has 25 episodes and covers 74 chapters of the novel. The first trial episode was aired on 1 October 1986, and filming lasted until 1987. It was aired as a whole series in 1988. With the limited but relatively new special effects, the series received a viewership rate of 89.4% in 1987. [4] The series has been rebroadcast every year since then. As of 2012, the series has been repeated on Chinese local channels more than 2,000 times. [5]

Due to budgetary issues, five of the initially planned episodes were not filmed:

• Dangerous crossing at Heaven Reaching River (险渡通天河), covering chapters 47-49
• Capturing the Azure Bull Demon (收伏青牛怪), covering chapters 50-52
• The real and fake Monkey King (真假美猴王), covering chapters 56-58
• Obstacle at Lion Camel Ridge (遇阻狮驼岭), covering chapters 74-77
• Rescuing children in a city (救难小儿城), [6] covering chapters 78-79

For season 2, the screenplay of these five episodes was rewritten into 16 episodes (covers another 25 chapters of the novel). Filming began in 1998 and finished in 1999. It was broadcast on CCTV in 2000. The internal story of the second season has the four protagonists relating to Emperor Taizong of Tang via flashbacks of their travels and adventures, (namely those episodes not depicted in the first series) upon their return to China. Season 2 differs from the format of the first season, as most episodes end on a cliffhanger, with conflicts being resolved and new ones encountered in the middle of episodes in a more fluid timeline.

• Liu Xiao Ling Tong as Sun Wukong
• Wang Yue (episodes 6, 9, 10), Xu Shaohua (episodes 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14-16), Chi Chongrui (episodes 13, 17-25) as Tang Sanzang
• Ma Dehua as Zhu Bajie
• Yan Huaili as Sha Wujing
• Xu Shaohua , Chi Chongrui as Tang Sanzang
• Cui Jingfu as Zhu Bajie
• Liu Dagang as Sha Wujing

The music for the series was mainly composed by Xu Jingqing (许镜清). It use of the combination of traditional Chinese instruments with Yamaha DX7 synthesizer and electronic drum , [7] its genre is a mixture between Chinese traditional music , Electronic music , and Orchestral song , [8] making them one of the first electronic music compositions aired on the Mainland China mainstream media. The use of electric music that was perceived as "Western" and "modern" in the "traditional Chinese story" was the issue of debate at the time. [9]

The original lead actors of Journey to the West (1986) — Liu Xiao Ling Tong , Chi Chongrui and Ma Dehua — reprised their roles in Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West , a 2010 television series about Wu Cheng'en and his inspiration for writing the novel Journey to the West . Sha Wujing , however, was portrayed by Liu Dagang because Yan Huaili, who played the character in 1986, died in April 2009. [ citation needed ]

• List of media adaptations of Journey to the West

Related Research Articles

Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia. Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation, Monkey , is known in English-speaking countries.

Tang Sanzang is a Buddhist monk and pilgrim who is a central character in the 16th century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. Tang Sanzang is based on the historical Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang.

Sha Wujing is one of the three disciples of the Buddhist pilgrim Tang Sanzang in the 16th century novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en in the Ming dynasty, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the source novel, his background is the least developed of the pilgrims, and he contributes the least to their efforts.

Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China , more often known as simply Monkey , is an abridged translation published in 1942 by Arthur Waley of the sixteenth-century Chinese novel Journey to the West conventionally attributed to Wu Cheng'en of the Ming dynasty. Waley's remains one of the most-read English-language versions of the novel. The British poet Edith Sitwell characterized Monkey as "a masterpiece of right sound", one that was "absence of shadow, like the clearance and directness of Monkey's mind." The translation won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1942.

Zhang Jinlai , better known by his stage name Liu Xiao Ling Tong , is a Chinese actor, best known for his role as the Monkey King in the 1986 television series Journey to the West adapted from the classic Chinese novel of the same name. Zhang adopted his father Zhang Zongyi's stage name, Liu Ling Tong, and amended it to Liu Xiao Ling Tong.

Baigujing is a demon from the 16th century novel Journey to the West . The name is translated into English as White Bone Spirit in the William John Francis Jenner translation. Baigujing is a shapeshifting demoness, and in her true form she is depicted as a skeleton.

Gokū no Daibōken is a Japanese anime series that was directed by Gisaburō Sugii. Made by Mushi Productions, the anime's 39 episodes were broadcast on Fuji TV between January 7 and September 30, 1967. The anime is based on the 16th-century novel Journey to the West .

Journey to the West: Legends of the Monkey King is a 1998 animated series produced by China Central Television and the CINAR Corporation. It is based on the 16th-century novel Journey to the West . There are 26 episodes in total, with a duration of about 22 minutes each, along with a 75-minute prequel television film. In the Original 1998 Chinese edition of the series, there are instead 52 episodes with each segment being extended to a full half hour episode with added animation and dialogue, and the prequels making up episodes 1-7.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is a 2013 fantasy comedy film co-written and produced by Stephen Chow and co-directed by Chow and Derek Kwok. The movie was first announced in July 2011 and was released on February 10, 2013 in China. The film is a loose comedic re-interpretation of the 16th-century novel Journey to the West , a Chinese literary classic often believed to be written by Wu Cheng'en.

Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West is a Chinese television series about the life of Wu Cheng'en and his inspiration for writing the 16th-century novel Journey to the West . The series was directed by Kan Weiping and consists of a total of 45 episodes shot in high definition, each 45 minutes long and containing 10 minutes of 3-D effects. The original lead actors of the 1986 television series Journey to the West starred in Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West and reprised their roles: Liu Xiao Ling Tong as Sun Wukong, Chi Chongrui as Tang Sanzang and Ma Dehua as Zhu Bajie. Sha Wujing, however, was portrayed by Liu Dagang because the original actor, Yan Huaili, died in April 2009. It was broadcast by Shandong Qilu TV in July 2010.

The White Dragon Horse , known as Bai Long Ma , and Yu Long , in Chinese, is one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West . He is Tang Sanzang's steed who later became Babu Tianlong Guangli Bodhisattva (八部天龙广力菩萨) at the end of novel.

Yan Huaili was a Chinese actor best known for his role as Sha Wujing in the 1986 television series Journey to the West . Yan was a member of the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang.

Ma Dehua is a Chinese actor best known for his role as Zhu Bajie in the 1986 television series Journey to the West .

The Monkey King 2 is a 2016 Hong Kong-Chinese action fantasy film based on the classic 16th-century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. The film was shot in 3D and is a sequel to the 2014 box office hit The Monkey King with Soi Cheang returning as director and Sammo Hung as action director, who replaces Donnie Yen's role from the previous installment. The film stars Aaron Kwok, who portrayed the main antagonist in the previous installment, as the film's titular protagonist, who also replaces Yen from the previous installment. Other cast for the film included Feng Shaofeng, Xiao Shenyang, Him Law, Fei Xiang, Kelly Chen, and Gong Li.

Chi Zhongrui or Chi Chongrui is a Chinese actor famous for his role as Tang Sanzang in the 1986 television series Journey to the West .

Liu Dagang is a Chinese actor best known for his role as Sha Wujing in the 1986 television series Journey to the West . He is a National Class-A Actor.

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back is a 2017 Chinese fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Tsui Hark. A sequel to Stephen Chow's 2013 film Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons , it was produced and co-written by both Tsui and Chow.

The Monkey King 3 is a 2018 Chinese–Hong Kong fantasy film based on the classic novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. The film is the third installment of the Monkey King franchise, after The Monkey King (2014) and The Monkey King 2 (2016). Directed and produced by Soi Cheang, the film stars Aaron Kwok, Feng Shaofeng, Xiao Shenyang, Him Law and Zhao Liying.

Xiezijing , also known as Scorpion Demoness , is a major antagonist from the 16th-century Chinese classic novel Journey to the West and its media adaptations. Her true form is a giant scorpion as large as a pipa. In the narrative, the Scorpion Demoness stands out as the sole character capable of harming both the Buddha and Sun Wukong. Despite the Buddha and Wukong's bodies being as resilient as metal, they are unable to withstand the venomous sting of the Scorpion Demoness's tail.

• ↑ "《西游记续集》 | 师徒四人 回转长安 【全15集】 - YouTube" . YouTube .
• ↑ "《西游记》 Journey to the West（English Subs） | 四大名著 经典再现【全40集】 - YouTube" . YouTube .
• ↑ (in Chinese) 敢问路在何方 - 电视剧《西游记》剧组聚首《艺术人生》
• ↑ (in Chinese) 老剧再抢暑期档 86版《西游》重播超2000次
• ↑ (in Chinese) 86版《西游记》幕后故事：九九八十一难是戏也是生活
• ↑ " 'Journey to the West' composer's bucket list" . China.org.cn. 4 February 2016.
• ↑ "《西游》作曲:音乐学院没考"登登等灯" " . 广州日报 . 新浪网. 25 January 2017.
• ↑ "我为《西游记》作曲——许镜清的梦幻人生" . 中国音乐网. 17 September 2021.
• Journey to the West at IMDb
• A Supplement to the Journey to the West (c. 1640)
• Monkey: Journey to the West (play)
• Patalliro Saiyuki! (1978)
• Starzinger (1979)
• Dragon Ball (1984)
• Saiyūki (1997)
• The Monkey King (1998)
• Shinzo (2000)
• Monkey Typhoon (2001)
• American Born Chinese (2006)
• Ether Saga Odyssey
• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
• Fantasy Westward Journey
• Ganso Saiyūki: Super Monkey Daibōken
• Legend of Wukong
• Monkey Hero
• Monkey King: Hero Is Back
• Monkey Magic
• Pokémon
• Saiyuki: Journey West
• Westward Journey Online II
• Yūyūki
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Monkey (1942 novel)
• Griever: An American Monkey King in China (1986 novel)
• Tripmaster Monkey (1989 novel)
• Four Great Classical Novels
• Gao Village
• Gao Village Arc
• Mount Huaguo
• Shuilian Cave
• Tongtian River
• Liusha River
• Monkey King Festival
• Ruyi Jingu Bang
• Journey to the West (2008 soundtrack)

• 1590s novels
• Literature featuring anthropomorphic characters
• Ming Dynasty literature
• Pilgrimage accounts
• Picaresque novels
• Books about India
• Pages using ISBN magic links

Journey to the West

The four heroes of the story, left to right: Sūn Wùkōng, Xuánzàng (on the Dragon-Horse), Zhū Bājiè, and Shā Wùjìng.

Journey to the West ( simplified Chinese : 西 游 记 ; traditional Chinese : 西 遊 記 ; pinyin : Xī Yóu Jì ; Wade–Giles : Hsi-yu chi) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature . Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty , its authorship has been ascribed to the scholar Wu Cheng'en since the 20th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey . This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley . The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God , Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China , and The Adventures of Monkey , and in a further abridged version for children, Dear Monkey .

The novel is a fictionalised account of the mythologized legends around the Buddhist monk Xuanzang 's pilgrimage to India (known as the Western Regions ) during the Tang dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist religious texts called sūtras . The Bodhisattva Guan Yin , on instruction from the Buddha , the historical founder of Buddhism , gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples — namely Sun Wukong , Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing — together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang's steed, a white horse. These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as an atonement for past sins. Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion , Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of some Chinese folk religious beliefs today. Part of the novel's enduring popularity comes from the fact that it works on multiple levels: it is an adventure story, a dispenser of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward enlightenment .

• 1 Authorship
• 3 Historical context
• 4.1 Tripitaka or Xuanzang
• 4.2 Monkey King (Emperor of Monkeys) or Sun Wukong
• 4.3 Zhu Bajie
• 4.4 Sha Wujing
• 6 Notable English-language translations
• 7 Further reading
• 8 Critical studies
• 10 References
• 11.1.1 Traditional Chinese
• 11.1.2 Simplified Chinese
• 11.1.3 Annotated edition
• 11.1.4 English
• 11.2 Other links

Authorship [ ]

Journey to the West is thought to have been written and published anonymously by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. [1] At the time, the trend in writing was to write in Classical Chinese and imitate the literature of the Tang Dynasty and Han Dynasty ; Wu, influenced heavily by popular stories and folk tales ever since his childhood, chose instead to write this novel in vernacular Chinese, the "vulgar" language used in everyday life among the common people, and published it anonymously because of the ill repute such works had at the time. [1] For at least three centuries, most of China believed the novel had been written by another man, a Taoist priest named Qiu Chuji ( Wade-Giles : Ch'iu Ch'u-chi). The people of Wu's hometown, however, attributed it early on to Wu, and kept records to such effect as early as 1625; thus, Journey to the West is the earliest Chinese novel for which the authorship is officially documented. [1]

Nevertheless, some scholars still have doubts about the novel's authorship. [2] [3] Translator W.F.J. Jenner, for example, points out that although Wu had knowledge of Chinese bureaucracy and politics, the novel itself doesn't include any political details that "a fairly well-read commoner could not have known." [2] Furthermore, it is unknown how much of the novel Wu or whoever the true author was actually created , and how much he simply compiled and edited, since much of the legend behind Journey to the West already existed in folk tales. [2] Nevertheless, the Journey to the West is the most authoritative version of these stories, as no competing story has appeared since they were compiled in this novel, [2] and Wu has become inextricably linked with the book and is seen as the generally accepted author, even if some doubts remain. [3]

Synopsis [ ]

The novel comprises 100 chapters. These can be divided into four very unequal parts. The first, which includes chapters 1–7, is really a self-contained introduction to the main story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat, and secrets of immortality, and through guile and force makes a name for himself as the Qitian Dasheng ( simplified Chinese : 齐天大圣 ; traditional Chinese : 齊天大聖 ), or "Great Sage Equal to Heaven". His powers grow to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Taoist) deities, and the prologue culminates in Sūn's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy . Hubris proves his downfall when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain and seals the mountain with a talisman for five hundred years.

18th century Chinese illustration of a scene from Journey to the West

An illustrated edition of the story

Only following this introductory story is the nominal main character, Xuanzang, introduced. Chapters 8–12 provide his early biography and the background to his great journey. Dismayed that "the land of the South knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins", the Buddha instructs the Bodhisattva Guan Yin to search Tang China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of "transcendence and persuasion for good will" back to the East. Part of the story here also relates to how Xuánzàng becomes a monk (as well as revealing his past life as a disciple of the Buddha named "Golden Cicada " (金蟬子) and comes about being sent on this pilgrimage by Emperor Taizong of Tang , who previously escaped death with the help of an underworld official).

The third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story which combines elements of the quest as well as the picaresque . The skeleton of the story is Xuanzang's quest to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Vulture Peak in India, but the flesh is provided by the conflict between Xuanzang's disciples and the various evils that beset him on the way.

The scenery of this section is, nominally, the sparsely populated lands along the Silk Road between China and India, including Xinjiang , Turkestan , and Afghanistan . The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely fantastic; once Xuánzàng departs Chang'an , the Tang capital, and crosses the frontier (somewhere in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, all inhabited by flesh-eating demons who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give immortality to whoever ate it), with here and there a hidden monastery or royal city-state amid the wilds.

The episodic structure of this section is to some extent formulaic. Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters and usually involve Xuánzàng being captured and having his life threatened while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although some of Xuanzang's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various goblins and ogres, many of whom turn out to be the earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Xuanzang) or animal-spirits with enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.

Chapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Xuanzang's disciples, who, inspired or goaded by Guan Yin , meet and agree to serve him along the way in order to atone for their sins in their past lives.

• The first is Sun Wukong ( simplified Chinese : 孙悟空 ; traditional Chinese : 孫悟空 ), or Monkey, previously "Great Sage Equal to Heaven", trapped by Buddha for rebelling against Heaven. He appears right away in Chapter 13. The most intelligent and violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Xuanzang. Ultimately, he can only be controlled by a magic gold band that the Bodhisattva has placed around his head, which causes him unbearable headaches when Xuanzang chants the Tightening-Crown spell.
• The second, appearing in chapter 19, is Zhu Bajie ( simplified Chinese : 猪八戒 ; traditional Chinese : 豬八戒 ), literally Eight-precepts Pig, sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously Marshal Tianpeng ( simplified Chinese : 天蓬元帅 ; traditional Chinese : 天蓬元帥 ), commander of the Heavenly Naval forces, banished to the mortal realm for flirting with the Princess of the Moon Chang'e . He is characterized by his insatiable appetites for food and sex, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, which causes significant conflict with Sun Wukong. Nevertheless he is a reliable fighter.
• The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river-ogre Sha Wujing ( simplified Chinese : 沙悟净 ; traditional Chinese : 沙悟淨 ), also translated as Friar Sand or Sandy. He was previously the celestial Curtain-lifting General ( simplified Chinese : 卷帘大将 ; traditional Chinese : 捲簾大將 ), banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Heavenly Queen Mother. He is a quiet but generally dependable character, who serves as the straight foil to the comic relief of Sun and Zhu.
• The fourth disciple is the third prince of the Dragon-King, Yulong Santaizi ( simplified Chinese : 玉龙三太子 ; traditional Chinese : 玉龍三太子 ), who was sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl. He was saved by Guan Yin from execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He appears first in chapter 15, but has almost no speaking role, as throughout most of the story he appears in the transformed shape of a horse that Xuanzang rides on.

Chapter 22, where Sha Wujing is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river that the travelers cross brings them into a new "continent". Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterized by a different magical monster or evil magician. There are impassably wide rivers, flaming mountains , a kingdom ruled by women, a lair of seductive spider-spirits, and many other fantastic scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four brave disciples have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Xuanzang from various monsters and calamities.

It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha, as, while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped heavenly animals belonging to bodisattvas or Taoist sages and spirits. Towards the end of the book there is a scene where the Buddha literally commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Xuanzang is one short of the eighty-one disasters he needs to attain Buddhahood .

In chapter 87, Xuanzang finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane (though still exotic) setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of Vulture Peak , where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Xuanzang receives the scriptures from the living Buddha.

Chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Tang Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveler receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sun Wukong and Xuanzang achieve Buddhahood , Sha Wujing becomes an arhat , the dragon horse is made a nāga , and Zhu Bajie, whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

Historical context [ ]

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda of Xī'ān, China

The classic story of the Journey to the West was based on real events. In real life, Xuanzang (born c. 602 - 664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late- Sui Dynasty and early- Tang Dynasty Chang'an . Motivated by the poor quality of Chinese translations of Buddhist scripture at the time, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, despite the border being closed at the time due to war with the Gokturks . Helped by sympathetic Buddhists, he travelled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence following the Tian Shan mountains to Turpan . He then crossed what are today Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , and Afghanistan , into Gandhara , reaching India in 630. Xuanzang travelled throughout the Indian subcontinent for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage sites and studying at the ancient university at Nalanda .

Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646 to a warm reception by Emperor Taizong of Tang . He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in order to store the scriptures and icons he had brought back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty . With the support of the Emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Palace of the Lustre of Jade) monastery dedicated to translating into Chinese the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on March 7, 664. The Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.

Popular stories of Xuanzang's journey were in existence long before Journey to the West was written. In these versions, dating as far back as Southern Song , a monkey character was already a primary protagonist. Before the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming, elements of the Monkey story were already seen.

Main characters [ ]

Tripitaka or xuanzang [ ].

An illustration of Xuanzang

Xuánzàng (玄奘) (or Táng-Sānzàng (唐三藏), "Tang-dynasty monk" — Sānzàng (三藏) or "Three Baskets [of Buddhist teaching]", referring to the Tripitaka , was a traditional honorific for a Buddhist monk) is the Buddhist monk who set out to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures for China . He is called Tripitaka in many English versions of the story. Although he is helpless when it comes to defending himself, the bodhisattva Guānyīn helps by finding him powerful disciples who aid and protect him on his journey. In return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the local inhabitants by defeating various monsters. The fact that most of the monsters and demons are trying to obtain immortality by eating Xuánzàng's flesh, and are even attracted to him as he is depicted as quite handsome, provides much of the plot in the story.

Monkey King (Emperor of Monkeys) or Sun Wukong [ ]

An illustration of Sun Wukong

Sūn Wùkōng is the name given to this character by his teacher, Patriarch Subhuti , which means " Awakened to Emptiness " (in the Waley translation, Aware-of-Vacuity ); he is called Monkey King in English. There are parallels between the character and Hanuman , the Hindu monkey god of India [4]

He was born out of a rock that had been dormant for ages in Flower Fruit Mountain that was inhabited/weathered by the sun and moon until a monkey sprang forth, the rock shone with a brilliant light which is how the gods were able to keep track of it at the start. He first distinguished himself by bravely finding then entering the Cave of Water Curtains (pinyin: Shuǐlián-dòng ) at the Mountains of Flowers and Fruits ( Huāguǒ-shān ); for this feat, his monkey tribe gave him the title of Měi-hóuwáng ("handsome monkey-king"). Later, he started making trouble in Heaven and defeated an army of 100,000 celestial soldiers, led by the Four Heavenly Kings , Erlang Shen , and Nezha . Eventually, the Jade Emperor appealed to Buddha , who subdued and trapped Wukong under a mountain. He was only saved when Xuanzang came by him on his pilgrimage and accepted him as a disciple.

His primary weapon is the Ruyi Jingu Bang ("will-following golden-banded staff"), which he can shrink down to the size of a needle and keep behind his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions (hence the "will-following" part of the name). The staff, originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea , weighs 13,500 pounds, which he pulled out of its support and swung with ease. The Dragon King, not wanting him to cause any trouble, also gave him a suit of golden armor. These gifts, combined with his devouring of the peaches of immortality and three jars of immortality pills while in Heaven, plus his ordeal in the eight-trigram brazier of Laozi (which gave him a steel-hard body and fiery golden eyes), makes Sun the strongest member by far of the pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he can also pull hairs from his body and blow on them to transform them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle). Although he has mastered seventy-two methods of transformations, it does not mean that he is restricted to seventy-two different forms. He can also do a jīndǒuyún ("cloud somersault"), enabling him to travel vast distances in a single leap. Wukong uses his talents to fight demons and play pranks and on the journey, he has defeated all but the most powerful of demons.

Sun's behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guan Yin ( Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara ), which cannot be removed by Sun himself until the journey's end. Xuanzang can tighten this band by chanting the Tightening-Crown spell (taught to him by Guan Yin) whenever he needs to chastise him. The spell is referred to by Xuanzang's disciples as the "Headache Sutra", which is the Buddhist mantra of Avalokiteśvara, " oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ ". Xuanzang speaks this mantra quickly in repetition.

Sun's child-like playfulness is a huge contrast to his cunning mind. This, coupled with his acrobatic skills, makes him a likeable hero, though not necessarily a good role model . His antics present a lighter side in what proposes to be a long and dangerous trip into the unknown.

Zhu Bajie [ ]

An illustration of Zhū Bājiè

Zhū Bājiè ("Pig of the Eight Prohibitions") is also known as Zhū Wùnéng ("Pig Awakened to Power"), and given the name Pigsy , Monk Pig or just simply Pig in English .

Once an immortal who was the Tiānpéng-yuánshuǎi ("Marshal Tianpeng") of 100,000 soldiers of the Milky Way , during a celebration of gods, he drank too much and attempted to flirt with Cháng'é , the beautiful moon goddess, resulting in his banishment into the mortal world. He was supposed to be reborn as a human, but ended up in the womb of a sow due to an error at the Reincarnation Wheel, which turned him into a half-man half-pig monster. Staying within Yúnzhan-dòng ("cloud-pathway cave"), he was commissioned by Guan Yin to accompany Xuanzang to India and given the new name Zhu Wuneng.

However, Zhu's desire for women led him to Gao Village, where he posed as a normal being and took a wife. Later, when the villagers discovered that he was a monster, Zhu hid the girl away. At this point, Xuanzang and Sun Wukong arrived at Gao Village and helped subdue him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Xuanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is the jiǔchǐdīngpá (" nine-tooth iron rake "). He is also capable of thirty-six transformations (as compared to Sun Wukong's seventy-two), and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Sun. However, Zhu is noted for his fighting skills in the water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey. He is the second strongest member of the team.

Sha Wujing [ ]

An illustration of Shā Wùjìng

Shā Wùjìng (literally meaning "Sand Awakened to Purity"), given the name Friar Sand or Sandy in English , was once the Curtain Raising General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look like a monster because he accidentally smashed a crystal goblet belonging to the Heavenly Queen Mother during the Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up residence in the Flowing Sands River , terrorizing the surrounding villages and travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie when Xuanzang's party came across him. They consequently took him in, as part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Sha's weapon is the yuèyáchǎn ("Crescent-Moon-Shovel" or " Monk's Spade "). Aside from that, he knows eighteen transformations and is highly effective in water combat. He is about as strong as Zhu Bajie, and is much stronger than Wùkōng in water. However, Zhu can defeat Sha in a test of endurance, and Sun can defeat him on land.

Sha is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickerings of his fellow-disciples. He has no major faults nor redeeming characteristics. Perhaps this is why he is sometimes seen as a minor character.

Sha eventually becomes an Arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than Zhu, who is relegated to cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for eternity, but is still lower spiritually than Sun or Xuanzang, who are granted Buddhahood.

Sequels [ ]

The brief satirical novel Xiyoubu (西游补, "Supplement to the Journey to the West," c. 1640) follows Sun as he is trapped in a magical dream world created by the Qing Fish Demon, the embodiment of desire (情, qing). Sun travels back and forth through time, during which he serves as the adjunct King of Hell and judges the soul of the recently dead traitor Qin Hui during the Song Dynasty , takes on the appearance of a beautiful concubine and causes the downfall of the Qin Dynasty , and even faces King Paramita , one of his five sons born to the demoness Princess Iron Fan , [5] on the battlefield during the Tang Dynasty . [6] The events of the Xiyoubu take place between the end of chapter 61 and the beginning of chapter 62 of Journey to the West . [7] The author, Tong Yue (童说), wrote the book because he wanted to create an opponent—in this case desire—that Sun could not defeat with his great strength and martial skill. [8]

Notable English-language translations [ ]

• Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley . For many years, the best translation available in English . Waley noted in his preface that the novel was usually read in abridgement in Chinese. "The method adopted in these abridgements is to leave the original number of separate episodes, but drastically reduce them in length, particularly by cutting out dialogue. I have for the most part adopted the opposite principle, omitting many episodes, but translating those that are retained almost in full, leaving out, however, most of the incidental passages in verse, which go very badly into English." [9] . The degree of abridgement, 30 out of the 100 chapters (which corresponds to roughly 1/6 of the whole text), and the excising, e.g., most of the verse, has led to some recent critics awarding it the lesser place of a good retelling of the story. [10] On the other hand, it has been praised as "remarkably faithful to the original spirit of the work." [11]
• Journey to the West (1982–1984), a complete translation in three volumes by W.J.F. Jenner. Readable translation without scholarly apparatus. [12] Foreign Languages Press Beijing ( ISBN 0-8351-1003-6 , ISBN 0-8351-1193-8 , ISBN 0-8351-1364-7 ; 1993 edition in four volumes: ISBN 978-7-119-01663-4 ; 2003 edition in six volumes with original Chinese on left page, English translation on right page: ISBN 7-119-03216-X )
• The Journey to the West (1977–1983), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu . Complete translation with extensive scholarly introduction and notes. [12] University of Chicago Press: HC ISBN 0-226-97145-7 , ISBN 0-226-97146-5 , ISBN 0-226-97147-3 , ISBN 0-226-97148-1 ; PB ISBN 0-226-97150-3 , ISBN 0-226-97151-1 ; ISBN 0-226-97153-8 ; ISBN 0-226-97154-6 . In 2006, an abridged version of this translation was published by Chicago UP under the title The Monkey and the Monk .

Further reading [ ]

• Jenner, W.J.F. (1984). "Translator's Afterword." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 4. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. 2341–2343.
• Shi Changyu 石昌渝 (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. 1–22.
• Yu, Anthony. "Introduction". Journey to the West . Trans. and ed. Anthony Yu. Vol. 1. Chicago - London: University of Chicago Press, 1977. 1–62.

Critical studies [ ]

• Fu, James S. Mythic and Comic Aspects of the Quest . Singapore: Singapore University Press, 1977.
• Hsia, C.T. "The Journey to the West". The Classic Chinese Novel . New York: Columbia UP, 1968. 115–164.
• Kao, Karl S.Y. "An Archetypal Approach to Hsi-yu chi ." Tamkang Review 5, no.2 (Oct 1974). 63–98.
• Plaks, Andrew. The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1987. 183–276.
• ---. "Journey to the West". Miller, Barbara S. (ed.): Masterworks of Asian Literature in Comparative Perspective . New York - London: M.E. Sharpe, 1994. 272–284.
• Yu, Anthony C. "Two Literary Examples of Religious Pilgrimage: The Commedia and the Journey to the West ." History of Religions 22, no. 3 (Feb 1983). 202–230.

See also [ ]

• Journey to the West fandom

References [ ]

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hu Shih (1942). Introduction . [[Monkey (novel)|]] (New York: Grove Press). pp. 1–5.  
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jenner, W.J.F. (1984). "Translator's Afterword." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 4. Seventh Edition.
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shi Changyu (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, Journey to the West , volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22.
• ↑ Sino-Platonic papers, University of Pennsylvania
• ↑ King Paramita is the only son to make an appearance and to be called by name in the novel. These sons did not originally appear in Journey to the West .
• ↑ Tong, Yue, Shuen-fu Lin, Larry James Schulz, and Chengẻn Wu. The Tower of Myriad Mirrors: A Supplement to Journey to the West. Michigan classics in Chinese studies, 1. Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, The University of Michigan, 2000
• ↑ Tong, The Tower of Myriad Mirrors , p. 5
• ↑ Tong, The Tower of Myriad Mirrors , p. 133
• ↑ Wu Ch'eng-en, Monkey , trans. Arthur Waley, [1943] (New York: Grove Press, 1984), preface p. 7
• ↑ Plaks, Andrew (1997). " The Journey to the West by Anthony C. Yu." MLN, Vol. 92, No. 5, Comparative Literature . 1116–1118."
• ↑ Paul S. Ropp, "The Distinctive Art of Chinese Fiction", in Paul S. Ropp ed., Heritage of China: Contemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990), p. 321n.12
• ↑ 12.0 12.1 Plaks, Andrew (1994). "Journey to the West". In Miller, Barbara S. (ed.): Masterworks of Asian Literature in Comparative Perspective . New York: M.E. Sharpe. p. 283.

External links [ ]

Full text [ ], traditional chinese [ ].

• Journey to the West from WikiSource ( UTF-8 encoding)
• Journey to the West from the Gutenberg Project ( UTF-8 encoding)
• Journey to the West from Open Lit ( Big5 encoding)
• Journey to the West from MillionBook.net ( Big5 encoding)

Simplified Chinese [ ]

• Journey to the West from ctext

Annotated edition [ ]

• The Monkey King - read the original Chinese story with contextual English and Pinyin popup definitions

English [ ]

• Journey to the West - Freeware complete English text version in PDF format (2.56MB)

Other links [ ]

• Story of Sun Wukong and the beginning of Journey to the West with manhua

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Journey to the West

Tang Zhijun, an editor of a science fiction magazine, tries to find signs of alien civilization. Tang Zhijun, an editor of a science fiction magazine, tries to find signs of alien civilization. Tang Zhijun, an editor of a science fiction magazine, tries to find signs of alien civilization.

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Sun Wukong , also known as The Great Sage Equal to Heaven or the Monkey King , is an iconic hero of Chinese folklore and the main protagonist of the 16th-century Chinese classic novel Journey to the West by the late Wu Cheng'en, and its multiple adaptations. He is a magical monkey who wields a pole known as Ruyi Jingu Bang which can extend to any length, and weighs about 17,857 pounds, and had achieved immortality and omnipotence.

• 1.1 Live Action
• 1.2 Animated and Video Games
• 2.2 Redemption
• 4 References
• 6 External links
• 7 Navigation

Protrayals [ ]

Live action [ ].

• In Journey to the West (1986 TV series) , he is played by Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong .
• In the Hong Kong television series Journey to the West (1996 TV series) , he is played by Dicky Cheung
• In Journey to the West (2010 TV series) , he is played by Chinese actor Fei Zhenxiang.
• In Journey to the West (2011 TV series) , he is played by Chinese actor Wu Yue .
• In Journey to the West II , he is played by Chinese Hong Kong actor Benny Chan .
• In A Chinese Odyssey , he is played by Chinese Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow .
• In The Monkey King 2 (2016) , he is played by Chinese Hong Kong singer Aaron Kwok .
• In The Monkey King (2014 film) , he is played by Chinese Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen .
• In Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back (2017) , he is played by Chinese actor Lin Gengxin .

Animated and Video Games [ ]

• In the 2024 actio role-playing game Black Myth: Wukong , he is voiced by Mark Ota in English and by TBA in Chinese.
• He was voiced by Rikiya Koyama in Warriors Orochi series.
• Yūji Ueda in Saiyuki Journey West in Japanese and Christopher Corey Smith in English.
• In the 2021 animated film, Monkey King Reborn , he is voiced by Jason Kesser.
• In Journey to the West: Legends of the Monkey King , he is voiced by Zhang Hanyu in Chinese in initial episodes and later by Shen Xiaoqian Shen Xiaoqian in the remaining episodes, and by Thor Bishopric in the English version.

Biography [ ]

Sun Wukong was born from a magical stone formed from chaos. He joined a clan of monkeys, and discovered a secret cave that the monkeys could use as their new home, named it Mount Huguo. The monkeys were grateful and accepted Wukong as their king. However, Sun Wukong was not happy only ruling over monkeys, as he wanted Immortality. To find it, he travelled and found the Buddhist Patriarch Bodhi, who, with some uncertainty, took him on as his disciple. Wukong became a favorite disciple of Bodhi, and learned to read and write, as well as learning how to transform into anything in the universe. Here he also learned how to jump 33 miles in a single jump. However, Wukong started bragging to the others, and Bodhi banished him from the temple.

Wukong travelled through the seas, where he found a staff that could extend to any length, and weighed about 17,857 pounds, called the Ruyi Jingu Bang. He defeated the four water dragons, and took from them Golden Armor, A Phoenix Helmet, and Boots that allowed him to walk on clouds. To make sure he would never die, he erased his own name from the Book of Life and Death. The Emperor of Heaven heard about this, and to stop Wukong from becoming too dangerous he offered him a place among the gods.

However, he was given the lowest ranking job possible, and was offended to the point where he allied with the demons of Earth in a Battle against Heaven. The gods were forced to recognize him as "Great Sage Equal to Heaven", however, Wukong once again rebelled when he found out that he was not invited to a royal banquet. He stole peaches, pills, and wine that would keep his immortality, and fought 100,000 Celestial Warriors.

He was locked into a cauldron, and eventually escaped, with the ability to recognize any evil. With no options left they called to Buddha, who bet that Wukong couldn't escape from his palm. Wukong jumped, wrote on five pillars, and returned, only to discover that the pillars were Buddha's fingers. Buddha quickly sealed him away with a talisman, and Sun Wukong was forced to wait for his path of redemption.

Redemption [ ]

500 years later Tang Sanzang , a young monk, seeks to journey to India to receive some sacred scriptures. Wukong was told that if he joined him he would he freed. He is tricked into putting on a headband that would tighten if Sanzang said a special chant. He helps Sanzang with his pilgrimage, and becomes the latter's strongest and most important disciple. After Sanzang and his disciples receive the sacred scriptures and accomplish the 81 challenges, Wukong prospers. Then the Buddha appoints Wukong to be the "Victorious Fighting Buddha" by his eminent skills of fighting the evil.

References [ ]

• Chinese actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong sets record with huge Journey to the West collection
• Other examples of characters based of the characters are Jin Mo-Ri (who's true idendity is Sun Wukong) from The God of High School , Samon Gokuu from Nanbaka .
• Sun Wukong is considered to be Liu Xiao Ling Tong's most iconic role, so much that people comment on how no matter how many roles he would later play, they always see Sun Wukong in those.
• Originally, Sun Wukong's role was meant to be for Liu Xiao Ling Tong's older brother, Xiao Liu Ling Tong. However, Xiao Liu Ling Tong soon died of leukemia, so Liu Xiao Ling Tong was cast instead.
• Xiao Ling Tong also won the Guiness Record for the largest collection of Sun Wukong, comprising of 1,508 items in total from the Journey to the West franchise..
• Sun Wukong appeared in the 162nd Episode of the Popular webseries DEATH BATTLE, where he Fought against the Mythological Version of Heracles, and won.

External links [ ]

• Sun Wukong on the Wikipedia
• Sun Wukong on the Villains Wiki .

Navigation [ ]

• 1 Erwin Smith
• 2 Sa'kan

Journey to the West (1986 TV Series)

It started filming in 1982, but was released in 1986. That is why some sources refer to it as the 1982 TV Series.

CCTV released the whole series on Youtube.

• Episodes 1-25
• 2 Main Plot
• 3 Main Characters
• 4.1 Main Cast
• 4.2 Episode List
• 5 References

The director Yang Jie received the task from the Chinese officials to film the classic novel Journey to the West , which is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. Though the one she really wanted to film is another one from the four great novels called Dream of the Red Chamber , director Yang Jie accepted the task and organized a film crew by 1982. The filming process was extremely tough at that time. Because of the nature of the original work as a mythology, the crew needs to use a lot of special effects in the show. However, with limitation in techniques and experience, making special effects costs the team great amount of money and causes considerable danger at the same time. Almost all of the main casts had experience of falling down when they were hung by the wires several meters above the ground. Despite the difficult conditions, the team managed to finish the first season after 6 years of filming. It was piloted on CCTV in 1986, and all of the 25 episodes were released by 1988. The show was an immediate success after being broadcasted. The viewership rate reached 89.4% in 1987. [1]

In 1998, the crew gathered again to film the rest of the stories from the original work that were not covered in the first season. Since there wasn't a plan to film a second season, the story was already finished by the end of first season. As a result, the crew adapted the uncovered story into flashbacks of the protagonists after they returned to the Tang Empire from the Vulture Peak. The second season consists of 16 episodes and was broadcasted on CCTV in 2000.

Main Plot [ ]

One day, a monkey is born from a stone nourished by the essence of the world. He becomes an Immortal after being named as Sun Wukong  and practicing Taoist for hundred of years. He makes his name of  Great Sage Equal to Heaven (齐天大圣) after starting a war against the Heavens . The Monkey causes great trouble in the Heaven, as almost no one can matches his power. When he finally threats the Jade Emperor  to give up his position, the Buddha arrives and manages to trap him under a mountain for five hundred years. 

Five hundred years later, a monk called Tang Sanzang in the Tang Empire sets out to bring back Buddhist scriptures from the Vulture Peak in India under the instruction of  Guanyin Bodhisattva . He releases the Monkey from the mountain, make him his disciple and meets the other three disciples during the journey. As a team, they experiences 81 tribulations, defeats relentless demons and manages to receive the scriptures from the Buddha at the end of the journey. They then returns to the Tang Empire, spreads the thoughts from the scriptures and tells the emperor about their experiences in the whole trip. 

Main Characters [ ]

Season 1 [ ]

Main cast [ ], episode list [ ], references [ ].

• ↑ http://www.cctv.com/program/ysrs/20040817/101415.shtml
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West_(1986_TV_series)
• https://xiyouji.fandom.com/zh/wiki/%E8%A5%BF%E6%B8%B8%E8%AE%B0%EF%BC%881982%E5%B9%B4%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%8F%B0%E5%87%BA%E5%93%81%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E5%89%A7%EF%BC%89
• https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%A5%BF%E6%B8%B8%E8%AE%B0/6786341
• https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-07-03/Literary-script-of-Journey-to-the-West-to-be-released-I22OV68FZm/index.html
• 1 Sun Wukong
• 2 Erlang Shen
• 3 Tang Sanzang

悟元子刘一明解西游原旨

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